Newt Gingrich Calls Paul Ryan’s Medicare Reforms “Radical” And “Social Engineering”

Tweet

Written By:
Rob Port

May 15, 2011
12:48pm

“Newt Gingrich’s appearance on Meet the Press today could leave some wondering which party’s nomination he is running for,” writes National Review’s Andrew Stiles.

Gingrich, who announced his candidacy for President just a few days ago, certainly had me scratching my head.

The former speaker had some harsh words for Paul Ryan’s (and by extension, nearly every House Republican’s) plan to reform Medicare, calling it “radical.”

“I don’t think right-wing social engineering is any more desirable than left-wing social engineering,” he said when asked about Ryan’s plan to transition to a “premium support” model for Medicare. “I don’t think imposing radical change from the right or the left is a very good way for a free society to operate.”

As far as an alternative, Gingrich trotted out the same appeal employed by Obama/Reid/Pelosi — for a “national conversation” on how to “improve” Medicare, and promised to eliminate ‘waste, fraud and abuse,’ etc.

This combined with earlier comments from Gingrich in which he favors growing tax revenues instead of cutting spending to fix the national debt, has me wondering what Gingrich’s strategy is for 2012.

Is he thinking that he can beat Obama by running to the left of the rest of his party?