In Wisconsin Senate race, Thompson finds old political magic hard to restore

Thompson, who served as governor for 14 years, once backed the Medicare plan advanced by Republican vice presidential pick Paul Ryan but has sinced developed his own approach to revamp the health insurance program for older people. His opponent, Tammy Baldwin, once advocated for a single-payer health system but now says she will focus instead on implementing the health law. 

The Wall Street Journal: Return To Fray Is Uneasy For Former Governor
Tommy Thompson is learning how hard it can be to rekindle an old political love. Mr. Thompson ran Wisconsin for 14 years as its longest-serving governor, nurturing an image as a creative policy wonk and Harley-riding Everyman while breezing to re-election three times. … His opponent, a seven-term, openly gay congresswoman from the liberal stronghold of Madison, has sought to portray Mr. Thompson as a has-been who is "not for Wisconsin any more," as her campaign slogan puts it. … She has also raised alarms over Mr. Thompson's support for Mr. Ryan's federal budget plan and its proposal to revamp Medicare by providing a fixed sum for seniors to buy health insurance. The former governor at first embraced the Ryan plan and vowed to help pass it in the Senate, but more recently he has put forward his own plan to shore up Medicare. which he says is "different from anybody's" (King, 10/25).

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Baldwin Backs Obamacare, Won't Push For Single-Payer System
Democrat Tammy Baldwin said Thursday that if elected to the U.S. Senate, she would focus on implementing Obamacare rather than advocating for having the government go even further and pay all citizens' health care costs, as she's backed in the past. "Voters have a choice of moving forward with the Affordable Care Act and its implementation or electing a candidate who would rip it up and start all over again from scratch," she said. "As I run for the U.S. Senate, I run for the opportunity to work on a bipartisan basis to implement the Affordable Care Act as it was passed and address anything about it that isn't working" (Marley, 10/25).

The Washington Post: Alan Grayson On 'Sewer Money Negative Ads' And Why Democrats Poorly Defended 'Obamacare'
Former Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) appears poised to win a second chance at serving in Congress. And after speaking with him for about 20 minutes, it's clear that he's eager to get back to fighting with Republicans. … How do you think Democrats have weathered the criticisms of health-care reform since its passage? Grayson: Poorly, because Republicans have been effective at putting people on the defensive on the Democratic side in way that they don't deserve to be. Starting with Sarah Palin's tweets about death panels. I've tried to change that – there are a lot of good things in there, that's why we passed it. Republicans unfortunately have imagined things that are not in the bill and quite effectively put Democrats on the defensive (O'Keefe, 10/25).