Obama And Limbaugh Seeing Alike


New Jersey and You, then-N.J. Governor Tom Kean would say, "Perfect Together."

Rush Limbaugh and Barack Obama- not quite perfect together, but of one mind about N.Y.-26.

In her victory statement, Kathy Hochul touched on all the right issues- small businesses, jobs, off-shoring, oil subsidies, tax rates for the wealthy- but as in the campaign, she emphasized Medicare. She declared

And we can ensure we do not decimate Medicare.

We will keep the promises made to our seniors who have spent their lives paying into Medicare, so they can count on health care when they need it most.

Clearly, she did not clear her speech with the Administration. Congratulating the New York Democrat, President Obama stated

Kathy and I both believe that we need to create jobs, grow our economy, and reduce the deficit in order to out-compete other nations and win the future.

Memo to President Obama: you had the choice whether to concentrate on creating economic growth and jobs or reducing the deficit. You chose the latter. During an economic downturn.

Understandably, the President did not mention Medicare, which his personal Senator, Dick Durbin, and his vice-president, Joe Biden, are busy offering to cut as a sacrifice to deficit-cutting. Mr. Obama did not want to acknowledge the role of Medicare in Hochul's defeat of Jane Corwin who, until the waning days of the campaign, was a public supporter of the Ryan plan to rescind Medicare.

Rush Limbaugh didn't confer with Obama but he might as well have, given that on Wednesday the radio host remarked "The Medicare thing was not even really on the ballot."

Limbaugh, as an avid supporter of Paul Ryan and the decimation of Medicare characterizing the latter's budget, has a good excuse. He wants to destroy Medicare and the rest of the social safety net and with it, the Democratic Party's primary reason for being. He recognizes, but is understandably loathe to admit, that the American people, especially the elderly (which had taken to voting Republican in the age of Obama) like the Medicare system.

So, too, has Obama good reason to meet the other party halfway or more. He is a Democrat, his party controls one legislative chamber, the American people overwhelmingly oppose cuts to Medicare, and..... oh, never mind.

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