Gail Collins on the left, David Brooks on the Right, Two of my Favorite Columnists.
Gail Collins: I know you like Paul Ryan and let me throw in some praise for him. I agree with the people who say he was brave to open up this conversation. Although it appears now he did not actually appreciate that the voters were going to hate, hate, hate his idea. So maybe a combination of brave and out of touch.
David Brooks: I agree, this is mostly about Medicare. I also believe it was entirely predictable. It’s not exactly a secret that touching Medicare in any way is deeply unpopular with voters. The average American, earning the median salary, pays about $150,000 into Medicare over the course of their career. They get back somewhere in the neighborhood of $350,00 to $450,000 in benefits. Their grandchildren are involuntarily footing a huge portion of that gap, so naturally today’s voters want to preserve this sweet deal. The Ryan plan threatens their grip on hundreds of thousands of dollars in free money.
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