By Townhall Chicago News Staff
A conservative political action committee released a campaign ad this week depicting Medicare for All harming elderly patients, part of an election-week argument from conservative commentators that November’s vote amounts to a choice between socialism and capitalism.
The ad, from a group called Unleashed Prosperity PAC, portrays a Medicare for All policy pushing an elderly woman off a cliff. It comes eight days before the Nov. 4 midterm elections.
Writer Kimberly Strassel made a similar argument in a speech on “The Rise of Democratic Socialism,” published by Hillsdale College’s Imprimis. Strassel said schools have failed to teach students about the history of socialism.
“A nation that does not teach successive generations about the differences between capitalism, socialism, and fascism, or about the horrifying carnage of Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot… is a nation defenseless against the pole of fantasy,” Strassel said in the speech.
Historian Victor Davis Hanson made a related argument in an Oct. 24 piece, “The Deep Midterms,” framing the election as a deeper ideological contest rather than a single-issue referendum.
Conservative commentators have pointed to Democratic Socialists of America-aligned candidates in several races this cycle as evidence of a broader shift within the Democratic Party. The extent of that shift was not independently quantified, and Democratic officials have disputed characterizations of the party as a whole.
Callers to a Chicago radio program voiced similar concerns about single-payer health care Monday. Glenn, a caller from Orlando, Florida, compared Medicare for All proposals to health systems in Canada and Cuba. Ruth, a caller from Elgin, Illinois, also raised questions about the policy during the broadcast.
Medicare for All has become a point of contention in several competitive races this cycle, including the Illinois U.S. Senate race between Republican Don Tracy and Democratic Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, where Tracy has criticized the proposal’s projected cost to employers.
Illinois voters will decide the U.S. Senate race along with numerous down-ballot state and local contests when polls close Nov. 4.
