Medicare and deal-making on the debt — voters fear result

According to a National Journal poll, voters worry that an agreement will result in cuts to Medicare and Social Security that are too deep. Meanwhile, McClatchy reports on how Medicare and the federal deficit are playing a role in this year's PAC donations. Also, iWatch News fact checks a left-leaning ad on House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's Medicare proposal.

National Journal: Voters Fear Debt Deal Will Hurt Medicare
Americans expressed more trust in President Obama than in congressional Republicans to make decisions about both the federal deficit and debt ceiling, but continued to display little urgency about the risk of default if the two sides remain stalemated, a new United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll found. … The most prevalent concern, by far, was a worry from the left: 39 percent said they worried most that Washington would reach "an agreement that cuts too much from government programs like Medicare and Social Security." Nearly an equal number picked a pair of concerns, in effect, from the right: 19 percent said they worried most about "an agreement that authorizes too much federal spending" and 17 percent said they most feared "an agreement that raises taxes on people like you" (Brownstein, 7/25). 

McClatchy/The Miami Herald: 2012 Brings A Growing Influx Of Funds From Super PACs
Hard-hitting political ads against President Barack Obama, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and U.S. Rep. Allen West are popping up across Florida in a scramble to define the message of the 2012 elections, still 16 months away. But the radio and TV attacks — which focus on jobs, Medicare and the federal debt  — are not paid by the candidates' opponents or the Democratic and Republican parties (Leary, 7/25).

iWatch News/Fact Check: Liberal Ad Distorts Paul Ryan's Medicare Proposal
The liberal group Patriot Majority distorts a Republican plan to change Medicare, claiming the GOP proposal says "no to Medicare, no to seniors." The plan proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin would radically change Medicare, but it wouldn't put an end to government health care for seniors. Instead, it proposes a new program starting in 2022. The attack comes in two ads airing in Montana and Missouri and designed to counter ads launched by the conservative Crossroads GPS. The Crossroads ads, which target Democratic Sens. Jon Tester and Claire McCaskill, are part of a $20 million campaign, and they include a few misleading claims (Robertson, 7/26).