WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats are mocking Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in a new video Monday that contrasts his dire warnings about Democrats' Medicare plans last year to his complaints this year that they are trying to scare seniors.
"Senator McConnell says when Democrats stand up for Medicare, they're playing politics," the spot says, before cutting to a shot of the Kentucky Republican complaining about the tactics of the opposing party.
"My suggestion is Democrats start putting their names on something other than an attack ad," McConnell says in a Senate floor speech.
Then, charging that McConnell and Republicans "wrote the book on scaring seniors," the spot features a half dozen GOP senators taking to the floor to warn that President Barack Obama's health insurance reform law would hurt seniors.
Like nearly every Republican in 2010, the GOP senators were taking advantage of the fact that the Affordable Care Act aims to save $500 billion on Medicare. Under it, seniors' health costs are expected to rise about $6,000 a year by 2021.
The Republican budget plan that Democrats are now attacking -- passed by the House in April -- doubles that cost increase to more than $12,000 a year over the same time period, leaving the GOP open to the hypocrisy charge.
The video also suggests a motive for McConnell with a now-infamous clip from a Heritage Foundation event. "Our top political priority of the next next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term," the minority leader said.
McConnell spokesman Don Stewart fired back by picking up on his boss' jab that Democrats should put their name on something other than an attack ad.
"I guess spending all their time making a video is why they still haven't produced a budget or a plan to save Medicare. Odd priorities," Stewart emailed.
"And it was nice of them to remind everyone that their health spending bill cut a half trillion from Medicare to spend somewhere else," he added. "That was particularly helpful."
WATCH:
The Senate Democrats' spot is one of two bits of videography offered Monday by the party on Medicare.
The staff at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also cut an ad featuring voters chastising various members of Congress for the House budget plan, which would end government-run Medicare in favor of a more expensive private version.