As every House Republican budget has since Paul Ryan hoodwinked too many people into thinking he's a smart guy, this year's budget includes his Medicare voucher scheme, that hugely unpopular gateway to privatizing the program. This time, though, Republicans are also in charge of the Senate and that means that they have to actually think about this as a policy they will wholeheartedly endorse and something that could actually be included in legislation that actually passes in both chambers. That they then have to run on in 2016. That's not really
working for them.
The problem is that Senate Republicans must defend 24 seats in 2016 to keep their majority, and they are not excited about jumping into a battle with Democrats over a sensitive entitlement program ahead of the election, particularly when President Obama might veto the proposal in the first place.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) insisted he's "up for" reforming Medicare, but said Senate Republicans are unlikely to embrace the House’s plan.
"I think that might be difficult to get through our conference," said Graham, a possible presidential candidate next year. "Probably some people disagree with the concept [and] some people are up for reelection."
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who could face a difficult re-election race against former Gov. Ted Strickland (D-Ohio) next year, also deferred on the Ryan plan. […]
"My sense is the Senate approach—which takes the president's number on Medicare and then provides flexibility to the authorizing committees of jurisdiction—is the way the Senate would like to go," Portman said.
Well, that's going to make budget negotiations between the House and Senate fun.
Austerity is fading. Democrats are now talking not just protecting social insurance programs like Medicare and Social Security but expanding them. That could easily become the defining contrast between the parties in 2016, and it's clearly one Republicans who don't have the luxury of running in super-safe, gerrymandered seats are afraid of.