Oh. Guess the Paul Ryan Bubble Finally Has Burst. So Sorry For Your Loss, Paul.
In subtle ways, Ryan’s budget acknowledges the results of November’s election. He isn’t seeking to do away with tax increases that have already been approved, and he accepts that tax revenue will be 19.1 percent of the economy in a decade, up from the 18.7 percent he assumed last year.
But otherwise, he continues to peddle the same ideas: the partial privatization of Medicare; a 10 percent reduction in the federal workforce; and cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, education, job training and farm programs.
Public Radio International’s Todd Zwillich pointed out that Republicans lost the presidency, House seats and the combined popular vote in House races. “People outside this process might wonder if elections have consequences,” Zwillich said.
“Look, whether the country intended it or not, we have divided government,” Ryan replied, suggesting that Republicans somehow won the debate while losing the election. “Are a lot of these solutions very popular, and did we win these arguments in the campaign?” Ryan asked himself. “Some of us think so.”
— Paul Ryan’s magical budget, Dana Milbank, Washington Post
And those very same some of us think upside-down is rightside-up and aliens from Mars ate their calculator and their voter tabulations. They need antipsychotic medication.
He proposes abolishing Obamacare — a futile gesture — but would pocket for other purposes $1 trillion in tax increases that came with the program. …
CNN’s Dana Bash asked whether Ryan was being “disingenuous” by including new taxes that he opposed.
“We’re not going to refight the past,” he explained.
If Ryan is “not going to fight the past,” Fox News’s Chad Pergram asked, why is he still trying to repeal Obamacare?
“This to us is something that we’re not going to give up on,” Ryan answered, “because we’re not going to give up on destroying the health-care system for the American people.”
Even a skilled illusionist can have the occasional Freudian slip.
— Paul Ryan’s magical budget, Dana Milbank, Washington Post
Game’s over. The mainstream media has had enough. They’re finally calling this spade a spade. Joe Welch would be proud.
At long last, Congressman, the people who matter see that you have left no sense of decency. Nor a semblance of mental health. Like Joe McCarthy.
bev
first of all I agree with you. keep that in mind.
but if “we” had lost the election we would still be pushing for what we want. at least i hope we would.
i can’t tell you how disgusted i am by the people who advise me to give up trying to tell people about how eighty cents per week would save social security forever.
they all seem to have the Obama idea of compromise first. to hell with principles, or truth, or decency.
the obama idea of compromise is to give them what they want. see, if you give it to them, then it’s a compromise, because, you see, they don’t have to take it from you. that way nobody gets hurt, see.
What I find humorous about the analysis of where the repubs are is the idea that they have any place else they can go to with their ideas.
They have been very successful in pulling the politics to the right (not so much the country based on polling) that the dems now occupy any room the repubs would have had for compromising with in the space on the right. Thus they can only hold where they are or go further right.
Face it, the repubs are not going to leap frog over Obama et al to be on his left…the only space unoccupied by the political class.
The problem is the left is not in the left anymore.
http://budget.house.gov/uploadedfiles/2014_budget_resolution.pdf
I don’t have time to post this AM so toss this to you all. The link is to the Chairman’s Mark of the actual Roadmap legislation. Social Security is discussed in Sec 704 where a special fast rack process is set up based on a scoring trigger already tripped.
And in the real intereting piece the control of the content of that process is turned over to the two a Public Trustees. Who are not named but just happen to be Peter G Peterson owned Robert Reischauer for the Dems and Bush’s privatization point man Chuck Blahous. THEY have to BOTH approve the Trustees proposal before it can go forward.
Any bets it includes a revenue component? Cap increase? Northwest Plan? Hmmm. No it won’t. It will be benefit cuts and retirement age increases all the way and we will be very lucky if it doesn’t have personal accounts.
Total Trojan Horse.