Medicare, the Program that Could Spoil Romney and Ryan’s Campaign

The kick-off to hostilities in the presidential election was in reality an outburst. In the midst of a severe drought that is affecting the whole of the United States, and posing a threat to farmers who see their crops going up in flames, Barack Obama shot the first arrow at the newly-named running mate of his opponent for the presidency, Mitt Romney.

Paul Ryan, partisan of total economic liberalism and absolute anti-liberalism as far as morals are concerned, is considered by most left-wing Democrats as one of the best bets for a Romney loss in the election. Obama accused Ryan of being one of the congressional members who voted against a “farm bill” designed to help farmers in need.

But it’s probably the elderly voters that Ryan is most worried about. Paul Ryan was, in effect, heckled during his visit on Monday to the Iowa State Fair for his willingness to enforce clear cuts on Medicare, a program vaguely compared to welfare by more radical Republicans. Ryan could upset beneficiaries. “Most of the elderly population is not equipped to absorb higher medical costs,” explains The New York Times. “Almost half of those over the age of 65 depend on Social Security for 80 percent or more of their total income.”

The problem is that this privation risks having an effect on white, elderly voters who are traditionally inclined toward the Republican party. According to figures from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 78 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are white, only 9 percent are black (they represent 12 percent of the population) and 8 percent Hispanic (16 percent of the population). According to a study from February 2012, 69 percent of non-Hispanic whites receive Social Security while they comprise 64 percent of the population.

In the face of such radical economic proposals, Mitt Romney no longer knows which position to adopt. “I’m sure there are places that my budget is different than, but we’re on the same page as I’ve said before,” he declared in Miami on Monday when pressed by journalists on the issue. He did not however, specify exactly what the differences were between his plan and that of Ryan.