Paul Ryan: Barack Obama helped me

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House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan today voiced confidence that the House will pass his budget tomorrow. And he said that President Obama’s attacks yesterday on his plan for crippling Medicare have strengthened Republican support for the proposal.

Citing tallies by Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, Ryan told a session organized by the conservative-leaning e21, a non-profit economic research group, “Our Whip count is looking really good….The president has helped us.” Extensive briefings by party leaders during recent weeks had reinforced rank-and-file support, he added. “The biggest threats to Medicare are the status quo….Members on our side of the aisle know that.”

Asked about reports that some Republicans are nervous about his budget, Ryan told POLITICO that he has spoken this week with perhaps five GOP members who raised specific questions with him about his budget. He indicated that he had resolved their concerns.

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It’s been kind of interesting to watch the voting on the Ryan House Republican 2012 budget plan.
Right away 2 dems voted for it, then changed their votes.
4 Republicans have voted against it, so far, but that was only after it was safely passed.
The final vote was …..
235 – 193
It was all Republicans for, 4 Republicans against.
All voting Democrats against.

@Nan G:

Not a big surprise on the voting, and proves once again that the democrats are in lock-step with one another. I believe that if Ryan, and the other conservative GOP members, can get their message effectively out to the public, that the results of the 2010 election will be repeated, in greater numbers, in 2012.

77 to 347.
The Democrats’ ”People’s Plan” or “Progressive Plan,” as it was referred to both ways, went down to BIPARTISAN defeat.

That was 90+% Obama’s ”plan.”

Dems didn’t even like it!

House GOP Passes 2012 Budget Resolution

http://www.nationaljournal.com/house-gop-passes-2012-budget-resolution-20110415

GOP and Tea Party deserve kudos for overwhelming vote for Ryan budget

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/04/gop-and-tea-party-deserve-kudos-overwhelmingly-vote-ryan-budget

Traditionally, the obstacle to getting either party to embrace entitlement reform was that there was a risk to going on record as wanting to change these popular programs , while doing nothing was safe. However, at least for Republicans, that dynamic has shifted, and doing nothing is politically risky. And the credit for that development goes to the Tea Parties for putting pressure on Republicans to get serious about spending.

The Ryan budget will not become law in its current state as long as Obama is president. While the prevailing wisdom is that this vote could make Republicans more vulnerable in 2012, the flip side is that if Democrats pull out all the stops to demagogue the issue, and House Republicans hang on and the GOP even gains Senate seats, it will end the third-rail status of these entitlement programs that, if unchanged, will rob future generations of the American Dream.

There will be a lot of opportunities to criticize GOP leaders going forward, but today, they deserve a pat on the back.