Why the Romney-Ryan Medicare Scam is "Working"

In the interpretation of Scott Galupo,

This will sound harsh, but here goes. The brilliant cynicism of the Romney-Ryan Mediscare strategy is the bargain it strikes with the affluent white 55-and-over demographic — a critical segment of the GOP base this cycle. It says, “We won’t touch your benefits,” as it implies that Obama is taking those benefits and transferring them to his layabout black “base.”

That is, Romney and Ryan have concluded that today's seniors don't much care if, fifteen or twenty years from now, the next generation of seniors can't get decent medical care, but that they can be convinced to vote Republican if they are scared into believing that Obama will cut their benefits - even better if they can be led to believe that the supposed benefit cut will be used to fund a handout to the "undeserving poor". I don't want to keep harping on Romney's character, given that he has so little character upon which to harp, but....

Update: Daniel Larison concurs:

As it turned out, [my prior analysis of voter trends] understated how many elderly voters were moving into the Republican camp. 59% of this cohort supported Republican House candidates in the midterms. This is the result that Romney and Ryan would like to reproduce this year. What has changed is that Ryan has gone from being a bit player in the campaign to demagogue changes to Medicare in the ACA to being one of the lead demagogues. Most elderly voters don’t need to be convinced that the GOP is the party of the Medicare status quo for them. They already believe it to be true.