Town Hall Anger Over Ryan Budget

This makes me wonder how any far-right candidate could hope to win the White House in 2012. It's pretty clear to me that while the "base" might support a lower budget deficit, when you actually make the cuts that would do that a howl of protest is going to go up. What the voters seem to want is lots of benefits but no taxes. Good luck with that!

http://www.alternet.org/economy/150757/ ... e_country/

Main Street Rage: Americans Protest Awful GOP Budget Plan at Town Halls Around the Country
This week, town hall anger went from a few isolated incidents to a daily deluge of passion and temper from Americans frustrated with their out-of-touch representatives.

At town hall events across the country, Americans are confronting members of Congress who voted for the House Republicans' radical budget, which effectively ends Medicare, slashes Medicaid, hacks away at domestic spending, and extends tax breaks for the wealthy. The entire House GOP caucus except for four lawmakers voted for Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget earlier this month, claiming a mandate from the November elections to drastically reduce domestic spending. But Republicans went beyond any semblance of responsible budget tightening to a radical deconstruction of core pillars of the health, safety, and security of the country.

Recent polls show Americans are firmly opposed to Ryan's budget proposal, with over 70 percent of Republicans opposing cuts to Medicare, while over 80 percent of Americans overall disapprove of cuts to the social safety net program. And Americans are clearly demonstrating their displeasure with their GOP lawmakers, who are in their home districts for this month on recess from Congress.

Last week, as lawmakers began holding town hall sessions in their districts, a number of Washington commentators wondered, "If the Ryan budget is so unpopular, where are the town-hall meltdowns?" This week, in the Washington commentariat got their answer as town hall anger went from a few isolated incidents to a daily deluge of passion and temper from Americans frustrated with their out-of-touch representatives. The town halls, like the opposition to the GOP budget more generally, were slow to begin in part because Ryan was so quick to act. While President Obama and congressional Democrats allowed for over a year of debate, study, and discussion on their health care reform law, House Republicans unveiled and voted on their plan to radically transform Medicare in a matter of weeks, giving opponents almost no time to mobilize against it or educate Americans about its effects. Moreover, those opposed to Ryan's plan don't have the constant cheerleading of right-wing talk radio and Fox News, which directly helped organize and promote the 2009 town halls.

Nonetheless, as part of what the Progress Report has dubbed a Main Street Movement of average Americans upset that conservatives want to cut social services and public investment for everyday people while lavishing tax breaks on the wealthy and corporations, Americans are standing up to their lawmakers on their own.

"Ya can't fix Stupid"

As you prove to us on a daily basis.

Wow...how partisan is that article. Actually, the Ryan plan is the first responsible plan anyone has put forth, and when explained to the American people that we must touch the "untouchable entitlements", they understand and agree. The "town hall" ruckus is paid union members, there to keep their golden ticket at the expense of everyone else.

If it were true (and I don't believe it is) that people want to continue to spend more than we take in, then we might as well officially announce to the next generation that they are done for. No, this is not easy, and it isn't fun. It takes politicians willing to put the country above their elections, and push for what HAS to be done.

Anyone want to actually discuss the article? And the point that there seems to be a disconnect between what voters say they want when they send someone to Washington and what they ACTUALLY want?

RenegadeCJ wrote: Wow...how partisan is that article. Actually, the Ryan plan is the first responsible plan anyone has put forth, and when explained to the American people that we must touch the "untouchable entitlements", they understand and agree. The "town hall" ruckus is paid union members, there to keep their golden ticket at the expense of everyone else.

How partisan is it to just brush off the issues the article raises with a totally unsupported statement like "the ruckus is caused by paid union members"?

And I absolutely do not agree with you that everyone is "just fine with it after having it explained to them" about having programs they have been expecting to be there for them in their old age being dismantled with lightning speed. You are totally out of touch with reality if you believe that.

The anger at the town halls is from the people who DO understand what the GOP and the Ryan plan are about to do to them, and they're angry about it. Duh! The American people aren't that stupid, and when a politician says, "I'm going to 'save' your Medicare by killing it and handing you a voucher--and wishing you 'good luck'", they know b.s. when they see it.

First Mate: Captain, we've hit an iceberg and the ship is taking on water FAST.
Captain: Nevermind, the Govt. is spending at record levels, lets keep this party going.

Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die.

The crisis in this country is for many reasons, but mostly because we (the people) let it happen. Everyone wants someone else to pick up the tab, at no cost to selves.

Oh, lessee...We could cut $4 BILLION a year on unnecessary tax subsidies to the oil companies... We could reduce the military budget by about 20%+, and for every unnecessary extra second jet-engine we DON'T build for a single-engine plane, we could probably take care of a few thousand people...

And let the Bush tax-cuts expire...FOR EVERYBODY...

Problem solved....

Those are concrete suggestions, instead of the usual babbling right-wing talking-points and generalizations.

HEARTLESS wrote: The crisis in this country is for many reasons, but mostly because we (the people) let it happen. Everyone wants someone else to pick up the tab, at no cost to selves.

And conversely, everyone wants to cut off everyone elses free ride and hang on to their own.

However, when it comes to programs like Social Security and Medicare, the continuing existence of which people have been assured of for decades and therefore made lifelong financial decisions based on that premise, it seems to me it is quite a different kettle of fish than cutting back on military spending or regulatory programs or food stamps.

My feeling is that a lot of people, and yes, a lot of them Republicans, were more than fine with the idea of slashing government spending so long as it was someone elses ox being gored. Faced with cuts that will hurt them personally, I think they are a little less than enchanted with the idea. If Republican leaders don't figure this out, they are going to get trounced in the next election.