The debt ceiling needs to go away

One More Reason the Debt Ceiling Needs to Go Away by Jonathan Cohn

Blame the Deficit Scolds by Krugman

The Achilles Heel Of The Path To Prosperity by Jonathan Chait

And certainly some level of cutting is necessary. But Ryan's level of cutting goes far beyond what's needed to preserve those programs, and it does so in order to clear room for a very large, regressive tax cut. He is making a choice -- not just cut Medicare to save Medicare, but also to cut Medicare in order to cut taxes for the rich.

Ryan does not want to debate that choice, but he ought to be forced to do so. That is exactly what Bill Clinton did to defeat the Republicans in 1995. Indeed, the debate was virtually identical. Republicans insisted the debt constituted an existential threat. They proposed to "save" Medicare by privatizing it. And Clinton pointed out that their plan cut Medicare in order to finance a regressive tax cut. He won the argument because Medicare is highly popular and tax cuts for the rich aren't. 

Indeed, the divide on this issue is so overwhelming that Republicans simply refuse to acknowledge their position.

(via DeLong)

Ryan to 32M Americans: No Insurance for You by Jonathan Cohn

David Brooks Is Excited: Paul Ryans Kicks the Elderly While Protecting the Wealthy by Dean Baker

Jonathan Cohn has a new blog and writes about the new 21st century government health care website.