GOP Medicare Follies

Benjy Sarlin reports for Talking Points Memo on the hornet's nest kicked by Newt Gingrich's criticism of Rep. Paul Ryan's Budget proposal.

The melee ignited by Newt Gingrich's condemnation of the House GOP budget as "right-wing social engineering" is intensifying as Republican leaders, conservative editorial pages, and right-leaning pundits join together to condemn his remarks.

The budget's plan to replace Medicare with a less generous voucher system has proved a tough sell for the party, and judging by the reaction on the right, Gingrich's words touched on a particularly sore spot for the party.

TPM reports that Gingrich has already begun to walk back his remarks. This is another example of the old saying that the most unforgivable sin in Washington is telling the truth. Some reining in of entitlement spending is essential (along with cutting military spending and raising federal revenue) but Gingrich is right in calling the Ryan plan "radical."

--Ballard Burgher