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AirTalk

Was New York’s 26th election a Republican shellacking over Medicare plan?

By AirTalk Staff
Published May 26, 2011
US Representative Paul Ryan (R), Chairman of the US House Budget Committee.
US Representative Paul Ryan (R), Chairman of the US House Budget Committee.
(
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
)
Listen 22:13
Was New York’s 26th election a Republican shellacking over Medicare plan?
The fight within the Republican Party over entitlement reform kicked into high gear this week after the surprise victory of Democrat Kathy Hochul, the now Congresswoman-elect in New York’s upstate district 26. Hochul won 47% of the vote in a district that has been held by a Republican since the 1960s. Some politicos are saying her victory is a referendum on Paul Ryan’s Medicare reform plan. Republicans rushed to defend their drive to cut government health spending, despite possible voter backlash. But on Wednesday, the Senate rejected Ryan’s plan — with five Republicans joining the majority. Dems are celebrating these victories and pledging to make Medicare the defining issue of the 2012 election. Was the New York race a clear referendum on Medicare reform? Is it good strategy for the GOP to stick with Ryan’s plan? Or is it too unpopular with voters to be worth the political cost?

The fight within the Republican Party over entitlement reform kicked into high gear this week after the surprise victory of Democrat Kathy Hochul, the now Congresswoman-elect in New York’s upstate district 26. Hochul won 47% of the vote in a district that has been held by a Republican since the 1960s. Some politicos are saying her victory is a referendum on Paul Ryan’s Medicare reform plan. Republicans rushed to defend their drive to cut government health spending, despite possible voter backlash. But on Wednesday, the Senate rejected Ryan’s plan — with five Republicans joining the majority. Dems are celebrating these victories and pledging to make Medicare the defining issue of the 2012 election. Was the New York race a clear referendum on Medicare reform? Is it good strategy for the GOP to stick with Ryan’s plan? Or is it too unpopular with voters to be worth the political cost?

Guests:

Jon Fleischman, Republican Strategist; Founder and Publisher of FlashReport.org

Jonathan Wilcox, Republican Strategist; former speech writer for Governor Pete Wilson