Ryan defends Medicare plan without mentioning Clinton

Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks to supporters at Westlake Recreation Center on September 4, 2012 in Westlake, Ohio.

/ Photo by J.D. Pooley/Getty Images

(CBS News) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan on Thursday opted not to directly respond to President Clinton's barbed criticism of his policies, but did offer a robust defense of his Medicare plan in a speech here.

"Don't take my word for it," Ryan told the crowd, a day after Clinton said he had "some brass" for accusing President Obama of raiding $716 billion from Medicare to pay for the health care reform law when the House Budget Committee chairman's own budget includes the same cuts. "Take the word from the Medicare chief actuary, from the Congressional Budget Office, or from arithmetic. You can't spend the same dollar twice. Either this money comes and helps Medicare, or it goes to pay for Obamacare, but not both."

Ryan has defended his budget's inclusion of the cuts by arguing that he had to write his budget with the assumption that the health care law was still intact. But he said multiple votes by the Republican-controlled House to repeal the law demonstrates their intent to restore the funds. He ignored shouted questions from reporters about Clinton's attacks as he shook hands with voters.

The vice presidential nominee spoke from a city that is one of the conservative strongholds of Colorado, the state that hosted the 2008 Democratic convention where Obama accepted the presidential nomination.

Ahead of Obama's speech to the nation, Ryan cited several measures of "progress" that the president defined in his 2008 speech, including people finding jobs good enough to pay their mortgages, American family income rising, and entrepreneurs being able to take a risk and start a small business. In each case, he cited current economic statistics that show failure in each area - record home foreclosures, a drop in family income and small businesses saying the recovery is weak.

"By those very measurements, his leadership has fallen woefully short," Ryan said. "President Obama can give great speeches, he can blame other people in the past, but he can't tell you you are better off as a nation."

In response, the Obama campaign criticized the policies offered by the Republican ticket and said they had failed to offer any specifics on how they would reduce the deficit.

"President Clinton put it best last night: the Romney-Ryan 'arithmetic' just doesn't add up," said Obama campaign spokesman Danny Kanner. "Mitt Romney and Congressman Ryan would raise taxes on the middle class, turn Medicare into a voucher system and slash critical investments in education and infrastructure to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. And they have provided no details about how they would reduce our debt, while independent economists have said that their plan would do nothing to create jobs now."

Ryan had no shortage of material for his own criticisms against the Democrats, noting that the word "God" - originally removed from a plank of the Democratic platform that referred to Americans' "God-given potential" -- was reinserted at the order of President Obama after pressure from the Republican party.

"They reversed course on that one yesterday - it wasn't really a popular reversal if you watched it on TV. But to quote a popular journalist from Wisconsin, 'They were against God before they were for him,'" he said, referring to Politico's Jim VandeHei.

He also sought to drive a wedge between Obama and his vice president, Joe Biden, before the two men deliver their speeches. According to a preview of a book about the debt-ceiling deal by Bob Woodward, Biden told House Majority Leader Eric Cantor during a private conversation, "You know, if I were doing this, I'd do it totally different."

Ryan quipped, "Sounds like Joe and I finally agree on something."

Ryan has one more public event scheduled this week in Reno, Nev., but will spend the rest of his time raising money on the West Coast.

[jhonundertaker]

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[pt100455]

I am so sick of some people telling me how much Faith I have in my GOD! Just b/c I don't talk about it all the time does NOT mean I am any less Spiritual than any of them. Seems to me that the people who are most vocal in their critiques are only hiding their own shortcomings on any topic.
Lyin Ryan's good at attacking the DNC's supposed plans to not mention God so where was lil Robme's mention of HIS beliefs-not only @ the RNC but at any time? How often does he brag of his mormon faith & their beliefs? Seems the TP/GOP has satisfactory silenced their main puppet from talking about it, You really think the LDS (mormons) are NOT part of this election & (GOD FORBID if he gets elected!) part of this nations highest offices? Don't be so naive, he has to abide by THEIR laws as well, what will that mean for us-if we even know?
Oh yeah, and the little piece I read elsewhere about Ann Romney's remarks @ RNC that they struggled too. SRSLY? Does ANYONE buy that? You can never convince me that either one of them struggled to go to & remain in college. And the fact that she used her condition to gain sympathy is Outrageous! There are Millions of people who suffer from many chronic & debilitating illnesses...the difference is--She Has Access To Free Medical Treatments & Never Needs To Worry About Affording Any Out-Of-Pocket Expenses Or Her Insurance Reaching The Maximum. So, PLEASE Ann, don't patronize us by pretending you or your husband understand the middle class!

[John_Swift]

Who said anything about blaming other people in the past? I'm blaming the people in Congress right now who have been blocking progress all along just for the sake of political gain. And it just so happens that a lot of them are the same people who also screwed things up in the past, so I don't see any reason to put them back in power.

[reformed_druid]

Gee, let's see what's the difference. Trying to cut the costs on something that you say flat out that you are trying to cut the cost of or on the other hand stealing money from one program to pay for another one while claiming that you aren't cutting the budget on the one your stealing money from. The difference is really very simple, one side telling the truth the other side lying as fast as they can.

[Irishkrae]

Obama's Failed Green Energy investment, 0 for 300, rather 0 for $6 Trillion in taxpayer debt. Not to mention the millions of families who now live within an industrial wind generation site. Their property values plummet their lives changed forever. Stop the bleeding make this industry come up with a better product. That will not happen as long as they are getting rich from the monstrous antiquated designs they are using. Wind energy belongs on the demand side of the electrical system, so that the homeowner who installs it benefits, and thus reducing their electrical demand. Same result but the families benefit not the big power companies. This green agenda is a lie, and is about looting billions of our tax dollars.

Amonix Solar: FAIL - manufacturing plant in North Las Vegas, subsidized by more than $20 million in federal tax credits and grants given by Obama Administration, has closed its 214,000 square foot facility a year after it opened.

Solar Trust of America: FAIL - Filed Bankruptcy in Oakland, CA, April 3, 2012 - On April 2, 2012

Bright Source: FAIL - Bright Source warned Obama's Energy Department officials in March 2011 that delays in approving a $1.6 billion U.S. loan guarantee would embarrass the White House and force the solar-energy company to close. Lost Billions of dollars but Getting More Money To Keep Trying. Can you say, "This isnt working?"

Solyndra: FAIL - Obama gave Solyndra $500,000,000 in taxpayer money and Solyndra shut its doors and laid off 1100 workers in August 2011 After Billions in Losses due to failure to make a solar product that works!

LSP Energy: FAIL - LSPEnergy LP filed bankruptcy protection and a sale of its assets in Feb 2012

Energy Conversion Devices: FAIL - On February 14, 2012 Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. and its subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy
Abound Solar: FAIL - Abound Solar received a $400 million loan guarantee from Barack Obama announced in June, 2012 that it would file for bankruptcy

SunPower: FAIL - SunPower stopped producing solar cells last year at near bankruptcy restructured only with help of, get this, oil giant TOTAL who owns 60% stake. Irony! Still struggling...

Beacon Power: FAIL - Beacon Power Corp filed for bankruptcy Oct 2011 just a year after Obama approved $43 million loan Government loan guarantee

Ecotality: FAIL - ECOtality, a San Francisco green-tech company that never earned any money on the verge of bankruptcy after receiving roughly $115 million in two loan guarantees from Obama

A123 Solar: FAIL-A123 received $279 million from taxpayers thanks to President Obama's Department of Energy loan guarantees and after Solyndra bankruptcy is getting another $500M from Obama and it has lost $400M

UniSolar: FAIL - Uni-Solar filed for Ch 11 bankruptcy in June 20 this year laid off hundreds got more Obama money still failing but still in business

Azure Dynamics: FAIL - Azure Dynamics files for bankruptcy in June ter millions in Obama "Stimulus"

Evergreen Solar: FAIL - Evergreen Solar received $527 Million in Taxpayer money from Obama filed bankruptcy

Ener1: FAIL received more than $100 million in government funding from the Obama administration filed for bankruptcy January 2012
Obama visited a dusty, desert town 30 miles outside Las Vegas to declare he's doubling down on failed federal efforts to boost the solar industry which has NEVER proven to produce a single working product. They just keep doubling down on the failed ideals!

You know what they say if you keep trying the same thing over and over expecting a different result you are a liberal democrat.

[pt100455]

Shall we go into Bush/Cheney's records of....well, everything?

[Maerzie]

Our nation is FAR better off than the devastation left by Republicans, Bush-Cheney! It's the Teapublicans who are in trouble because President Obama has been so successful, which simply doesn't line up with their Teapublican LIES and twists. Obama is credited with 9 pages FULL of his "PROMISES KEPT" by politifact.com, IN SPITE OF John Boehner's obstuctive Republican House majority, who used their government job for personal partisan politics, instead of for the American people, AND broke their oath of office, which SHOULD be impeachable!

[bbglow]

It is obvious that the RNC views VP Biden as a dufus. When the debates begin, I have a hunch the RNC VP candidate is going to have his shorts handed to him ...

[ludvig1-2009]

Here we have a budget expert for the Republican party who can't even round numbers.

[americalvet]

That was really fast. Must have finished that critique in well under three hours.

[John782011]

Why does the Romney Ryan logo look so much like Rolls Royce?