Social Security has always been viewed as the third rail of US politics. The public likes it and it votes against any plan to change it. George Bush failed in his attempt to privatize it and turn it over to Wall Street. The GOP effort to privatize Medicare and cut benefits to future beneficiary's, under the guise of deficit reduction, is meeting with a similar fate. A special election was held in a GOP stronghold suburb of Buffalo, NY yesterday to replace the GOP House Representative from that district. (He resigned after being caught sending half naked pictures of himself over the Internet to women who he was trying to attract.)
The Democratic candidate ran her campaign by attacking the Ryan plan, which the GOP House voted for, which cut future Medicare benefits, and turned it over to private insurers who would be paid with vouchers that lost value, relative to cost, over time.
The GOP candidate attempted to defend the plan initially, but she gave up and tried to run on her commitment to deficit reduction. The Republican district decided to vote for the Democrat. Goodbye Ryan plan, and welcome to the new third rail of US politics. The Democrats are going to have fun putting GOP politicians who voted for the Ryan plan on the third rail for electrocution.
No comments:
Post a Comment