WASHINGTON – For critical Senate races, Republicans are turning to the playbook that served them so well in the 2010 elections. They're saturating the airwaves with political ads detailing the perils of "Obamacare" and the nation's growing debt.

Democrats have added Medicare to the equation, trying to make the case that revamping the government health care program for older people would virtually destroy it.

As the Nov. 6 election fast approaches, political strategists and ad writers are pointing to what they believe this year's vote is about: defending Medicare, creating jobs and standing up to powerful interest, whether it's Big Oil, big banks or big Washington.