When Republican Matt Doheny sat down for his first interview after he launched his congressional campaign in September 2011, he was asked about the Medicare and Social Security programs.

The election against Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, he rightfully noted, was 14 months away.

"Throughout the campaign, we're going to talk about specific changes," he said at the time.

Eleven months later, he has the same answer, according to Maury Thompson of the Glens Falls Post-Star.

“Leave it at this that we're going to talk about this very issue as we go forward. It's still mid-August. So we want to make sure that as the campaign unveils that we will clearly lay out those issues and we will talk about my issues, talk about where we need to go as a country," Mr. Doheny told Maury.

Which prompted this response from James Hannaway, Mr. Owens' campaign manager: "According to Matt Doheny, August is too early to have a basic position on one of the most important issues in this election- Medicare. The fact of the matter is that he knows voters will reject House Republicans' plan to gut Medicare, so he's too afraid to talk specifics. Upstate seniors deserve better."

Mr. Doheny's campaign has previously not made him available to be interviewed on the subject of Medicare, and as far as I can tell, he hasn't said anything specific about that program or Social Security and Medicaid.

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