This Is Not Meant To Be A Factual Statement

(off for a few days to get the feel of real America.)

The title ,which refers to Senator Kyl's preposterous statements on Planned Parenthood, now has become the calls for Democrats on almost anything the GOP has been saying in Congress. Finally there is a catchy way to call out all the lies that are being said everyday on everything.

Paul Krugman picked up on Congressman Ryan's attack on President Obama's deficit speech by saying it was "wildly inaccurate." Krugman noted that this comes from someone who made a $200 billion error on the interest America will have to pay and even a bigger error on Medicaid costs.

The Ryan Plan ups the age of Medicare eligibility to 67. And there is literally no statement from the health insurance industry they would even insure seniors. That is totally an unknown to this plan. In any event, the Plan would incrase insurance premiums for all seniors above the value of the so-called vouchers. As the President noted, this plan would vastly increase out of pocket expenses.

This morning the House soundly defeated the budget proposal of the Progressive Caucus. What's so interesting about their proposal was that it would actually produce a budget surplus by 2021. That's fiscal conservatism at its best. The point was drilled home in a Q and A by Congressman Keith Ellison, who asked his Republican counterparts when the Ryan Plan would produce a surplus. The answer was a resounding crickets. It would not.

This morning the Republican Study Group offered an even more draconian budget plan, which would have ended the entitlements and virtually gutted all discretionary spending, while providing really enormous tax breaks for the rich. In a wonderful parliamentary maneuver, the Democrats, knowing that the Republicans expected them to provide the votes to kill the Plan, decided to vote "present", which would have allowed this totally mad plan to pass. It failed by a 119-136 vote and split the Republican House. Well-played. The visuals of Republicans scrambling to change their votes is a delight to see.

Before leaving for Easter recess, the House really did take a vote on the Ryan Budget. Only one year earlier,the same Republican members campaigned that Democrats would gut Medicare. And now in a politically stunning move, they opted to vote on a plan that would change Medicare in a way that has never existed and would gut Medicaid. President Obama had been right that this was an attack on the way America has been for generations.

For weeks, Republican strategists said that such a vote might lose the Republicans the House in 2012. Democratic strategists were salivating for members to put their names to this radical proposal, which is opposed, depending on the poll, from 59 to 76%.

The Vote was 235 Republicans for and only 4 against. All 189 Democrats voted no.

Missing from any commentary on any of this is the fact that such wholesale changes to programs affecting tens of millions of Americans were never debated in committee, never discussed openly. We never heard from the health insurance industry what they felt about this and they are the big funder of the Republicans. There were no technicians to suggest tweeking this here or there. The whole Democratic process was ignored.

Remember when Republicans howled that the Affordable Care Act had been rammed through Congress. Like in 18 months of endless televised debates. This was all done in secret and the public only heard about the bare bones of the plan for two weeks until the House decided to approve it.

These people are not serious about solving any serious problem facing the country. They are serious about their ideology, and serious about their wiful ignorance.

David Brooks is hurt. He says the two most brilliant people in Washington are Paul Ryan and Barack Obama. He laments the two didn't bond and he faults President Obama for not inviting Ryan to lunch. This social gaffe, according to Brooks, means there can be no compromises. Sadly, there is some truth to the Republicans feeling left out and therefore voted to dismantle programs affecting nearly 100 million people because their feelings were hurt. And that was meant to be a factual statement.