By Brad Segall

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) — On the day that Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan, the #2 man on the Republican ticket, came to the Delaware Valley to push his party’s plan for pulling America out of its economic doldrums (see related story), area Democrats gathered on the steps of the Montgomery County Courthouse to blast the plan.

Montgomery County commissioner Leslie Richards was joined by Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) and US Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).

They say the Romney-Ryan ticket will dismantle the middle class with budget cuts that will hurt seniors, veterans, education programs, and turn Medicare into a “voucher program.”

Lautenberg calls it a “reverse Robin Hood” plan — taking from the middle class to give tax breaks to the wealthy.

“The people in the middle class, the working people, are the people who helped name the strength and the viability of America,” he said today.  “We know we can rebuild our economy — we’ve got to focus on our foundation, the middle class.”

The Democratic politicians say the cuts would take access to higher education away from thousands of students in Pennsylvania, and at the local levels increase class size and reduce the number of teachers.