Cantor, Wasserman-Schultz on "Face the Nation" this week
This Sunday's guests are House Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor and the new Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.
When Democrats won a special election this week in upstate New York, the buzz around Washington focused on the House GOP plan to change Medicare and cut spending. Democrats say that as soon as candidate Kathy Hochul brought up the Medicare plan, written by Rep. Paul Ryan, the polls turned in her favor and she pulled off an upset victory in a Republican district (N.Y.-26 is the Buffalo congressional seat once held by Jack Kemp).
Although some Republicans concede that the Medicare attacks did hurt Republican Jane Corwin, all Republicans point to the fact that a Tea Party candidate got 9 percent of the vote as being a key factor in Hochul's victory.
Now the question is, can Democrats keep the Medicare train going and use it over the next 18 months to try to win back the House? Or will Democrats soon find themselves on the defensive because they haven't outlined a plan of their own? We'll get into all of this with our two guests on Sunday.
For their part, Republicans tried to turn the page, introducing their plan to spur the economy and job creation. "Now more than ever, our nation needs small businesses and entrepreneurs to get people back to work," said House Republican Leader Rep. Eric Cantor.
Cantor said the Republican proposal shows a real contract with Democratic leaders, who he says, have no plan to spur economic growth.
"We have a spending reduction plan in Ryan budget. It's clear that the President, former Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic Leader in the Senate do not have a spending plan. We have a growth plan, they do not. We are focused on the economy and jobs - and have been since day one - and Leader Reid, Leader Pelosi and the President are not," he said.
The Republican agenda for creating jobs, as well as their plan to deal with the fallout of their loss in New York, will be among the issues discussed with Leader Cantor on Sunday.
Democrats are seemingly riding high this week after their victory. The GOP Medicare plan has jumped front and center into the political fray as it's quickly become a sort of litmus test among the Republican presidential hopefuls.
And this week, the race for the Republican 2012 nomination has exploded - with former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty officially jumping in, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney announcing plans for his own announcement for the first week in June, and the speculation about former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin getting into the race growing by the minute.
Campaign 2012, Democrats' plans for using the Medicare issue going forward, and their proposals for cutting cut spending, will be among the issues discussed when Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, in her first Sunday Show interview as Chair of the Democratic National Committee.
The politics of jobs, the economy, and Medicare - as Leader Cantor and DNC Chair Wasserman-Schultz Face the Nation this Sunday, May 29th.
