Ryan's insulting, bald pander to exempt those 55 and over from the pain of the Republican Medicare proposal unmasks their cynicism toward their own plan and their lack of respect for older voters.
Why, if the Repubs honestly believe their approach is good would they not seek to implement it immediately? The only reason to delay it is because they know seniors so love their Medicare that if it were taken away, Republicans would be swept out of office in a landslide so great that it just might be the death of the party. So they have calculated that seniors are so selfish and shortsighted that they'll just sit quietly as the program is killed so long as it's not killed for them. The ideological Republican leaders likely believe that because that's how they, themselves view the world. It's a kind of Ayn Rand, me first, greed is good outlook. As long as it doesn't affect me, the typical ideological Republican thinks, screw everyone else.
Well, thankfully, regular people don't think that way.
Every time I hear a Republican apologist start out their defense of the Ryan plan with, "First of all, if you're 55 or over this won't affect you at all," I want to scream. I do scream at the tv, hoping at least one interviewer will finally call the idiots on what a disgusting argument they are making, the insulting implications and the implicit admission that the voucher plan is a really unpopular, bad idea.
I'm sixty-five this month, been out of work for three year with a pre-existing condition and couldn't be happier that I have finally reached the safety of Medicare. How crass and stupid would I be to say to all my younger fellow Americans, "Hey, too bad, I got mine, Jack"? I've got friends, children, grand-children, a younger sister, and I can imagine how important Medicare is and will be for them. I can even imagine how important it is for millions and millions of Americans I don't know. I can even understand how important it is to the general well-being of the country. So to those saying "Hey, don't worry, gramps, you'll still have yours," I want to say, who the hell do you think you're talking to, you dumb son-of-a-bitch? You think you can sneak through your ideological killing of Medicare by placating those who most understand how important it is? You think we're stupid and selfish? Well, we'll see.