Slate's Jacob Weisberg recently joined the Rep. Paul Ryan cheering section, writing a column in which he referred to Ryan's budget proposal eviscerating the social safety net as "brave, radical, and smart." Then last night he thought better of it and tweeted:
People seem to think I like Ryan plan, which I don't. I like that he's more honest that previous Republicans about cutting entitlements.
Um...
Yeah, I don't know where anyone got the idea that Weisberg liked Ryan's plan. Weisberg glibly says Ryan's vouchers "should provide excellent coverage," except the part where they shift the cost to seniors in a way that won't keep pace with inflation and repeal the Affordable Care Act's ban on discrimination based on pre-existing conditions so insurance companies don't have to cover all those expensive old people. Well, not the poor ones anyway.
Even with his walk-back, though, we're back to the courage curve here, where Ryan's plan is seen as "brave" because it does what Republicans actually want to do but that actual Republican pols rarely admit out loud. And even then, he has to sweeten the deal with bogus numbers. Brave!
