Rogers Mayor Steve Womack managed to distinguish himself slightly, but importantly, from the eight-person Republican field for 3rd District Congress. He left the door open the tiniest crack — and Gunner DeLay pounded him for it — to tax increases of some sort if all other efforts to sustain Medicare fail.

All the other candidates routinely nixed taxes or borrowing to sustain Medicare. In other words, they’d happily cut Medicare when push comes to shove.

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After the forum, Womack was asked to clarify if a tax increase was among the options that had to “be on the table,” when discussing future funding for Medicare.

He said “always and never” are hard to back up, so a tax increase would have to be on the table as a “last resort.”

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In a Republican primary, this passes for a profile in courage. Also plain old common sense.

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