Lie of the Year 2011: 'Republicans voted to end Medicare'

[Conservative]

Big surprise, huh.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2011/dec/20/lie-year-democrats-claims-republicans-voted-end-me/

PolitiFact has chosen the Democrats’ claim as the 2011 Lie of the Year.

But more often, Democrats and liberals overreached:

• They ignored the fact that the Ryan plan would not affect people currently in Medicare -- or even the people 55 to 65 who would join the program in the next 10 years.

• They used harsh terms such as "end" and "kill" when the program would still exist, although in a privatized system.

• They used pictures and video of elderly people who clearly were too old to be affected by the Ryan plan. The DCCC video that aired four days after the vote featured an elderly man who had to take a job as a stripper to pay his medical bills.

Other independent fact-checkers also said the claim was false.

"Medicare would remain an entitlement program, but it would also be more costly to future beneficiaries. It would not end," noted FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. The Washington Post’s Fact Checker concluded that while there’s "a worthwhile debate" about whether Ryan’s proposal should be adopted, "it is not true to claim Republicans are trying to ‘kill’ Medicare."

• Says U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget proposal "eliminates Medicare" in 10 years. FALSE
• Says state Sen. Sheila Harsdorf wants to "eliminate Medicare" as we know it. Pants-on-Fire
• There is a Republican "plan to end Medicare." FALSE
• Says U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan promised to "end health care for our seniors." Pants-on-Fire
• "Rep. Robert Hurt voted again today to end Medicare and raise health care costs for Virginia seniors." FALSE
• The Paul Ryan budget proposal would leave the country "without Medicare." FALSE
• "Seniors will have to find $12,500 for health care because Republicans voted to end Medicare." Pants-on-Fire
• The newly proposed House Republican budget "abolishes Medicare within 10 years." FALSE
• Says Majority Leader Eric Cantor called for "abolishing Social Security and Medicare." FALSE