GOP Congressman Admits Romney/Ryan Would ‘End Medicare As We Know It’

By Sy Mukherjee/Think Progress

During the fourth and final debate between incumbent Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) and his Democratic challenger, Tammy Duckworth, the Republican Congressman openly admitted that he and his GOP colleagues want to “end Medicare as we know it.”

Walsh defended the Romney/Ryan plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program, which would provide retirees with adepreciating premium support credit to purchase private insurance or traditional Medicare. Duckworth pointed out that Obamacare reforms extend the solvency of the Medicare program by a decade — and reminded Walsh of his unabashed support for Paul Ryan’s budget, which guts the core Medicare entitlement. And Walsh admitted that Duckworth’s assessment of Ryan’s plan was right:

DUCKWORTH: [Congressman Walsh] voted three times for the Ryan budget which will end Medicare as we know it. That is not my comment — that is the Wall Street Journal that says it will end Medicare as we know it. He wants to put seniors the street with a voucher. And he wants to go even further than the Ryan budget. He wants to eliminate the prescription drug benefit. Do you think that’s going to save Medicare? You want seniors to pay more for Medicare? You want seniors to pay more for prescription drugs? That’s not a single senior has come up to me and said that.

EDDIE ARRUZA (MODERATOR): Quickly, Mr. Walsh, respond.

WALSH: Ms. Duckworth says end Medicare as we know it. What the Chicago Tribune and every other responsible person has said if we don’t end it as it is, it’s going end all by itself — we won’t preserve it for future generations. We have to do that.

Watch it:

Wary of public backlash and the overwhelming popularity Medicare enjoys, Republican candidates across the country — including the Romney/Ryan ticket — describe their proposal as a way to strengthen Medicare for future generations. Last night, Walsh publicly confirmed that it is actually a fundamental restructuring of the entitlement and a raw deal for seniors.

Veterans Group Condemns Rep. Joe Walsh For Attacking Double Amputee’s Military Service, Calls For Resignation

By Scott Keyes/Think Progress


A leading veterans group has denounced Rep. Joe Walsh’s (R-IL) attack on his opponent’s military service, firsthighlighted by ThinkProgress this morning, and called on the Illinois Republican to resign.

At a town hall on Sunday, Walsh blasted his Democratic opponent, Tammy Duckworth, for having the temerity to note that she’s spent two decades serving in the military. Walsh dismissed Duckworth, an Iraq War vet who lost both her legs in an RPG attack, as not a “true hero.”

Vote Vets, a non-partisan PAC that supports veterans issues, condemned Walsh’s comments in an exclusive statement to ThinkProgress. The veterans group wrote that “Telling a veteran to shut up on the 4th of July is beyond the pale.” They called on Walsh to “step aside and and stop embarrassing his district and America.”

Their full statement:

Joe Walsh’s disgust for our veterans’ sacrifices knows no bounds. First, he falsely and maliciously claims that Tammy Duckworth, a veteran who lost her legs in Iraq didn’t have much of a record of service. Now, he denigrates that same American hero for talking about how her experience shaped her worldview and strengthened her resolve to serve even more – a conversation that isn’t just legitimate to have, but crucial as America charts its course domestically and internationally. This is a new low for this deadbeat dad.Telling a veteran to shut up on the 4th of July is beyond the pale. We are past the point of calling on Joe Walsh to apologize. He should step aside and and stop embarrassing his district and America.

Joe Walsh Challenged Duckworth To A Debate At The Same Time That She Was Serving Army Duty

By Faiz Shakir/Think Progress

Last Friday, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) challenged his Democratic opponent — Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth — to a debate. Walsh posted an announcement on his campaign website which stated that the congressman would be hosting a town hall on Sunday, and that he “has invited his opponent Tammy Duckworth to join him because he believes the voters deserve to have the ability to directly compare their competing views on the issues.”

Unfortunately, she was unable to attend. Why? Because Duckworth, who serves in the Army National Guard, was on duty this past weekend. As VoteVets told ThinkProgress, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Duckworth was legally prohibited from appearing at any campaign events while on duty. VoteVets Chairman Jon Soltz issued the following statement:

Joe Walsh just cannot stop trying to use Tammy Duckworth’s service against her, and he needs to stop, now. Whether or not his campaign was aware of her Army obligations, he now is, and should immediately apologize for this stunt.We should be thankful for the service of all of our troops, not use their time in uniform as an opportunity to play a political stunt.

The Duckworth campaign has made clear that it would like to hold a series of debates with Walsh.

Walsh’s denigration of Duckworth’s service seems to be a recurring theme. In a recent interview with Politico, Walsh diminished Duckworth’s sacrifice for her nation (she lost both of her legs and has a damaged right arm because her helicopter was gunned down in Iraq in 2004) by saying, “What else has she done? Female, wounded veteran … ehhh…. She is nothing more than a handpicked Washington bureaucrat.” Walsh refuses to apologize for those remarks and has instead doubled down. “Wearing the uniform should immediately earn everyone’s respect. It should not, however, earn everyone’s vote,” he said earlier this month.

Since 2006, Duckworth has been serving our nation’s veterans, first by directing the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, and more recently by serving as an Assistant Secretary in the federal Department of Veterans Affairs. But Walsh has been “trying to pretend that [Duckworth’s] service ended when she came home from war.”