VP Biden goes scaremongering in Florida

Campaigning on his boss’s behalf in Florida today, Vice President Joe Biden told rally attendees that, if elected, Mitt Romney’s tax and deficit-cutting plans could mean higher costs for Medicare and Social Security beneficiaries — in addendum to my post this morning, its seems like this ‘$460 tax increase/year on seniors’ is one of Team Obama’s next big call-to-arms, or something. Via ABC:

The vice president, speaking at the Century Village retirement community, alleged that Romney’s plan would raise taxes on Social Security and the Republican presidential ticket would turn Medicare into “vouchercare.”

“If Gov. Romney’s plan goes into effect, it could mean that everyone, every one of you, would be paying more on taxes on your Social Security,” Biden said. “The average senior would have to pay $460 a year more in taxes for their Social Security. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s … while these guys are … hemorrhaging tax cuts for the super wealthy.”

Biden’s allegation is based on a Tax Policy Center analysis that tried to explain some of Romney’s economic goals – cutting taxes by 20 percent, closing undisclosed loopholes and balancing the budget. Romney’s plan does not specify that he would achieve such goals by raising taxes on Social Security, and Biden has his own history with raising taxes on Social Security. While serving in the Senate, he voted for President Clinton’s 1993 budget, which raised taxes on Social Security benefits.

I of course realize that Florida is one of the more highly crucial swing states, and that’s it’s chock-full of seniors, and that the polls for both Florida and the senior vote have been vacillating back and forth for what looks like a close race — so it make senses that they’d pull out some mathematical gymnastics based on desperate deductions to try and scare more seniors into their camp. But, I repeat: Nothing is worse for Medicare or Social Security, than those programs as they currently stand. They are fiscally insolvent, period. President Obama has made no attempts to reform Social Security; Romney/Ryan would not change Medicare benefits for those who have already reached or are nearing retirement (and why is privatizing any of this stuff such a scary idea anyway? Yeah, privatization really stinks, if you don’t like being richer); ObamaCare presents hugely cumbersome taxes and costs to the health care system that will very largely effect seniors; and please stop acting like Obama’s proposed tax hikes on the wealthy would adequately pay for any of this, let alone all of the other magical things you claim they’ll also do, like stop defense cuts and pay for green energy “investments.” You’ll forgive me if I don’t take any of President Obama‘s proclaimed ‘deficit-cutting’ measures seriously.

Few of Joe Biden’s rallies are complete, however, without adding at least one uncomfortable moment to the mix of misleading messaging, so enjoy, via Charlie Spiering at the Washington Examiner:

“Everyone knows, everyone in this room knows that President Obama has increased the benefits available to people on Medicare by the action he took,” Biden said. “You are now able to go get a wellness exam, and guys, if you conclude you need a colonoscopy because of the feeling you had or you need a breast health examination, you don’t have to pay a co-pay for that.”

• Bobby Jindal: Paternalistic, big-government liberalism is the biggest loser here
• Chris Christie: “I’ll be here to welcome” Obama when he comes to tour the NJ coast again next week
• MSNBC consensus: Obama’s speech was historic, amazing, “one of the best of his presidency”

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