Another Morning Joe appearance, another promise of an Obamacare replacement plan from House Speaker Paul Ryan. And more assertions that he's a different kind of House speaker. His is a "communications speakership," he says, which is apparently his excuse for not having a "doing things" kind of speakership.
I am making these speeches because I told people I would do this job differently. I would make this more of a communications speakership to communicate our vision, our ideas, our agenda. That's precisely what I'm doing. The reason I'm doing this is because we need to convert from being seen as just an opposition party to being a proposition party, a solutions party. That's why we're putting this agenda together so that in the fall, in 2016, the people of this nation will have a very clear choice to make and this is what we think we owe people. If you don't like the direction we're going, we should say here's how we should do it differently.
See, they're not getting anything done in the House now not because they are simply opposed to everything, they're not getting anything done because they're figuring out what they're going to propose to do. That includes, of course, proposing an Obamacare replacement. Which will happen even if Donald Trump is the nominee.
[N]o matter who our nominee is going to be, we're going to be able to work together quite well. The agenda is economic growth, patient-centered health care, moving people from welfare to work and fighting poverty, fixing our national security and restoring the constitution and self-government. Making government more accountable. These unify all Republicans, all conservatives and I believe are appealing to discerning Democrats and independents. Whoever our nominee is going to be I believe will be comfortable with those things. […]
I'm familiar with [Trump's] tax reform plan, which is lower rates across the board for everybody and all businesses for faster economic growth. We will have a good debate about how to do that, but if from what I recall from his plan, it's basically that. On health care, he knows we need to repeal and replace Obamacare. So look, I don't see a big problem here. […] We have lots of different views but come from the same principles. The principle for tax reform is get the cronyism out of the code, give people more power, lower rates, make us more competitive for faster growth, and on health care, put the patient in charge. Let she and her doctor be in charge of deciding their health care. Give people more choices, more insurance competition.
(Note: that "choice" and "let she [sic] and her doctor be in charge" does not apply to reproductive choices in Ryan's world.)
There isn't any big problem replacing Obamacare. Patient-centered, that's it. Just say it and, poof, done. Except, of course, that they've been saying it for six years and it's not done. But that's because Ryan has discovered the magical thing about being a Republican—you don't actually have to do, you just have to communicate what your principles say you would do. It's worked for him so far. He's risen to the speakership without really having accomplished one concrete thing.