Campaign 2010

Nov 30, 2011

Bass Dodges Questions About His Vote To End Medicare

If seniors who attended Congressman Charlie Bass’ (NH-02) health care town hall on Monday thought they’d get to talk to their congressman about his record on seniors’ issues, they were severely disappointed.  Congressman Bass dodged questions about his vote to end Medicare, further proving that he has abandoned New Hampshire seniors. 

 

“By dodging questions on his vote to end Medicare at a town hall billed as a chance for seniors to talk to their representative, Congressman Charlie Bass has reached a new low, even for him,” said Josh Schwerin, Northeast Press Secretary at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.  “Congressman Bass has been pushing an extreme agenda of ending Medicare while protecting tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires – it’s no wonder he is wildly unpopular in his district. Since voting to end Medicare, Congressman Bass has faced angry constituents and plummeting poll numbers, and it is now clear that his re-election plan is to try and hide from his radical record.”

 

Background

 

  • Bass Dodged Question on Ryan Plan. At a November 2011 town hall for seniors, Bass dodged a question about his support for Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget plan. When asked about his vote in favor of the plan by one constituent, Bass did not go into specifics and said only that it was “always his intention to preserve the status of Medicare and Medicaid.”  The constituent told the Nashua Telegraph he was disappointed with Bass’ lack of accountability.  [Nashua Telegraph, 11/29/11]

 

  • February: 41% Approve of Bass. According to a February 2011 UNH/WMUR poll, 45 percent of Granite Staters viewed Bass favorably, while 28 percent disapproved.  [UNH Survey Center, 2/11/11]

 

  • April: Bass Voted to End Medicare by Supporting the Ryan Plan. On April 15, 2011, Barletta voted for the Republican budget plan authored by Rep. Paul Ryan. According to the Wall Street Journal, Ryan’s plan “would essentially end Medicare, which now pays most of the health-care bills for 48 million elderly and disabled Americans, as a program that directly pays those bills.”  [H Con. Res. 34, Vote #277, 4/15/11; Wall Street Journal, 4/4/11]

 

  • Keene Sentinel: Bass Voted to End Medicare and Turn It Into a Voucher Program. In a May 2011 editorial, the Keene Sentinel opined that, “Our purpose here is not to examine the merits of the plan to end the government Medicare program and replace it with a voucher program for limited private insurance. […] Our purpose is simply to demonstrate that, in contrast to what he wrote in his op-ed column, New Hampshire 2nd District Congressman Charles Bass voted for it.” [Keene Sentinel, 5/06/11]

 

  • April: Protesters Criticized Bass’ Vote to End Medicare. In April 2011, Bass was criticized by attendees at a town hall meeting over his vote for Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget plan – specifically the plan’s changes to Medicare. According to Time, “The first question out of the gate during his Wednesday town hall in Hillsborough, NH was about his vote for Paul Ryan’s budget. And the second. And the third and the fourth, fifth and sixth questions.” When Bass attempted to explain away his vote, constituents pushed back forcefully. “ According to the L.A. Times, he “struggled to defend the GOP plan vigorously, once mischaracterizing a key element. By the time he left, he seemed less than wedded to the details.”  [Time, 4/21/11; Los Angeles Times, 4/23/11]

 

  • May: 29% Approve of Bass. According to a May 2011 UNH/WMUR poll, 29 percent of Granite Staters viewed Bass favorably, while 45 percent disapproved.  [WMUR, 5/05/11]

 

  • July: 28% Approve of Bass. According to a July 2011 UNH/WMUR poll, 28 percent of Granite Staters viewed Bass favorably, while 39 percent disapproved.  [The Hill, 7/12/11]

 

  • October: 29% Approve of Bass. According to an October 2011 UNH/WMUR poll, 29 percent of Granite Staters viewed Bass favorably, while 36 percent disapproved.  [UNH Survey Center, 10/19/11]

 

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