Harry Smith Lets DNC Chair Dodge Question 'Do Democrats Have Plan to Save Medicare?'

Harry Smith asked Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) a spectacular question on Sunday's "Face the Nation."

Unfortunately, when he asked his guest if the Democrats have a plan to save Medicare, the substitute host let her completely dodge it (video follows with transcript and commentary):

HARRY SMITH, SUBSTITUTE HOST: But the trustees also said just what, a couple of Fridays ago, that this thing could be insolvent in the next decade. Doesn't something really dramatic have to happen, and as the Congressman suggested, the Republicans have a plan. Do the Democrats have a plan?

Great question right? Here was Wasserman Schultz's totally pathetic answer:

CONGRESSWOMAN DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FLORIDA): Like I said, the Republicans have a plan to end Medicare as we know it. What they would do is they would take the people who are younger than 55 years old today and tell them, “You know what? You're on your own. Go and find private health insurance in the healthcare insurance market. We're going to throw you to the wolves and allow insurance companies to deny you coverage and drop you for pre-existing conditions. We're going to give you x-amount of dollars and you figure it out.”

And these are people who have paid for their whole life into the system, are counting on that safety net. Americans sent a very strong message not just in New York this week but in Jacksonville, Florida, last week when they elected a Democratic mayor for the first time in 20 years. In a state House race in New Hampshire same issue. Americans support Medicare, and the structure that we have for Medicare. They want us to sit down together and work on some long- term reforms which is what the Republicans and Democrats are doing with Vice President Biden right now. That's the direction we need to go.

Given that total evasion, you would have expected a quality journalist to press the point and ask again what the Democrat plan was. Unfortunately, a quality journalist was nowhere to be found:

SMITH: One of your colleagues has suggested that Medicare puts the House back in play in 2012. Would you go as far as to agree with that?

Well, I'm sure she agrees that Medicare puts the House back in play in 2012 as long as folks like Smith aren't going to require the Democrats to offer the public a rival plan to the Republican one.

Nice job, Harry. Your check from the DNC is in the mail.

Don't spend it all in one place.