Romney assails Gingrich for remarks about GOP Medicare plan

Reuters: Romney Hits Gingrich On Medicare Reform
At his campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, (GOP presidential candidate Mitt) Romney reminded voters (former Speaker Newt) Gingrich had attacked U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's Medicare plan last spring as "right-wing social engineering." Ryan's budget proposal, which would dramatically cut spending and transform the Medicare health plan for the elderly into a private insurance system, has become a popular cause for conservative Republicans. "Speaker Gingrich and I have very different views in regards to Paul Ryan's plan and the need to fundamentally transform Medicare," Romney said after a town hall meeting inside an animal feed factory (Whitesides and Youngman, 12/9). 

CNN: Team Romney Takes On Gingrich Over Medicare
The Romney campaign stepped up its assault on Newt Gingrich Friday with a web video hitting the former House speaker for going against party orthodoxy in May. Soon after he jumped into the race, Gingrich was asked about his thoughts on a plan proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin to overhaul Medicare. Gingrich called the plan, which would institute voucher accounts for beneficiaries, "right-wing social engineering." Public outcry from the party forced Gingrich to walk back his statement and eventually offer support for Ryan's proposal (Streitfeld, 12/9).

CBS: Romney Team Slams Gingrich For Criticizing Ryan Medicare Plan
The ad is the latest element of the Romney campaign's aggressive targeting of the new leader in the polls. On Thursday, Romney Communications Director Gail Gitcho emailed reporters to attack Gingrich's criticism of the Ryan plan, saying, "Lifelong Washington insiders can't fix the mess they helped create." Romney backers continued the assault on a conference call Thursday, calling Gingrich "not a reliable or trustworthy leader" (Condon, 12/9).

The Los Angeles Times: Medicare Ccrum: Romney Hits Gingrich, Dems Hit Romney
Romney's own healthcare reform plan (which involves, yes, repealing the Democratic healthcare overhaul, he says) also involves reshaping Medicare to add a private insurance option, but he also has suggested he would preserve the government-run system for seniors. The closer he draws then to sounding like the Ryan plan is his plan, the more he may risk exposing himself to attack during a general election contest with Obama. And Democratic advocacy groups have been filling the inboxes of political reporters all week making sure that message is loud and clear (Oliphant, 12/9).