Before It Was ‘Radical’, President Obama Hailed Rep. Ryan’s ‘Roadmap’ As an ‘Entirely Legitimate Proposal’
- Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:20am by
Becket Adams
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“Right-wing ideologue,“ ”extremist,“ ”radical,” — these are just a few of the terms used by Democrats to describe Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s freshly picked running mate.
But here’s something odd: Before Dems started accusing the Wisconsin congressman of “extremism” for his attempts to reform Medicare, President Obama himself once hailed Rep. Ryan’s plan as “an entirely legitimate proposal.”
“I think Paul [Ryan], for example, the head of the Budget Committee, has looked at the budget and has made a serious proposal. I’ve read it. I can tell you what’s in it. And there are some ideas in there that I would agree with but there are some ideas we should have a healthy debate about because I don’t agree with them,” said President Obama in 2010 at a GOP Retreat in Baltimore.
The president and Rep. Ryan then launched into a quick discussion of the Wisconsin congressman’s plan to reform Medicare.
“I just want to point out that I’ve read it, and the basic idea would be that, at some point, we hold Medicare cost per recipient constant as a way of making sure that that doesn’t go way out of whack, and I’m sure there are some details,” the president said.
“We increase the Medicare payments with a blend of inflation and health inflation. The point of our plan is, because Medicare as you know is a $38 trillion unfunded liability,” Rep. Ryan responded.
“Right.”
“It has to be reformed for younger generations because it won’t exist. It’s going bankrupt. The premise of our idea is look, why not give people the same kind of health care plan we here have in Congress? That’s the kind of reform were proposing for Medicare,” Rep. Ryan concluded.
“As I said before, this is an entirely legitimate proposal [emphasis added],” the president said.
Exit Question: At what point did Rep. Ryan’s Medicare proposal go from being “entirely legitimate” to being the “seriously flawed“ product of a radical ”right-winger’?
Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter
(H/T: Washington Free Beacon), all photos via The Associated Press, this story has been updated.
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Comments (38)
timpclimber
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 5:57pmWould like to see Ryan Obama’s no-brain VP debate on the budget, economy, regulations, and the recession recovery. It would be like a fight between a high school wrestler and the Olympic gold medalist, over in 20 seconds.
Report Post »OllieK
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:48pmDemonstrating once again, boys and girls, the abject intellectual dishonesty of today’s radical, Democrat fascists.
Report Post »McKinley
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:45pmBeing civil during a dialogue is not necessarily “endorsing”.
Report Post »rval0429
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:23pmAnswer: The second he became the GOP VP
Report Post »TheSpiritMan
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 4:14pmSo Obama liking Ryan’s budget plan is supposed to HELP him appear to be a fiscal conservative??
-Gary Johnson 2012-
Report Post »HI_Don
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 3:32pm“As soon as a proposal is put out there, its ‘well, the other party is being irresponsible’. …it’s all tactics, and it’s not solving problems. And so the question is at what point can we have a serious conversation about MEDICARE and its long term liability or a serious conversation about Social Security, or a serious conversation about budget and debt in which we are not simply trying to position ourselves politically. That is what I’m committed to doing.” -Obama
Report Post »When will we have a serious conversation not bent on political gain you ask? Evidently not now, and evidently you’re not committed to it.
“Right-wing ideologue,“ ”extremist,“ ”radical,” — these are just a few of the terms used by Democrats to describe Rep. Paul Ryan.
So who is playing politics and who is actually discussing serious questions and wants to debate the issues? The party asking for 10 years of tax records of their opponent who has never been charged or found liable by the IRS for any tax mis-doings, or the party who wants an explanation on what happened to the trillions of dollars spent, the debt rung up, and the lack of economic performance resulting from four failed years of leadership?
Your about as committed to serious politics as you were to creating jobs.
timpclimber
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 5:46pmAnd who assk for the tax records? Reid and Pelosie who won’t release theirs. they just dish out Mediscare fibs while never mentioning the 700 million grab by their Obamacare law. To think I was once a liberal demo makes me shudder in shame.
Report Post »georgeisn6
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 2:25pmHis Majesty in chief looks like he has just eaten a lemon, rine’ and all, the “O”whatabummer” should ware a hoodie all the time, becaus the people have gotten wise to the fact that if his ears are visible when he is speaking, they know he is lying.
Report Post »Le Sellers
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 2:50pmA hoodie wouldn’t change anything, but you knew that.
We know he‘s lying as long as he’s breathing, although he could learn to absorb oxygen via gills and he’d still be lying.
Report Post »blackbean
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 1:45pmHe was for it before he was against it before he was for it before he was against it, and so on. LOL
Report Post »JACKTHETOAD
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 1:34pmYow. This whole mutating mess reminds me of a now defunct soap opera – Ryan’s Dope.
Report Post »glennrocks
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 12:41pmI hope and pray for an awesome October surprise. Romney/ Ryan 2012.
Report Post »fmadsen
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 12:59pmUnfortunately that Oct. surprise might the President‘s ’Wag-the-Dog’ re-election plan Code named ‘Operation Shoot Anything that Moves in Syria or Iran’ that will show the President in the War-Room making gut-wrenching Commander-in-Chief decisions.
Report Post »fmadsen
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 12:32pmObama’s own words will be his ultimate downfall. He is a verbal/policy target rich opportunity. All Romney and the RNC need to do is find his previous statements and play them juxtaposed with his current opposite statements.
Report Post »fastfacts
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 12:30pmOBAMA LOSES AGAINST PAUL RYAN.
Obama’s budget was shot down by all Dem Senators, Ryan’s was passed by good margin in House.
Obama gutted medicare by $700B and made it harder on doctors, then the campaign came out defending the cuts. Ryan created a budget to fix the medicare. Ryan’s mom is on Medicare (CBS hid that from the viewers after Ryan mentioned that in the interview)
Obama gutted welfare work requirements and reform. Ryan wants to repair welfare and reform SS and Medicaid. His budget fixes some of the problems.
ROMNEY-RYAN 2012 (See their interviews and speeches this weekend: http://tiny.cc/nqmziw
Report Post »Eric_The_Red_State
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 12:27pmI hope Romney didn’t set himself back with the comment “IF YOU WANT FREE STUFF – VOTE FOR THE OTHER GUY” —-
Guess what — 49.9999999999% of Americans want “Free Stuff” — and when it turns into 51% – then we are screwed
Report Post »Le Sellers
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 2:47pmOne wonders when you, personally (although not you, specifically), wrote your Congresscritter and Seniletor* demanding that he STOP SPENDING MONEY to give you “free” crap.
* “Senator” comes form the same root as senile: it means “old”.
Unless and until we do that, there is no possible way for this to end well for freedom and individual responsibility.
Report Post »bsnrn98
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 12:07pmGo get em, Paul. You da man!!!
Report Post »watersRpeople
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:57amBy the way I’m not going to “Shut up, and sit down.”
Report Post »watersRpeople
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:43amSo I hear Paul Ryan is going to “Force” the discussion. Again, people like [Force] when it’s their guy.
Report Post »watersRpeople
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:52amKind of like they don‘t mind a candidate or President dodging the Press when it’s their guy. I’m kind of thinking many of those Red-flags are going to stick out in the minds of voters.
Report Post »Ben__Franklin
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:40amIts clearly “Radical” now since at the time Obama-Mao was still evolving.
Report Post »Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:39amSo should we be happy or concerned that a devout plutocrat thought Ryan’s proposal was good?
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:58amhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7-BBADPAvE
Report Post »dodgedart1966
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 2:51pmI would say Obama was just hedging his bets. All he really cares about is himself.
Report Post »the_system_disconnect
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:37amI really hope that we can get a Romney/Ryan budget passed….
Vote Mitt Romney 2012
Report Post »RANGER1965
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:36amI really don‘t mind President Obama calling Paul Ryan’s budget proposals radical. It stands to reason that compared to no budget at all, any proposal is a radical change from what we have now.
Report Post »michael48
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:34amwise…we’ve evolved…what solar system he and his crowd have been banned from…
Report Post »wisehiney
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:38amHA! Glad you saw it before the mean ol’ censors did.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:30amIt became ‘Radical’ and ‘extremist’ for only one reason: Mr Obama and his madness.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:25amFunny how the most ‘radical’ and ‘extreme’ administration ever loves to call their opponent those exact names.
Report Post »HKS
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:30amLiberal tactic, what ever you want to do, accuse the opponent of doing it first.
Report Post »QuincySmith
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:36amIt is an interesting fact that culpable people accuse others (generally opponents) of their behavior. Dr. Charles K probably has a name for it.
Report Post »sWampy
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:48amYep, want to know what a liberal is really doing, just ask them to tell you about their opponent.
Report Post »HKS
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:23amHe did have a moment here, but then then the boss slapped the crap out of him and set him straight.
Report Post »wingedwolf
Posted on August 13, 2012 at 11:23amI wondered if I was the only person who remembered this! How fast things change…
Report Post »