Rep. Paul Ryan and a bunch of indistinguishable white guy Republicans unveil the Medicare-busting budget. It's
deja vu all over again. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
House Republicans, now that we're four months into the election year, have started figuring out how they're going to position themselves for November. (To cut them a little slack, they haven't been in Washington to work this stuff out all that much yet this year, or to work on anything, actually.) They've apparently decided to go all in on the
Ryan budget, including gutting Medicare and repealing the Affordable Care Act.
In private meetings set to begin on Tuesday with restless Republican lawmakers, leaders will outline a “strategic plan” to take the House GOP through Election Day, with items ranging from rewriting the corporate and individual Tax Code to overhauling federal regulations to changing U.S. energy policy.
The briefings, including a presentation from House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), will also outline the Republicans’ plans to repeal Obama’s health care law, whether or not the Supreme Court keeps the law in place. Included in the agenda is entitlement reform, debt reduction and oversight hearings by House committees.
The road map is aimed partly at reassuring House Republicans anxious about the party’s legislative record and direction.
So it will be more drill, drill, drill and evil light bulbs; job-killing regulations; no new taxes for "job creators"; raise the retirement age; take away Medicare; repeal Obamacare; and have more inquisitions by Rep. Darrell Issa. They don't detail what new fronts on the war on women they'll be opening, but chances are they'll throw most of that in with health care repeal.
How anything in this agenda differs from the previous year is not readily apparent. Particularly when you throw in the fact that the budget breaks the existing budget deal and presents yet another government shutdown threat.
With the nihilist wing of the caucus essentially in charge, it seems there's little else leadership can or wants to do. But given how poorly this has worked out for them so far in the court or public opinion.