Republicans in House Signal Retreat on Medicare Plan

[SecularMotion]

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — House Republicans signaled on Thursday that they were backing away for now from the centerpiece of their budget plan — a proposal to overhaul Medicare — underscoring the political risks of addressing the nation’s long-term fiscal problems.

Republican leaders insisted that they remained committed to the Medicare proposal, put forward by Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, which has drawn intense attacks from Democrats and liberal groups in recent weeks. But they chose not to proceed with legislation this year, effectively putting the issue off until after the next election.

The development came as Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. held a first negotiating session with members of both parties seeking a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling. Republicans are demanding spending cuts and other measures to restrain the budget deficit as the price of a deal.

The debt-ceiling talks were never likely to settle long-term issues like the soaring costs of Medicare. But the decision by Republicans to put the Medicare plan on the back burner was a tacit acknowledgment that the politics of entitlement reform remain volatile, so much so that pressing ahead in the face of intense Democratic opposition made little sense.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/06/us/politics/06fiscal.html?_r=1&hp

[elleng]

1. Damn right.

'the decision by Republicans to put the Medicare plan on the back burner was a tacit acknowledgment that the politics of entitlement reform remain volatile'

[brewens]

2. Too late! They own it. They tried to crush Medicare. That's a

steaming pile of shit we relentlessly smear in their faces!

[yellowcanine]

3. Hmm. No brass cojones there. More like clay cojones.

[ingac70]

4. Trying to play one constituency against another back fired.

Those over 55 refused to say "fuck you, I got mine" to their children.

[JohnnyRingo]

8. It's amusing how they miscalculated that.

I find it incredible that they assumed people on Medicare would display the level of greed republicans take as a given to spit on our own children and cut them off as long as we got ours.

[Amonester]

5. How about 'raising' revenue instead of 'cutting' programs, uh?

Have to 'wait' for a majority Dem Congress to start talking about it?

(I mean, raising revenue by taxing the 1% of royals to the 50's level, and legalize cannabis & tax it.)

[cstanleytech]

12. Cutting makes sense though

for some things like say cutting out our overspending on defense and cutting things like the government provided healthcare system for the senate and congress and cutting the pay for congress and the senate to no more than the minimum wage + 40 hours a week and of course no overtime.
After that we should cut all the loopholes out of the tax system so companies like GE pay their taxes.

[toddwv]

6. They had no choice.

The public forced them to 180 on their "stalwart" position so fast that it gave them whiplash.

[louis-t]

7. They are not done with this.

Note the words "for now".

[Stumbler]

9. Key words: "...backing away for now..."

To paraphrase Q commenting on the Borg: “You can’t out run them: you can’t destroy them; if you damage them, the essence of what they are remains. They re-generate and just keep coming. Eventually you will weaken; your reserves will be gone. They are relentless." - STNG

Sorry for geeking out, but that's my opinion on this subject...

[Blacksheep214]

10. Polls matter

Especially the one which states that the majority of voters are now 45+.

Go ahead and fuck with us! I dare ya!

We older voters also want legal weed btw. If we have to take drugs we want to feel good about it for a change! :hippie:

[TheCowsCameHome]

11. You bet your ass they'll back off.

It's political suicide, and they KNOW it.