Nightly News   |  August 18, 2012

Medicare debate heats up

NBC's David Gregory takes a look at how Medicare is one of the major issues shaping the 2012 presidential campaign.

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This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>> moderator of "meet the press," david gregory . is medicare the conversation the romney -ryan ticket wanted to be having now?

>> they knew they would face the conversation but picking paul ryan meant they would have to deal with it right away and that's the case. what you have seen and you saw it from paul ryan today and mitt romney and the campaign this week, they have done a couple of things. president obama is right. they have gone on offense. they are trying to argue that there are benefits to their approach to this. it doesn't affect current seniors. they have ways to save the program over the long haul even though there hasn't been evidence to prove putting it to the rigor of the private sector would do that. they are trying to contrast what they want to do with medicare with the president's health care law . that's an unpopular law whereas medicare is more popular. they have room to run here giving some republicans hope.

>> ryan has taken up attention of the last week. he was talked about as a bold choice when romney picked him a week ago. what's the take now?

>> well, again, he certainly energized the debate. there is no question that even republicans are worried about this pick. while they think it was a bold stroke by governor romney , they still see all the down sides to this medicare debate. frankly, a shift away from jobs and the econo to talking about the debt and entitlement programs which are difficult debates to have in the middle of a presidential race.

>> all right. david gregory , thanks. much more on the campaign tomorrow on "meet the press." david's guests will be maryland governor martin o'malley and virginia governor bob mcdonnell .