NRCC Memo: Don't say 'entitlement reform'

Memo: 'Don't say entitlement reform'

By Alex Isenstadt - 8/13/12 @ 3:29 PM ET

It only took two hours after the Paul Ryan vice presidential announcement for Republican congressional candidates to get their talking points on how to spin the Ryan budget and Medicare attacks. “Do not say: ‘entitlement reform,’ ‘privatization,’ ‘every option is on the table,’” the National Republican Congressional Committee said in an email memo. “Do say: ‘strengthen,’ ‘secure,’ ‘save,’ ‘preserve, ‘protect.’”

The email read like a warning shot, alerting Republicans that they would soon face a barrage of Medicare-themed attacks and telling them they needed to be ready for the scrutiny that was to come. The internal email, obtained by POLITICO, was a clear and immediate sign that Republicans knew Ryan could create trouble down ballot for GOP candidates in tight Congressional races.

~The bottom line, Shields says: Don’t be afraid to talk about entitlements. “We knew that voters are inclined to believe that Republicans don’t like Medicare and aren’t inclined to support it.

http://m.politico.com/iphone/story/0812/79673.html