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(photo: DonkeyHotey/flickr)
Mitt Romney, unless he’s as clueless and out of touch as he sometimes seems, surely knows that the far-right “Social Security is a communist plot” types are not great in numbers and have nowhere else to go. Alternatively, surely he knows there are tens of millions of centrist voters tired of 8% unemployment and seemingly “forced to choose” between Obama and Romney, who might’ve voted for Romney if they felt he was not too inhumanly rightist.
Now, no way. Very few hard-hit centrists want to give up Social Security and Medicare for Paul Ryan’s ‘vouchers’ bull. The Miami Herald states the obvious somewhat gently, considering the focus is on Florida:
How Paul Ryan could be a drag on Mitt Romney in Florida
… Ryan … is the architect of the Ryan budget plan that makes big changes to Medicare and Medicaid and could allow for some privatization of Social Security.
And that’s widely seen by Democrats and most analysts as a politically risky stance in Florida, a must-win state for Republicans, where retirees cast a suspicious eye on changes to the three major government-entitlement programs that pump about $96 billion yearly into the hands of the elderly, the infirm and the hospitals, doctors and other providers who give them direct care. …
“Paul Ryan wants to privatize Social Security. Looking forward to welcoming Mitt and his pick to Florida,” U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, a Boca Raton Democrat, tweeted. “There’s nothing brave about cutting the programs that America’s seniors rely on for their health and financial security.”
And the Republicans apparently aren’t even going to hide Ryan’s extremism (from the same article):
“We won’t duck the tough issues…we will lead!” Ryan said in his official acceptance speech in Norfolk, Virg. “We won’t blame others…we will take responsibility! We won’t replace our founding principles…we will reapply them!”
For me the announcement highlights the ying to the yang headlined in Counterpunch yesterday:
Balance that with …
The Central Role of Far-Right Republicans in the Anatomy of Decline
… and you have the complete picture of the political hole that social democrats are in. All we want is a country run for the bottom 90% and not for the rich and the financial sector. We’ll have to choose again a protest candidate or perhaps reluctantly vote for Obama (if the race is too close). Paul Ryan is Ayn Randian madness.
But mebbe that’s the point, and the financial masters feel there is more opportunity for profit in four more years of Obama.
12 Comments
fairleft–
Agree with you on most things, but not so sure on this one.
‘Paul Ryan wants to privatize Social Security. Looking forward to welcoming Mitt and his pick to Florida,” U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, a Boca Raton Democrat, tweeted. “There’s nothing brave about cutting the programs that America’s seniors rely on for their health and financial security.’
Don’t particularly care what a “centrist” (corporatist) Dem thinks, since he’d likely be on board with Obama and Reid and Pelosi’s push for a Grand Bargain (which IS the implementation of Bowles-Simpson) to be passed in the lame duck session at year’s end. This is not my opinion of him, but comes from GovTrac.
“Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Deutch is a “centrist Democratic follower”.[2]
Here’s the link:
http://www.ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Theodore_E._Deutch
As for Ryan’s plan, check out this CBO analysis of the Rivlin-Ryan Health Care Proposal (Nov 17, 2010). Alice Rivlin was CBO Director under Clinton, and the leading Democrat proponent of changing Medicare and Medicaid to “defined contribution plans” (as opposed to the traditional defined benefit plan that we have (barely) today).
Here a link to the CBO analysis of the Rivlin-Ryan Plan, and a link to an article announcing OR Senator Ron Wyden’s Medicare Voucher Plan that he proposed with Ryan. (It was just this past December that it was proposed).
CBO Analysis of Rivlin-Ryan plan:
http://cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/ftpdocs/119xx/doc11966/11-17-rivlin-ryan_preliminary_analysis.pdf
Rep Ryan, Rep Wyden Propose Bi-Partisan Medicare Fix
http://www.christianpost.com/news/rep-ryan-sen-wyden-propose-bipartisan-medicare-fix-64970/
I won’t choose a “protest” candidate. And I certainly won’t cast a LOTE vote, again. I will chose a candidate worthy of my vote.
Thanks for the diary. It is important to highlight these issues.
Recommended.
Blue
Blue,
Not sure we disagree too severely.
If Obama like Ted Deutch campaigns for re-election on protecting Social Security and Medicare from the right-wing nuts, it will be difficult for him to immediately flip over and join those nuts in attacking it. I think he and Deutch will do so anyway, especially immediately after the election when the grand austerity bargain is planned, but at least it will expose their lies pretty starkly for anyone who decided they were believable and they’ll take a hit of some sort for that. We’ve been through this before with the Dems and can only hope the majority of people keep on learning how hopeless they are. Hopefully the left can exact some sort of price for the betrayals.
OTOH, if Ryan/Romney are elected, the mainstream media will interpret that (for us) as a victory for turning Medicare into vouchers and privatization of Social Security. I think that makes it much harder to fight against the post-election austerity plan and radical right stuff proposed by Romney in January that will be even worse than the austerity bargain.
I’m not optimistic in either case and plan to vote Green. My main point in this diary is that Romney is making it as easy as possible (considering 8% unemployment) for Obama to win a second term. And I’m suspicious of that. Does it mean the masters want 8% unemployment to be firmly established as the new normal? That from now on politicians won’t have to fear defeat even when they impose that level of unemployment on us? Just askin’.
fairleft–
You’re right that there’s not much daylight between our views, actually. I think these days, any reference to the lesser-of-two-evils narrative, “gets my dander up.” Guess I need to lighten up, a bit, huh?
On your point about the MSM pushing Medicare vouchers and privatization of Soc Security–I honestly do not believe that it matters one iota which party wins. The MSM has been pushing all politicians in this direction for several years, especially during O’s administration. I believe that the opposite is true–that is, that the Democratic Party can (and will be forced to, if anything, for appearances’ sake) fight cuts to Social Security more effectively (and more likely) IF Romney is elected.
First, look at how the Dems fought GWB’s effort to “reform” Social Security (I realize that he was also talking about adding personal accounts, but so are Dems). Little known, is the fact that Tom Harkin has held numerous expert panel discussions before one of his congressional committees, on just this topic.
I have come to believe that the only reason that the Dem Party fought GWB’s efforts “to reform Soc Security” were because THEY WANTED TO DESTROY (AND GET CREDIT FOR IT, WITH THEIR BIG BUSINESS MASTERS) THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET PROGRAMS.
The following link to a WaPo video and article entitled, “Obama Pledges Entitlement Reform,” dated January 16, 2009, days before O was sworn in as President, pretty much substantiates that, IMO.
Here’s the link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/15/AR2009011504114.html
My answer would be yes, that 8% plus unemployment is meant to be the new normal. If that were not so, why wouldn’t the lousy stimulus package (insufficient in amount) have not included more programs to foster employment. Half of it, was basically tax cuts (small business, etc.) I have to believe that he has not more aggressively tried to raise the unemployment rate because “the masters” love the high rate, since the law of supply and demand dictates that wages will continue to plummet for the majority of Americans, as long as the unemployment rate remains high.
One last thing, Paul Ryan can come across “a little less scary” than many other conservative Republicans. He’s already pushing the “generational” divide meme, just out of the gate. (He’s 43, I believe, but barely looks 33, to me. Maybe that’s partly a reflection of my own age. LOL!) At any rate, they are not only going after Reagan Democrats with his selection, but I guarantee you, they’ll use his young baby face to further widen the age and generational divide, and I believe pick up more young voters, than they would have, otherwise.
Mr. Blue and I will both be voting third party this cycle, too. (Stein got on ballot in my state, but the State Attorney General is suing the Green and Constitutional Parties, to get them removed.)
Again, thanks for your thoughtful diary.
Blue
Apropos of this:
Joel Kotkin: The Screwed Election: Wall Street Can’t Lose and America Can’t Win
TD–
Bookmarked. Thanks for the article.
Blue
When I learned of Romney’s pick of Ryan, my first words were “the fix is in.” The masters of the universe are getting everything they want from the Obama admin.
When I learned of the Ryan pick, I heard the thunk of Florida going into Obama’s Electoral College column.
This election is over.
Yeps, I see the Ryan pick working out nicely in attracting young “Reason” magazine readers, of which there are tragically way too many.
Thank you, tongorad–
Nick Gillespie, editor-in-chief of Reason magazine, was just on Washington Journal (C-Span) a couple of weeks ago, talking about his recent article “Generational Warfare.”
That’s one reason it struck me that Ryan would probably “be used” in this capacity.
Blue
For a really funny take on how Ryan was probably picked, go here:
http://my.firedoglake.com/daveparts/2012/08/11/cody-the-cardboard-cowboy/
I laughed really hard.
My take fwiw is that the campaign donors, our masters, prefer slowly raising the heat on the frog over the next 4 years. Clearly they’ll get their nice austerity push from Obama, who’s completely in line on “the deficit the main problem, and, uh, what unemployment?”
Dems’ll be utterly disgusted and the far right Repubs will gain even further in 2014. In 2016, most likely disgusted Dems will boycott the party leading to nomination of an Obama clone, or newly energized Dems will nominate someone the mainstream media ridicules as an out in left field radical because he or she wants to preserve Social Security and cut unemployment in half. The mountain of campaign money will make the Ryan-Rand ticket seem incredibly reasonable and the answer for our times.
Unless, unless what?
Dean Baker is an important read today, because his piece reminds us that CUT THE DEFICIT is the Obama Democrats’ No. 1 obsession and post-election priority (emphasis added):