James Pethokoukis
Politics and policy from inside Washington
Is the Ryan Plan a 73-page suicide note?
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Charles Krauthammer asks the question:
In 1983, the British Labour Party under the hard-left Michael Foot issued a 700-page manifesto so radical that one colleague called it “the longest suicide note in history.” House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan has just released a recklessly bold, 73-page, ten-year budget plan. At 37 footnotes, it might be the most annotated suicide note in history.
That depends on whether (a) President Obama counters with a deficit-reduction plan of equal seriousness, rather than just demagoguing the Ryan plan till next Election Day, (b) there are any Republicans beyond the measured, super-wonky Ryan who can explain and defend a plan of such daunting scope and complexity, and (c) Americans are serious people.
My guesses: No. Not really. And I hope so (we will find out definitively in November 2012).
Again, is the Ryan Plan a blueprint only Ryan can sell?
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Are you joking? The only thing recklessly bold about Ryan’s plan is that it doesn’t do anything meaningful. According to the CBO’s analysis, Ryan’s plan will not balance the budget until sometime between 2060 and 2080, and that’s while assuming a lot of rosy things that nobody can possibly predict. Moreover, while on this path Ryan’s plan will add an additional $63 trillion to the national debt. How will that affect the economy? What if the dollar crashes and countries like China won’t buy our securities anymore… then what? This plan is a sham.