Post-conventions, parties sharply divided on health care politics

News outlets are reporting how campaigns are addressing - or avoiding - talking about health care.

The Associated Press: As Obama, Romney Look For An Edge, Jobless Intrude
President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney, their contest defined anew by joblessness, are seeking to frame the campaign on their own terms. Romney was concentrating on the economy while Obama sought to play to his strengths, with top aides all but daring their challenger to engage in a debate over Medicare. ... Obama repeatedly reminds audiences that Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, has proposed to overhaul Medicare, the government health program for older Americans, with a voucher-like system that could cost beneficiaries more out of their pocket. Republicans say that Romney has been able to parry the Medicare argument but that it takes Romney out of his economic focus (Kuhnhenn, 9/8).  

Politico: 7 Convention Takeaways On Health Care 
[T]he model for the health care debate between now and November looks like this: Say you're proud of your plan. Embrace it -; carefully -; in your speeches and campaign videos. Just not when a lot of people are listening. And then attack the other guy's plans as quickly as you can. If the model holds, it means voters won't come away from the fall election with a better understanding of Obama's health care law -; just a vague notion that it helps women and seniors while possibly stealing $716 billion from Medicare. And Romney's Medicare plan? Paul Ryan may be dying to explain it, but Romney sure isn't  (Nather, 9/7).

ABC News: Ann Romney Refuses To Answer Questions On Social Issues
Pressed to expand on her campaign talking points during an interview today with Davenport, Iowa's KWQC, the Republican candidate's wife accused anchor David Nelson of trying to drag her into a debate about "hot-button issues that distract from what the real voting issue is going to be at this election." ... Nelson countered, pointing to a Pew research poll, that "shows those issues are very important to women," who ranked them "either 'important' or 'very important'" (Krieg, 9/7).

The Hill: Ann Romney Sidesteps Questions On Same-Sex Marriage, Birth Control
[Mrs. Romney was asked] if she believed that "employer-provided health insurance should be required to cover birth control?" She again deferred. "You're asking me questions that are not about what this election is going to be about. This election is going to be about the economy and jobs," she said. ... Democrats have hit Romney and his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as out-of-touch on women's health issues, highlighting their criticisms of Planned Parenthood and the Obama administration's birth-control mandate, as well as Ryan's support of anti-abortion rights legislation in the House (Mali, 9/8).

USA Today: Democrats Say Akin's Comments Could Put Missouri In Play
[H]ow much have Rep. Todd Akin's controversial comments about "legitimate rape" and abortion changed the political landscape in Missouri? Akin said in an interview last month that victims of "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant because "the female has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." Some delegates at last week's Democratic convention said Akin's remarks not only may have shifted the Senate race in favor of Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill, they may offer Obama a chance to make an aggressive play for Missouri. So far, Obama has largely ceded the increasingly Republican state to challenger Mitt Romney (Shesgreen, 9/8).