So Paul Ryan Thinks The GOP Can Run In 2018 On Cutting Medicaid, Medicare And Social Security?

If you missed Bernie on CNN with Jake Tapper yesterday, the interview is above. Bernie's plans are the polar opposite of what Paul Ryan (plus Mike Pence, Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republicans) are trying to do. He explained to Tapper how he's working to perfect a Medicare-For-All bill that can-- eventually-- pass Congress. Meanwhile the Republicans are not just trying to defund Medicaid in their "healthcare" bill but are also using their budget plan to weaken and start defunding Medicare and Social Security. And this is what the GOP wants to run on? Last week Priscilla Alvarez, writing for The Atlantic reported that "On Tuesday, House Republicans released a 2018 budget plan that would make cuts to Medicare and Social Security, despite President Trump’s campaign pledge to keep those entitlement programs intact. The proposal calls for more than $200 billion in cuts to mandatory programs. It also serves 'as a vehicle for changing taxes,' CNN reports, which is 'the primary legislative focus of the 2018 budget.'"

Ryan's core dream is that, with Trump still willing to sign any man-made-catastrophe he can get through Congress, he can implement the Ayn Rand plan to make America into a jungle where only the "strong" survive.

“In past years, our proposals had little chance of becoming a reality because we faced a Democratic White House,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Diane Black in a statement. “But now with a Republican Congress and a Republican administration, now is the time to put forward a governing document with real solutions to address our biggest challenges.”

The spending plan will likely face hurdles within the Republican Party: While it may alleviate concerns from deficit hawks and fiscal conservatives, it may also receive pushback from moderate Republicans for the entitlement cuts.

Those reductions drew approval from the president’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, who previously served on the House Budget Committee. “It is a bold effort that follows the leadership of President Trump in making America great again,” he said. “Critically, this budget lays a pathway for Congress to pass, and President Trump to sign, pro-growth tax reform into law.”

Mulvaney has conceded that his stance on entitlement programs diverges from Trump’s purported views. During his confirmation hearings, Mulvaney defended his support for raising the eligibility age for Social Security to 70 years old and said he continues to back means-testing for Medicare. While the president’s budget this year didn’t cut Medicare or Social Security’s core retirement benefits, it did include cuts to Social Security’s supplemental-income and disability programs.

Whether the House proposal could pass remains unclear. Members of the conservative Freedom Caucus have been pushing for more cuts, and moderates are raising concerns over the $200 billion in mandatory spending reductions. Republicans may face more pressure to pass the proposal after the Senate health-care bill fell through late Monday night.

Randy lives in Caledonia, between Racine and Franklin, but since he declared his candidacy last month he's been traveling to every part of the first district. Yesterday when I asked him what he thought about Ryan's budget plans he said, "No one at the Rock County Fair came up to me and said, 'Hey Randy, can you lower Social Security payments' and no one I met in the towns near Beloit, which the Republicans gerrymandered out of the district to make it 'safe' for Ryan, asked me to make sure to gut Medicare for them. Everyone I've met in Kenosha and Janesville wants government to work, not to fail. I'm running to represent the interests of working families in Wisconsin, not Paul Ryan's special interest donors. The voters are going to have a very clear choice in 2018 and I hope Democrats across the country give the voters a clear choice in their districts too. If they do, a whole lot of new members will be able to hit the ground running and work with dedicated members of Congress like Mark Pocan, Jan Schakowsky, Ted Lieu, Ruben Gallego, Raul Grijalva and Barbara Lee to start fixing some of the damage the establishment in DC has dealt out to our families."

Nancy Ohanian asks: “White House Shakeup: Who’s Next?"