McCain wants to save Medicare even if it means destroying Medicare in the process
It really is sad to see liberal bloggers like Ezra Klein forced to defend cuts to Medicare against Republicans like John McCain. But this is where we’ve come to, ladies and gentlemen. There are still some principled Republicans in Congress, but they are few and far between. Here’s Ezra on McCain’s latest ‘brinksmanship’:
Last night, John McCain introduced an amendment that makes Medicare immune to the reconciliation process. That’s all fine, except for McCain’s record: Of the nine reconciliation bills McCain has voted to pass during his time in office, four of them included substantial cuts to Medicare. For those keeping score at home, they were the Balanced Budget Act of 1995, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989, the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, and the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. The Balanced Budget Act of 1995, in particular, included many more cuts to Medicare than anything on the table today. Now he’s saying that “entitlements should not be part of a reconciliation process.” They’re “too important.”
The issue here isn’t mere hypocrisy. It’s dangerous shortsightedness. If McCain wants to try to strip the Medicare reforms from the health-care bill, that’s his right. But to render Medicare untouchable to the reconciliation process will hamstring future congresses that need to make tough decisions to avert the consequences of the program’s substantial deficit. In his zeal to attack the health-care reform bill, McCain is making it harder to address our entitlement spending. It’s wildly irresponsible and shreds whatever remaining credential McCain had as a deficit hawk.
I hate to say it, but I agree completely. I used to think McCain was at the very least an honest politician. True, the maverick shtick wore rather thin rather quickly, and came entirely undone in the 2008 campaign. But he used to be an independent thinker! Now…
One can only parrot so many GOP talking-points before a maverick is outed as a fraud. If there is any philosophy other than a self-serving one at play, it is his hawkishness. Beyond that, he’s just bitter. His political center is, sadly, little more than whatever John McCain is feeling at any given moment. And right now he’s feeling bitter that his last hope at the Whitehouse was dashed. All that ambition has rotted and turned into spite.
And now he’s letting his bitterness get the best of him. Defending Medicare as a political talking point is one thing, but actually protecting it from one of the Senate’s most important budget tools is another altogether.
To think we nearly elected him as our President and Commander in Chief.
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McCain hasn’t changed that much. He just doesn’t hide “evil McCain” or “grumpy old man McCain” nearly as well as he used to. Those who know him in Arizona recognize this very well.
I don’t know. That may be the case, but at least he had some self-control in the past. I used to think a lot more highly of him – and I’ve been in AZ for years.
In response to another comment. See in context »There isn’t going to be reconciliation……pelosi is going to
ram thru the senate health bill as is
and that will be that…..we will have the
senate version of obama care…..and THAT will destroy american health care as we knew it….end
That’s a fairly optimistic prediction. I would think the Senate bill has been far too compromised to truly reform our abysmal system (or “destroy american health care as we knew it,” you drama queen).
In response to another comment. See in context »President Obama said cost reduction was more imnportant than universal coverage. There is virtually no cost reduction in obamacare. What do you call his statement?
President Obama said if you are happy with your medical coverage you wouldn’t have to change it. There are forced reductions in medicare and government reviews of medical coverage. What do you call his statement?
President Obama said Obamacare won’t cost one dime. A full ten years will cost 2 trillion dollars. What do you call that? I guess you say it isn’t a dime.
Obamacare is nonsense and will do nothing to solve the critical issues in US health care industry. What do you call this?
I’d call them lies. Your representations of Obama’s statements and what the HCR bill contains and does, that is. Have you ever heard of the CBO?
In response to another comment. See in context »