Voice Of The Opposition: Fox News Adopts GOP's "Mediscare" Talking Point To Defend Ryan Budget

From Media Matters:

Fox News, continuing its role as the communications wing of the Republican Party, has adopted the GOP talking point that Democrats are using "'Mediscare' Attacks" against Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to replace Medicare with vouchers.

EMBED

House Speaker John Boehner's Talking Point: Democrats Are Using "Mediscare" Attacks On Ryan's Budget

Speaker Boehner: "Democrats' 'Mediscare' Attacks Meant To Deflect Attention From #hcr 'Rationing.'" From a May 6 post to Speaker of the House John Boehner's twitter account:

 

[Twitter.com/JohnBoehner, 5/6/11]

Boehner's Website: "The 'Mediscare' Offensive Launched By Democrats ... Isn't Fooling American Seniors." From a May 6 post on Boehner's website:

The "Mediscare" offensive launched by Democrats - including top Administration officials like Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius - to attack the GOP plan to protect and preserve Medicare isn't fooling American seniors.

[...]

Central to the Medicare scheme outlined by President Obama in his "phantom budget" speech is the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), a "rationing board" of bureaucrats created by ObamaCare. [Speaker of the House John Boehner's website, 5/6/11]

Fox Adopts GOP's "Mediscare" Talking Point

Cavuto Caption: Senate Vote On Ryan Budget Imminent Amid "Mediscare." During Fox News' Your World With Neil Cavuto the following on-screen graphic aired:

            

            [Fox News, Your World With Neil Cavuto, 5/25/11]

Krauthammer: New York Democrat Might Win "Almost Entirely On Mediscare." From Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

BILL O'REILLY: All right, now Karl Rove, at the top of the broadcast, submits this is going to be the dirtiest campaign in -- almost in history. That the Democrats are going to attack whoever the Republican nominee is and vice versa. I'm sure that's gonna happen, even though John McCain really kept that at a minimum, Mr. Rove believes it's going to break out into real mudslinging this time around. Do you see that?

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Absolutely. Look at two indications of it. Number one, we heard last week the Democrats are already preparing dirt digging on Governor Christie of New Jersey, who isn't even a candidate.

And second, look how the media have covered the Medicare proposal of the Ryan plan, the one that the House Republicans have supported. Democrats have been running these truly scurrilous ads which essentially say it's the abolition of Medicare. It's going to happen to your granny, even though if they're honest about it they would say it doesn't start for 10 years. And it's a change in the structure of the program. It's not an abolition of it.

You're getting echoes of that already in the press. So you're going to get the press supporting the Democratic narrative and the lies, I would say, about the Medicare. And that's a very strong issue. There's going to be an election tonight, a bi-election in New York state for a seat that was left open where the Democrat might even win a Republican district almost entirely on the Mediscare. And you're gonna see the press line up like lemmings right behind the Democrats on this issue.

O'REILLY: All right, scaring Granny. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 5/24/11]