Berkley and Heller are far apart on Medicare issue

LAS VEGAS - Sen. Dean Heller is the only elected official in the nation to vote twice for a Republican-backed budget plan that would overhaul Medicare.

And Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley won't let him forget it.

Berkley, who is vying to replace Heller in Nevada's 2012 Senate race, kicked off a campaign tour this week designed to cast Heller as a foe to Medicare and working families.

"I'm fighting for jobs," she said at the inaugural stop of her anti-Heller tour Tuesday afternoon in the Las Vegas Valley. "He's fighting to end Medicare."

The Medicare message is part of a national strategy employed by Democrats across the country ahead of the 2012 presidential and congressional races. But Heller's two-time vote of support for the overhaul represents a unique opportunity to test whether the tactic will appeal to voters focused on the troubled economy. Nevada leads the nation in unemployment and foreclosures.

Heller, for the most part, has defended his record, assuring voters that the GOP alone is serious about reforming a $523 billion program that provides health care to about 50 million elderly or disabled Americans.

"My concern is, is the system going bankrupt in 10 years?" he told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "Show me a better plan. I will support a better plan."

The budget drafted by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin sought to trim more than $6 trillion from annual deficits over the coming decade. The savings would have come largely from federal social programs such as Medicare. Democrats, in the usual hyperbolic rhetoric that defines political campaigns, claim Ryan's budget sought to end senior health care.

Heller voted for the measure in the House and then in the Senate after he was appointed to replace Sen. John Ensign, who resigned over a sex scandal in May. Heller insisted his support signified a desire to take action, not a wholehearted endorsement of Ryan's every idea. "I'm not wedded to it," Heller said.

Berkley continued her tour Wednesday with a speech at a blinded veterans' conference at a downtown Las Vegas casino and was scheduled to break bread with unemployed workers Thursday in Las Vegas. She plans to continue the tour next week with events in northern Nevada, the state's conservative apex.

When pushed by reporters, Berkley declined to explain how she would address Medicare's financial woes, calling it a top priority that she would tackle in future press events. She said she didn't want the issue to overshadow her focus on job creation, despite her examination of Heller's Medicare sympathies.

Heller largely has dismissed Berkley's overtures, arguing that his focus is on his new role as a U.S. senator instead of the campaign trail.

"I don't think this is the time to debate a campaign 15 months away," he said.

Heller refused to cede the job creation debate to Berkley, assuring constituents that the topic will also dominate his efforts in coming months.

"If there is any candidate that thinks they are going to run for Senate and not talk about jobs, they are mistaken," he said. "It's the most important issue."

Democrats in recent weeks have contrasted Berkley's many public events against Heller's less visible schedule, claiming Heller is avoiding contact with voters because he doesn't want to be questioned about his conservative leanings.

Heller's spokesman countered that Heller has held eight town hall-style meetings via telephone since joining the Senate. This week, Heller toured several developments in northern Nevada and attended an environmental summit in California. He also spoke at the blinded veterans meeting before Berkley Wednesday morning.

Dave Buell, chairman of the Washoe County Republicans, said Heller is not at a disadvantage by giving Berkley the full purview of the campaign trail.

"What happens today people aren't even going to remember," Buell said. "They can't even remember what happened two weeks ago for the most part."

Buell said Berkley is underestimating voter's concerns about Medicare's solvency. Voters, he said, want a politician to pursue solutions, not demonize the ideas of others.

"Heller is out there for us. He always has been," Buell said. "There were a lot of people concerned when he was first elected that he leaned too far to the left of the party and he definitely hasn't done that."