Voters in upstate New York hand a safe Republican seat to a long-shot Democrat who beat her opponent with a blunt instrument: Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan's politically-tone-deaf 'plan' to trash Medicare and hand billions, trillions in public-dollar Medicare voucher payments to private insurers.
And that bit of calculated cleverness - - exempting people over 55, but sticking it to younger people - - badly backfired: who would support a plan that will cut the standard of living and quality of medical care for the under-55 generation, and perhaps also impoverish their parents who might have to burn through their savings to take care of younger relatives whose vouchers ran out?
All while enriching insurance companies.
People are not as stupid as Ryan and the GOP assumed. These Republicans yammer in their ideological, bumper-sticker dialectic about "personal choices vs. Government," when, in fact, people like Medicare and told the GOP in the upstate NY congressional election they "choose" it over insurance company profits and a voucher scheme they know will come up short with their first medical crisis.
At 55, they could face decades of shortfall and heartbreak - - and they understand that the Ryan plan would make it all worse.
Next to feel the Ryan sting: Senate Republicans who are going to be forced to vote up or down on the Ryan plan because the bumbling Majority Leader John Boehner rammed it through the House and sent it on to the Senate where it never had a chance of approval, given the Democrats majority.
This is what the politics of overreach, ideological blindness and extreme Ryan Worship are bringing on to the GOP.
It will be interesting to watch Republicans in the Senate run from what is becoming Ryan's Distress; GOP leaders and talk show hosts from Rush Limbaugh to Charlie Sykes in Milwaukee were so heavily-invested in Ryan's now-fading persona as The Smartest Guy In Congress that they will have to spin their way around the NY results and also from Ryan - - though throwing him under the bus would be too much an admission of their own failure to see the fallacies and risk in Ryan's scheme.
But they will pull the bus to the side of the road, let him off far from his destination - - the speaking circuit, maybe the road to The White House in 2016 - - and suggest that on his walk home alone that he find an out-of-the-way dumpster to drop that plan of his, and fast, because everyday it's out there it's a serious drag on the Party of Overreach.
And that bit of calculated cleverness - - exempting people over 55, but sticking it to younger people - - badly backfired: who would support a plan that will cut the standard of living and quality of medical care for the under-55 generation, and perhaps also impoverish their parents who might have to burn through their savings to take care of younger relatives whose vouchers ran out?
All while enriching insurance companies.
People are not as stupid as Ryan and the GOP assumed. These Republicans yammer in their ideological, bumper-sticker dialectic about "personal choices vs. Government," when, in fact, people like Medicare and told the GOP in the upstate NY congressional election they "choose" it over insurance company profits and a voucher scheme they know will come up short with their first medical crisis.
At 55, they could face decades of shortfall and heartbreak - - and they understand that the Ryan plan would make it all worse.
Next to feel the Ryan sting: Senate Republicans who are going to be forced to vote up or down on the Ryan plan because the bumbling Majority Leader John Boehner rammed it through the House and sent it on to the Senate where it never had a chance of approval, given the Democrats majority.
This is what the politics of overreach, ideological blindness and extreme Ryan Worship are bringing on to the GOP.
It will be interesting to watch Republicans in the Senate run from what is becoming Ryan's Distress; GOP leaders and talk show hosts from Rush Limbaugh to Charlie Sykes in Milwaukee were so heavily-invested in Ryan's now-fading persona as The Smartest Guy In Congress that they will have to spin their way around the NY results and also from Ryan - - though throwing him under the bus would be too much an admission of their own failure to see the fallacies and risk in Ryan's scheme.
But they will pull the bus to the side of the road, let him off far from his destination - - the speaking circuit, maybe the road to The White House in 2016 - - and suggest that on his walk home alone that he find an out-of-the-way dumpster to drop that plan of his, and fast, because everyday it's out there it's a serious drag on the Party of Overreach.
Nate Silver said, two weeks ago, that the presence of a Tea Party candidate and a Green candidate would complicate the results, but if Hochul won with numbers in the mid to upper forties, the election would be a sign of a Democratic trend.
ReplyDeleteHochul won with 48% of the vote.
The conservatives still won this vote. The only reason they lost is because the vote was split between the republican and the tea party candidate.
ReplyDeleteDissappointed? Yes, but no worries here about some long term trend.
Jack Davis the tea party candidate was basically a Democrat, pulling in Democratic votes. Nothing tea party about him, which didn't get much coverage. I featured an old CNN story about labor from around 2004, and he's no loon.
ReplyDeleteJust curious, where is the Dems budget? Did it get posted somewhere? Oh, thats right, it has been over 700 days since the Dems prepared a budget. I guess the Dems are not going to prepare something themselves, but just rip apart something the GOP does. The Dems are a bunch of political cowards!! Paul Ryan has more guts then the entire Democrat caucus. It is no wonder the symbol for the Democrats is a donkey, since an Ass is the perfect symbol for them.
ReplyDeleteMr Reagan's Disciple, we meet again, you without a real name.
ReplyDeleteHow many people would have NOT voted had the two bottom draw candidates NOT have been on the ballot?
As usual, your logic can NOT be proved.
A big thanks to the Wisconsin Republican Party! Through Walker, Preibus and especially Mr. Ryanthey have now destroyed any chance we had at winning nationally in 2012. As a very conservative 40 year old, raised as a young republican, I can honestly say for the first time in my life, I am ashamed to say I am a republican. The National GOP is in a mess and my fellow Wisconsin’s in District one have delivered the new and improved Nancy Pelosi of 2012 through Ryan. The economy is in a mess and the unbelievable politically Naive Mr. Ryan handed the DNC both chambers and the executive branch in 2012. We had a chance to take back our county but it will NEVER happen now! The democrats know this and are politically motivated to win! Keep up the good work by not defending the catastrophic budget the GOP passed without thinking about the politic fallout. How did that "Mantel of Leadership” in NY26 work out for us! Expect the same nationwide soon. I hold my head down in utter shame and no longer support the GOP. Get ready for District one to flip blue in 2012 it is a sure bet – what a shame! God help the USA - we are doomed!
ReplyDelete