Command Of Facts Was Cheney’s Strong Suit
Below, Polipundit asks for readers’ favorite “zingers” from last night. While Dick Cheney did get in a few good zingers, he actually destroyed Edwards with his command of the facts and by being able to nimbly weave those facts into his responses. The following is one example of a masterful response by Cheney:
He mentioned Medicare up 17 percent, somehow that that was something we caused. No. The 17 percent increase in Medicare premiums was the direct result of a statute adopted in 1997. John Kerry voted for it.It establishes the formula for Part B of Medicare that says, in effect, it has to cover 25 percent of the cost of the program. And the reason the money had to go into the trust fund was to make certain that we could cover those eligible for benefits.
While you were in private practice in law and as a senator, you had the advantage of a special tax loophole, Subchapter S corporation, which you set up so you could avoid paying $600,000 in Medicare taxes that would have gone into the fund.
And it’s those kinds of loopholes that necessitate a premium increase under the law that was enacted in 1997, supported by John Kerry.
That response was utterly devastating, and delivered effortlessly.
UPDATE: Here is a picture and a post at Such Little Things about the time Cheney “met” John Edwards before last night. Be sure to catch the “update” to the post that ties this to the failure of the “Bush Lied” mantra.
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