... in a Fox News interview with Bret Baier, Ryan said Medicare privatization is on.Ryan and the rest of the congressional Republicans know this will be unpopular, so the plan, apparently, is to say that they had no choice because of that awful Obamacare -- even though Republicans wanted to do this long before Obamacare was passed (even before Obama was president).
“Your solution has always been to put things together, including entitlement reform,” asks Baier, using Republican code for privatizing Medicare. Ryan replies, “If you’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare, you have to address those issues as well. ... Medicare has got some serious issues because of Obamacare. So those things are part of our plan to replace Obamacare.”
Chait adds:
Ryan tells Baier, “Because of Obamacare, Medicare is going broke.” This is false. In fact, it’s the complete opposite of the truth. The Medicare trust fund has been extended 11 years as a result of the passage of Obamacare, whose cost reforms have helped bring health care inflation to historic lows. It is also untrue that repealing Obamacare requires changing traditional Medicare. But Ryan clearly believes he needs to make this claim in order to sell his plan, or probably even to convince fellow Republicans to support it.Everything bad in the next four years is going to be Obama's fault. They're going to call the next recession "the Obama recession." They're going to give massive new tax cuts to the rich and blame the skyrocketing deficits on Obama. Oh, and any terror attacks on President Trump's watch will be because Obama made America weaker, even if it's four years from now and the Homeland Security secretary is an self-promoting wingnut clown like Sheriff David Clarke or Joe Arpaio. And the average American won't know any better.
Next 4 years? Shit herled Republicans blamed Jimmy Carter for the 2007 Republican Recession. Obama will be their shaitan fir the next generation.
ReplyDeleteThe way they look at their world they have Reagan, and that's it. They've trashed all their own others. So it's tear down Obama's approval or folks might start thinking the Ds are competent, and that just feeds unrest.
ReplyDeleteIt's all in 1984. They cite it for the same reason they cite Saul Alinsky: they've memorized those like playbooks.
Obama sank The Maine.
ReplyDeleteHe plotted the 1929 Depression!
He piloted the Japanese planes at Pearl Harbor!!
Vietnam was Obama's fault!!!
Ditto, the attacks on the US Marine barracks in Lebanon!!!!
And he planned 9/11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Everything I've read today has made me feel worse, and last night was the first I'd slept more than two hours since the election.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to thank you Steve, for your careful attention to how discourse is built; something few in the press do, especially your digging in (or prodigious memory) to track the history of right wing rhetoric. It's deeply appreciated even if it's never comforting.
While I don't look forward to looking at Trump for for the next four years, I am hopeful that Clintonism and all that goes with it exits the leadership arena in Democratic politics forever. I don't care about appearing fair or grateful or any other gracious amenity the Clintons or their entourage think they have coming for their trouble. Others with better vision are ready to get to work. Progressives are going to have to start from scratch. At the office of dog catcher level. It's going to take years. If this party can't do it, another one will. The Republicans were out in the cold for 40 years. There is work for the new generation to do. Neoliberal, DLC, triangulating, "3rd-way" Clintons, you had your shot. Now please go away and stay gone.
ReplyDelete“Remember, no human condition is ever permanent. Then you will not be overjoyed in good fortune nor too scornful in misfortune.”--Socrates
They will try this approach, but I don't think it will play. Trump sold himself as a man who can fix anything. He can't just whine. That's not being the Leader. Who wants an authoritarian weakman.
ReplyDeleteRyan is a con man or as Charles Pierce puts it: "Paul Ryan is the biggest fake in American politics." Of course, Ryan is now the 2nd biggest fake in American politics since Trump is now President-Elect. Confidence men understand other confidence men, which is one of the reasons these two dislike each other. Trump knows the marks will get really angry if Ryan starts messing with Medicare and Social Security and I think he will make it clear to our sleazy Speaker that those two things are off the table. In any event, I doubt that Ryan has much support for screwing around with these two entitlements even within his own caucus. Look what happened to the Cat Food Commission, after all.
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