Pawlenty Says He Would Sign Ryan Medicare Plan

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, said that if he were in the Oval Office, he would sign the House-passed plan backed by Representative Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, to privatize Medicare.

“If the only choices were doing nothing like President Obama is doing and Paul Ryan’s plan, I’d sign it,” Pawlenty said today on ABC’s “This Week” program. He also said he would do some things differently, such as “address Social Security,” without being more specific.

Republicans attempting to strike a deal with Democrats on raising the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling say they want to include Ryan’s plan in any agreement. Earlier this month Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress that unless the debt limit is raised, he will run out of options to avoid default on Aug. 2.

Ryan’s plan would replace the traditional Medicare health- care system with subsidies for purchasing private health insurance. The changes would affect people who turn 65 in 2022. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-29/pawlenty-says-he-would-sign-ryan-medicare-plan.html

[titaniumsalute]

1. He is nothing

[Angry Dragon]

3. No he is a dirt bag

I wonder what his answer would be if he was asked about stopping ALL pensions for elected officials.........

[hobbit709]

2. So he wants to do the people what he did to the bridge.

Screw him and the horse he rode in on.

[Jackpine Radical]

4. I love it I love it I love it!

Thanks to the Tea Party, any candidate for R nominations from the Presidency down to the House is forced to endorse positions that will kill them in the General Election.

If the Dems have any courage, we will be running good progressives in a lot of places.

[rurallib]

5. If the media wasn't so much in love with him he'd be toast by now

With his record, i can't imagine he will last long.

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Adios, Tim.

You're done before you even started.

[hyphenate]

7. Well

it's good to know that, and it's a good point to bring up over the campaign for office. Let's just keep reminding people that he would do that kind of harm to SS and Medicare if he were in the WH.

[Telly Savalas]

8. Back up here. Medicare Advantage is privatized Medicare.

Ryan's plan is the elimination of Medicare, not the privatization of it.

I know the quote is from Bloomberg, not you, but we can't afford to let folks get away with playing semantic games to make his plan look better than it really is.

[DenverDad]

9. Just another brick in the Koch wall.