Newt Gingrich has been raked over the coals for using the term “right wing social engineering” with regard to Paul Ryan’s Medicare Plan released last spring. In context, Newt was making the point that the plan as proposed went to far in one fell swoop to pass unless public confidence had been built in advance of passage.
Newt’s comment, taken out of context of course, now is the main focus of attack for the Romney negative campaign and the proof-positive invoked by almost every well-known conservative Beltway pundit as a disqualifying factor.
Newt has been proven right, and is owed a huge apology, which of course will not be forthcoming. Newt was the adult in the room, as it turns out.
Ryan is abandoning his original plan, and has developed a hybrid in conjunction with Democrat Ron Wydon which does not go as far as the prior plan:
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, who has been castigated by Democrats and hailed by Republicans for his plan to privatize Medicare, will on Thursday unveil a new approach that would preserve the 46-year-old federal health program.Working with Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), the Wisconsin Republican is developing a framework that would offer traditional, government-run Medicare as an option for future retirees along with a variety of private plans.
So much for our brilliant conservative Beltway punditry and commentariat. They got it wrong, they have skewered Newt who got it right, and now they are telling us we should trust their judgment that Newt is not fit for office.
The world has gone mad. Or at least the conservative punditry world.
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