In Medicare Debate, Both Sides Claim An Edge

This Medicare debate has taken on a life of its own. I don't know how people think they can have it both ways. You cannot want government to take care of you and not want government to take care of you at the same time. However, I do believe that the Republicans tactics that they used to confused people around healthcare, will come back to haunt them during this debate.

One thing Republicans and Democrats have learned in recent years is how to use Medicare to attack the other party. Republicans say Democrats will ruin the program by letting it go bankrupt, while Democrats say the GOP wants to abolish the program altogether.

It's hard for voters to sort out who's telling the truth, and even harder to tell which party will have an advantage on the issue in 2012.

Next week, we'll have the results of a political test case — a three-way congressional election in New York, where Medicare has become a central issue. The focus is on the Republican plan to replace Medicare in the future with vouchers for beneficiaries to buy private insurance.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) says that plan is a political boon to her party.

"It has served us well politically because of a race in upstate New York," she says, "a race we should not have had any prospects in — but Medicare has changed that whole race."

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