Power Line comments on the recent cut in Medicare funds passed by the Senate. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor both voted in favor of the cut.

Yesterday, the Senate defeated an amendment proposed by John McCain that would have stripped the Democrats' health care legislation of cuts to Medicare (more than $400 billion of them). Sen. McCain's amendment was defeated by a vote of 58-42. Ben Nelson and Jim Webb were the only Democrats who voted to prevent the cuts to Medicare.
This leaves a large number of Democrats who will have to explain to their constituents why they voted to slash Medicare so drastically. Some of these Dems will be facing substantial challenges in 2010.
The honest explanation is that the health care legislation cannot reasonably be funded without these cuts, except by running up too much debt for some Democrats to swallow. But this explanation isn't very helpful because the underlying health care legislation lacks broad popular support.
As something of a senior citizen myself, I can't say I'm pleased with potential cuts to Medicare. However, I take solace from the fact that the Dems will, at last, rid Medicare of waste, fraud, and inefficiency.

 LOL