Indiana state Treasurer Richard Mourdock (R) is out with a new ad tying Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) to President Obama, calling him "Obama Joe."
The spot pushes back against attack ads pointing to previous statements that Mourdock argued programs like Social Security and Medicare were not constitutionally guaranteed rights and accusing him of questioning whether the programs were constitutional.
"Stop these lies and distortions. Richard Mourdock is committed to protecting and preserving Social Security and Medicare. It's personal for Mourdock: His parents, veterans of World War II, rely on these important programs. It's Joe Donnelly who already voted twice for Obamacare, cutting $700 billion for Medicare, denying services for seniors, cutting Medicare Advantage. No wonder they call Donnelly 'Obama Joe.' "
Republicans across the country have sought to counter-attack on Medicare by pointing to the $700 billion Democrats squeezed from future Medicare spending in order to pay for it. The issue has become problematic for them, though, because GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan's plan, approved by the House, would partially privatize the program.
“Richard Mourdock has run a pathetic campaign,
and now he’s depending on secretly-funded special interests and shameful
lies to bail him out,” said Paul Tencher, Donnelly’s campaign manager.
“No amount of shady Wall Street money will change that Richard Mourdock
questioned the constitutionality of Medicare and Social Security.
Mourdock's budget would end the Medicare guarantee and raise
out-of-pocket costs for seniors by more than $6,000. Joe Donnelly has
stood up to protect Medicare and will fight for Hoosier seniors in the
Senate.”
During his primary against Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.), Mourdock argued that programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid were not constitutional rights and therefore should not be considered sacrosanct.
"I challenge you in Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution where those so-called enumerated powers are listed. I challenge you to find words that talk about Medicare or Medicaid or, yes, even Social Security," he said then.
