Heard a caller on NPR talk show from NY about half an hour ago say

[Skidmore]

that he had voted for Huchel because Corwin and the Teabagger "scared the pants off of him." He had been an R but he was not interested in losing Medicare. Said that as an older person, this was all he had left for health care.

Let Ryan run off at the mouth. People are starting to understand what this means for them.

[Sheepshank]

1. This brings an interesting strategy question to mind....

.....MSNBC has been extremely vocal about the dumb Ryan plan. How is makes no sense, how it never had a chance to pass, how all the Reps were force to vote en masse "for" the plan etc. Are we giving the Reps way to much headroom to change the conversation regarding their plan, well before the 2012 elections? Shouldn't we be giving them more rope rather than fair warning?

[aquart]

4. Thank you for your concern.

[gratuitous]

2. I hope the NPR host set the caller right

Because he won't "lose" Medicare under the Republican plan. There will still be a plan called Medicare. A plan that costs him substantially more out-of-pocket, leaves him on his rugged, individualistic own to negotiate with large insurance companies, and reduces the federal contribution so that tax rates on Paris Hilton and Charlie Sheen can be lowered even further.

I mean, what's not to love?

[msanthrope]

3. Understand now why the Big Dog is giving Ryan enough microphone cord to hang himself? n/t