Paul Ryan says GOP will attack Medicare spending, but won't say how (Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-FitzWalkerStan) says the GOP has a secret plan to cut Medicare:
In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, the Wisconsin lawmaker and chairman of the House Budget Committee said the House Republicans' budget proposal for the 2012 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 will propose fundamental changes to Medicare and Medicaid, the giant health care programs that cover 100 million Americans and whose combined costs rival the defense budget.
Last year, Ryan proposed eliminating the current Medicare program and replacing it with vouchers, but now:
Ryan offered no specifics, saying details are still being hashed out.
Despite his refusal to offer specifics, Ryan congratulated himself for showing leadership and predicted Democrats would demagogue the his plan, whatever it is:
"I think the country's ready for this kind of discussion even though we are going to lead with our chin and they're going to demagogue us," Ryan said.
Speaking of demagoguery, wasn't it Paul Ryan's party that attacked Medicare cost savings in the health care reform bill as "death panels." Wasn't it the GOP that said Democrats wanted to kill your grandma? And given that track record, aren't you at least a little bit suspicious when Paul Ryan says the GOP is ready to embrace big things?
"I see a willingness to embrace big things, I see a willingness to tackle the problem," Ryan said, describing the sentiment among Republican freshmen elected on a wave of concern about the growing scope and reach of government.
So the same guy who voted for TARP and Bush's Medicare prescription drug coverage bill, the same guy who won't put military budget cuts on the table, and the same guy who wants to extend about $4 trillion in tax cuts over the next decade says he's ready to "tackle the problem." Except he won't say what it is that he's going to do. But the GOP is going to lead with their chin. Someday.