Paul Ryan (cc photo: Gage Skidmore)
The Washington Post had what appeared to be a news article today (3/3/14) describing a new report from Republican Rep. Paul Ryan that harshly criticize various government programs to help the poor. But it was hard to tell whether Robert Costa’s piece was intended to be a form of journalism or a press release.
Under the headline “House GOP Budget Will Focus on Reforming Welfare, Overhauling Social Programs,” Costa related that Ryan is releasing “an often stinging 204-page critique of the federal government’s anti-poverty policies,” what amounts to a “preemptive rebuttal to the president’s budget” that “signals Republicans’ desire to expand their pitch to voters.”
Costa explains:
Ryan and his aides are unsparing in how they take the hammer to current federal policies. On page after page, the report casts a critical eye on how the government administers money to the poor and related bureaucracies, using a bevy of academic literature and federal studies as evidence.
But if the subject of the article is a lengthy report that attempts to offer solutions to poverty, there is little effort to examine the report’s ideas about Head Start and Medicaid. (Both are evidently a bad deal for the poor.) The piece quotes Ryan (several times), the report itself, and Ryan’s Republican colleagues like California’s Kevin McCarthy (“People used to say we couldn’t talk about these issues”) and Oklahoma’s Tom Cole (“Paul Ryan remains our big-ideas guy”). But there’s basically nothing to challenge Ryan’s point of view: Readers learn that “Democrats on Capitol Hill are skeptical about Ryan’s intentions,” and Rep. Chris Van Hollen weighs in with a soundbite (“It’s part of Mitt Romney’s attack on the 47 percent”). That’s it.
As we’ve noted before, the Post has a record of uncritical coverage of Paul Ryan. Leading up to the 2012 presidential campaign, he was the media’s favorite wonk (FAIR Media Advisory, 8/14/12). Coverage like this suggests that the media’s love affair with the Wisconsin Republican hasn’t cooled off yet.
Near the end of the WaPo “article” is this:
“ ‘Ryan also huddled with Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of Britain’s Conservative Party. Smith is well known in the United Kingdom for his attempts to better connect conservatives with the poor.
“ ‘We’ve been paying very close attention to the Tories and their think tanks,’ Ryan said. ‘They’ve done a lot of work already, and we can learn from their experience, both their mistakes and their successes, so we can rework our welfare system and get people out of poverty and onto lives of self-sufficiency and dignity.’”
Yep. Nothing says “I care about the poor” more than “ ‘paying very close attention to the Tories and their think tanks’ ” in order (as WaPo claims) “to better connect conservatives with the poor.”
And wolves want “to better connect with” the bunnies. If only the bunnies could be made to see that the wolves are their friends.
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It seems he doesn’t address all the government has done for the wealthy. . I wonder why i is they instead of the poor or middle class who have made all the gains?
It’s terrible how the wealthy are suffering. With all their suffering and hardship , I wonder where they get the millions they are pouring into political causes.
Yes Paul Ryan is one of the Biggest IDIOTS in the GOP and wow, there are a lot to choose from. I think he would be much happier in Russia helping Putin. The important question is when does he leave ? If he needs help with the ticket money, I’m sure we could take up a collection
Is it just me, or does anyone else look at this guy and see someone who in a movie would be clearly the psychopathic serial killer? I mean, just look at this guy. He should be running the Bates Motel, not being an active part of government.
Paul Ryan, a product of one of Wisconsin’s wealthiest communities, as never been shy about his disdain for our “surplus population” — those who are not of current use to corporate America/employers. His talk about “reworking the welfare system” is, indeed, empty rhetoric. What we had always known as “welfare,” after all, no longer exists. There is no general assistance, no AFDC. Ryan is merely looking for another irrelevant gimmick to get back in the spotlight, relying on general public ignorance (which is considerable) about US poverty.
Re: Robert Reich on inequality: From all I’ve had the opportunity to read and hear, Mr. Reich’s focus is solely on the gap between the better off and the wildly well-off, working class and rich, and excludes the REAL inequality — the gap between our “surplus population” (very poor) and the middle class. You can’t have a legitimate economic discussion that excludes an entire chunk of the population. Since the 1980s, the US shipped out the bulk of our working class jobs. Our govt then wiped out basic poverty relief.
Incidentally, when rich pols point to today’s US poverty rates as “proof” that our welfare programs failed, you might remind them that what we always called welfare — general assistance and AFDC — were ended by 1996. It was the loss of welfare programs, not welfare itself, that has resulted in our deep,permanent poverty today. Neither the rich nor middle class can seem to grasp that once you no longer have a home address, phone, bus fare, you can’t get a job.
indeed, as posted below, the very simple, obvious issue is the shipping of jobs away from the country in the 80s … why no one talks about this anymore is completely baffling. It’s just SOOO wonderful to be able to buy clothes etc for 10% of what they used to cost from China etc. … oops … no manufacturing jobs!
Just exactly what is Peter Hart trying to say?Whatever happened to the idea of saying in the first paragraph the crux of what your article is
about?
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Lets make this short and sweet.Ryan hates every move this president has made.On this subject as well.And do you know what?He is 100% right to feel that way.Obama is a wrecking ball to everything he touches.It is so bad that you almost dont have to even look at his position to know it is idiotic.On Poverty?He has exploded it.He has no ideas how to make things better.He is a one trick pony.He believes all you have to do is tax the rich more, and all will be well.A complete moron.Waqnt to hold Ryans feet to the fire?Read his speech given two weeks before the election.He gave a lot of facts and figures where Obama was taking us.Fella must have a freaking crystal ball.He was right..right down the line.