Ryan keeps hope alive that compromise is possible
Paul Ryan and Barack Obama don't see eye-to-eye, but when they talked about their deeply held beliefs last week, it gave Ryan a glimmer of hope they might reach a compromise.
Ryan, the 1st District congressman who ran with Mitt Romney to unseat the president last fall, told The Gazette in a phone interview Tuesday that he thinks the president understands the need to control the costs of enormously expensive entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Ryan said it was the first time that he and Obama had an extensive exchange of views about that.
"I'm not sure he's heard those arguments, at least not like I put them," Ryan said.
"And I think it was very constructive for us to give each other our very candid perspectives. That's a necessary beginning if you're going to find common ground, so I came away from that lunch thinking that at least we're starting by better understanding each other's positions, and, you know, we'll see where it goes from here," Ryan said.
Ryan said he feels more optimistic this year about a budget compromise that could end the crisis-to-crisis management of the budget. That's because the Democrat-controlled Senate is putting out its own budget document for the first time in four years.
"That means the process continues past just me passing a budget, which keeps open the possibility that we could get something done," Ryan said.
Ryan seemed to be saying that the House and Senate budgets released this week are just a beginning: "What you need to do is pass what you believe is right and then look for common ground in between," he said.
The debate will likely last into the summer, Ryan predicted.
"We'll see," Ryan said of a possible compromise. "It won't be from my lack of trying."
Also in Tuesday's interview, Ryan said:
-- He met with "workforce development folks from Janesville" on Tuesday and heard from them that they liked a part of his budget that would consolidate 49 federal job-training programs coming from nine agencies and give states the flexibility to provide training to address a skills gap and get people back to work.
"The skills gap, whether you're talking to folks at Blackhawk Tech or prospective employers, is something we really go after in this budget," Ryan said.
-- Welfare reform should focus on getting people on the road to self-sufficiency with jobs. He said he has heard a lot of concern from constituents who worry that welfare does not do that now.
"Let's not focus on how much money we spend—like we're focusing on inputs—but let's focus on how many people we're helping get back on their feet again," he said.
-- He heard from constituents, "especially small businesses in our industrial parks," that recent tax increases put them at a disadvantage as they compete globally. He said his plan would lower tax rates while removing loopholes to keep the same amount of government revenue.
-- He would not say what tax loopholes he would like to plug. That's the work of the House Ways and Means Committee, where he has a seat, he said.
"You'll see our final product when we put it together," he said. "First things first."
Mar 15, 2013 at 6:27 a.m.
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poo before you make claims of what you "think" others do perhaps you should have your facts in order. By all means if you can prove your wild claim please do so.....
Mar 14, 2013 at 11:22 p.m.
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RetiredAirForce said, "amazing how slowing growth, while spending more every year, is viewed by low information voters as drastic cuts......"
Well, turn off FOX News, RetiredAirForce!
"The largest effect is that of Fox News: all else being equal, someone who watched only Fox News would be expected to answer just 1.04 domestic questions correctly — a figure which is significantly worse than if they had reported watching no media at all. On the other hand, if they listened only to NPR, they would be expected to answer 1.51 questions correctly; viewers of Sunday morning talk shows fare similarly well. And people watching only The Daily Show with Jon Stewart could answer about 1.42 questions correctly." [ http://publicmind.fdu.edu/2012/confirmed... ]
Mar 14, 2013 at 3:15 p.m.
Mar 14, 2013 at 10:14 a.m.
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If Ryan wants cuts he can start with him self
Mar 14, 2013 at 10:10 a.m.
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amazing how slowing growth, while spending more every year, is viewed by low information voters as drastic cuts......
Mar 14, 2013 at 10:03 a.m.
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why does this idiot beat this issue to death i love a jack-ss that can look 10 yrs down the road an cut this an cut this an do this an every thing will be ok step in to the real world you poser
Mar 14, 2013 at 10:03 a.m.
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The savior-in-chief does not comprehend math. I can hardly wait until the low information voters who elected him have to pay their "affordable" forced healthcare bill each month.
Mar 14, 2013 at 9:09 a.m.
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Ryan needs to lay off the crack pipe. His worthless budget proposal was rejected by the voters last election, and will be reject by the senate this year. Isn't the definition of stupid doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?
Mar 14, 2013 at 8:23 a.m.
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tikiman1
Ryan's budget will kill 2 million jobs.
Not proven
As opposed to the 8-1/2 million Obama has already killed?
FACT
Mar 14, 2013 at 8:13 a.m.
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All Ryan is trying to do is keep his name in the fore-front so that he can possibly have another run at the Presidency in '16. I find it interesting that he's using the word "compromise," previously not in his vocabulary.
Mar 14, 2013 at 7:55 a.m.
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Professor, the gazette always has their *little boy blue* as a good tyrant He is the reverse of Robin Hood, he will never change his hate towards the less then and his lies to try and fool the fools that support him. To want American people who have nothing, to struggle even more to eat and live without medical care is a cold heartless act of a devil.
Mar 14, 2013 at 7:44 a.m.
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Compromise only if the GOP get their way. Ryan has nothing to offer that would benefit anyone BUT HIS Wealthy friends. What we call earned, The GOP call entitlements and we pay dearly for our medicare and Social Security. Ryan proposes to cut another $1 trillion from "other mandatory" programs, including farm subsidies, food stamps, student loans, and federal worker pensions, though he does not explicitly detail those cuts. And he would reduce agency spending by $250 billion beyond the automatic sequester cuts that took effect this month, while restoring $500 billion to the Pentagon. That suggests unprecedented cuts to domestic agencies, though Ryan, again, provides no details.
After all, it's hard to win a Republican election if you abandon old voters and the defense industry. As for health care and cash support for the poor? That's where the hammer hits.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/wha...
Mar 13, 2013 at 5:37 p.m.
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More evidence that the Gazette claim that they are unbiassed on the news end: They don't mention in their story how their boy Ryan campaigned against the $716 Billion in Medicare cuts--BUT how Ryan's latest plan KEEPS those cuts, while repealing the actual plan (Obamacare). That shows Ryan is disingenuous. But, the 'news' end doesn't even report that. I don't expect the 'editorial' end to either. Look: I don't care if they choose to be spokespeople for the R's like their owners. But don't keep trying to say 'we keep the news separate'. They don't.
Mar 13, 2013 at 5:33 p.m.
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Jeez. He even lost to his neighbors last election.
Mar 13, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.
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ummm. Ryan lost on those ideas. A rehash doesn't work. Ryan is just positioning himself for his next run.
Mar 13, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.
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Ryan's budget will kill 2 million jobs.
Mar 13, 2013 at 4:57 p.m.
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He heard from constituents, "especially small businesses in our industrial parks," that recent tax increases put them at a disadvantage as they compete globally. WTH???
Ryan apparently isn't talking to us in "small business" who don't do business overseas but rely on local workers who are getting run over by our own State's economy which has crashed/ plunged to one of the worse states in the US last couple years. These people are my customers and income.
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