Bob Dole: “2 years ago, the Medicare trustees--three of whom are members of the President's Cabinet--reported to President Clinton…”

“2 years ago, the Medicare trustees--three of whom are members of the President's Cabinet--reported to President Clinton and Congress that Medicare would be bankrupt by the year 2002. From the day the Medicare trustees issued their report, Republicans have worked to preserve and strengthen Medicare. We proposed to do this not by cutting Medicare--but by slowing its rate of growth. Under the Republican plan adopted by Congress, annual spending per Medicare beneficiary would increase from $4,800 this year to more than $7,200 in 2002. If you believed what President Clinton and some of my friends on the other side of the aisle had to say, however, you would have thought that instead of increasing Medicare spending from $4,800 per beneficiary to $7,200 per beneficiary, Republicans were trying to throw America's seniors out on the streets. And to the President's credit as a public speaker, a lot of Americans believed what he was saying. There is, however, a very big difference between leading and misleading. Republicans chose to lead--and we suffered in the polls because of it. President Clinton chose to mislead--and he gained in the polls because of it. But as a story in this morning's New York Times makes very clear, the President's gain came at the expense of the millions and millions of Americans who depend on Medicare.”