Thursday, September 23, 2010

Ryan Can't Reconcile His Competing Positions on Reconciliation

Does everyone remember when the budget reconciliation process was used while passing health care reform? Remember how Republicans frothed over its use even though they used the same process to pass tax cuts for the wealthy? One of the hyperbolic Republicans during the closing days of the health care debate was Congressman Paul Ryan. He called reconciliation a "convoluted legislative charade",
"an extraordinary and unprecedented abuse", and he went on to proclaim that "This is not good democracy. This is not good government."

Even though he said all of those things when Democrats used the reconciliation process, earlier this week he sang a much different tune. In a CNBC interview he was asked if the Republicans win the House, would he be willing to use the reconciliation process to "chip away and gradually roll back" some of President Obama's policies. Ryan responded that not only does he “want” to use the tactic for that purpose, but that Republicans “have to use reconciliation”.

Boy, I'd love to hear Paul Ryan try to "reconcile" his competing positions on the reconciliation process. I would also like to hear the tea party reaction to his flip-flop.

ht: Think Progress

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