Congressional Candidate Joyce Healy Abrams Stands Up for Medicare

As the harsh glare of daylight has begun to shine at last on the atrocious Paul Ryan budget which turns Medicare into an unreliable, costly "voucher" program, Ohio congressional challengers have stepped up to weld their ultra-conservative incumbent opponents to Ryan's plan. Luckily they all voted for it!

And no one is more eager to strip seniors and future seniors of their security than teabagger Bob Gibbs, who is being challenged by Canton's Joyce Healy Abrams in Ohio's new 7th district, which I won't even try to describe because it's ridiculous. It's kind of in northeast Ohio but also a bit in central Ohio. It does include part of Canton obviously.

I was a little dubious at first about novice candidate Joyce when she came to a forum on the war on women I hosted in Cleveland Heights in April. Oh, I was impressed that her campaign contacted me to ask if she could stop by to voice her support for women's reproductive choice. But she didn't seem to have her campaign infrastructure together.

I should never have doubted her. She has taken to campaigning like a duck to water and is making all the right moves. Within hours of Mitt Romney's announcement that he picked Ryan as his running mate, there was an email from her, tying Gibbs to Ryan's cruel, destructive policies.

But Joyce isn't just attacking. She's also promoting her determination to protect Medicare and to have honest conversation about how to do that, not just scare tactics about going bankrupt.

Next Monday she'll host two forums on the future of Medicare in disparate parts of the sprawling, disjointed district. Her guest at both will be Phil Rotondi o f the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

The first event is at the Mayfield Senior Center, 3824 13th St. SW in Canton at 11 a.m. Dan Fonte of the Alliance of Retired Americans will also be part of the event.

At 4 p.m., she and Fotondi will be at the North Ridgeville Senior Center, 7327 Avon Belden Rd. in North Ridgeville.

You can get more information on these public events at 330-866-0649 or Grant@HealyAbramsforCongress.com.

Unlike the Republicans, who are trying to conceal their true intentions behind a smokescreen of lies (like the one about calling President Obama's $700 billion in Medicare efficiencies that don't impact benefits a "cut" when Ryan's budget proposes the same thing) I'm betting Joyce will take all questions and respond to them honestly and without insults.