If you're wondering why Republicans have begun to scramble away from Paul Ryan's plan for Medicare reform, look no further than upstate New York, where Democrats are on the verge of scoring a special election victory in the state's 26th Congressional District:
John A. Boehner, the House speaker, plans to visit upstate New York on Monday to support the struggling campaign of a Republican candidate who is running for a vacant seat in Congress. [...]
In recent weeks, Ms. Corwin has watched her advantage in the race all but disappear as her Democratic rival, Kathy Hochul, seized upon public uneasiness over the House Republicans' plan to overhaul Medicare, the federal health insurance program for retirees.
Ms. Hochul, the Erie County clerk, has repeatedly attacked the plan, introduced last month, as a threat to the elderly and has called on Ms. Corwin to reject it. Ms. Corwin has remained steadfast in her support of the Medicare plan.
Obviously, this says nothing about next year's congressional elections, much less next year's presidential elections. But it does illustrate the extent to which last month's budget vote was a huge tactical mistake for House Republicans; after a year attacking Democrats for the Affordable Care Act's Medicare cuts, you would expect a bit more caution from Republicans on the subject of the program. Instead, Republicans assumed complete ideological agreement from their voters and are now paying the price.
