Paul Ryan Plans To Use Trump’s Chaos To Destroy Medicare, Medicaid And Social Security @alternet

Paul Ryan Plans To Use Trump’s Chaos To Destroy Medicare, Medicaid And Social Security @alternet:

"Paul Ryan always gets more credit than he deserves. During Ryan’s time as House Budget Committee chair, DC pundits lavished praise and attention on him, portraying him as a sensible budget wonk pushing “serious” policy ideas. In fact, he has always been a far-right, highly ideological politician with one goal: Slash taxes for the super-rich and corporations, and pay for it by destroying Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Now that Ryan is Speaker of the House and Donald Trump is president, DC conventional wisdom is settling on a new image of Ryan: A spineless coward unwilling to condemn Trump’s outrageous actions. That’s a much less flattering image than his very serious budget wonk persona, but it’s still far more than Ryan deserves. It takes for granted that deep in his heart, Ryan opposes Trump’s behavior and that if only the Speaker could find the courage, he would disavow the president. The truth is far more sinister. Ryan is just fine with Trump’s Muslim ban, and his nomination of a racist for attorney general, and all the rest of the horror show. In fact, all of that is extremely useful to him. While the nation is focused on the Bannon White House’s disgusting policies and actions, Ryan can slip his own agenda, which is equally deplorable but more mundane, under the radar. Ryan himself is not the agent of chaos, but he’s happy to thrive on it."