The Meehan Report Releases More Proof of Pat Meehan’s Epic Medicare Flip-Flop: Archived Press Release shows Candidate Meehan Was Against Privatization Before Congressman Meehan Voted For It

Meehan indisputably tells press and voters he is against privatizing Medicare in September press release; new evidence builds on earlier video proof from October debate; Meehan’s silence on the issue is deafening

Delaware County, PA – The Meehan Report, a new watchdog website created to hold Representative Pat Meehan accountable for his actions in Washington, today released new evidence that the first term Congressman knowingly misled voters last fall when he promised he would stand up to his Republican Party leaders and oppose efforts to privatize Medicare. Meehan voted on Friday to privatize Medicare by supporting a budget proposed by GOP house budget chairman Paul Ryan.


Meehan’s Friday vote clearly contradicts a campaign press release the candidate put out in the heat of last fall’s election, in which he strongly pushes back against claims that he would back Republican efforts to privatize Medicare and Social Security if elected. The release was designed to refute claims made during a September debate by his opponent. A section of Meehan’s September release is excerpted below with the relevant section italicized:

“Lentz charged that Meehan supports privatization of Social Security and Medicare, stating ‘Pat...wants to fix the debt by privatizing Medicare, which essentially ends Medicare, [and] privatizing Social Security...that ends Social Security.’

Meehan has repeatedly gone on record opposing any privatization of Social Security and Medicare.” [1]
 

The new evidence of Meehan’s flip-flop only adds to mounting evidence that he knowingly reversed positions after election season, when political scrutiny would be less intense. This is the second piece of evidence released by the Meehan Report documenting Meehan’s flip-flop on the privatization of Medicare. The Meehan Report also released video of candidate Meehan on Friday in which he stated he would oppose Republican efforts to privatize Medicare during an October debate with his opponent. That footage can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqznLQ8xLcc and in full here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBZrZgEaxN4


“It took just over ninety days for Pat Meehan to break one of the top campaign pledges he made, to our seniors no less,” said Andrew Blum, of the Meehan Report. “Pat’s silence on this issue is deafening; he needs to explain to the residents of the 7th District why he wasn’t truthful with them about his feelings about Medicare in the fall. The voters of the 7th District deserve better than this.”

###
 

[1] Lentz Continues Deceptive Tactics in 3rd Debate, Meehan for Congress, dated Sept. 21, 2010, accessed on Apr. 17, 2011. http://www.meehanforcongress.com/news/lentz-continues-deceptive-tactics-in-3rd-debate