Tim Kaine attacks George Allen’s support of Paul Ryan’s budget plan for entitlements

On Tuesday, U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine made the best out of Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as vice presidential candidate when he attacked George Allen  for his support of Ryan’s budget plan for entitlements, a reversal of fortunes for Allen who had been attacking Kaine for his friendship with President Obama.[1]

According to Tim Kaine’s senior adviser Mo Elleithee, “Paul Ryan on the national ticket as a running mate and appearing on the ballot with George Allen is going to amplify a lot of the contrasts we’ve been making throughout this campaign.”[2]

Many commentators have also concluded that Ryan’s vice presidential candidacy has made it more difficult for Allen to avoid the issue of entitlements, possibly forcing Allen to take a firm stance on Ryan’s entitlement positions, for or against.[3]

Although Allen has not explicitly endorsed Ryan’s budget plan, Allen did applaud Ryan for taking “a worthwhile approach” and praising Ryan for offering a budget. In political terms, it sounds like an endorsement with wiggle-room to slide out of politically inconvenient spaces like the one Allen is presently in.

Allen has, in response to Kaine’s attacks, attempted to fire back regarding Kaine’s support of President Obama’s health care reform[4], an effort which Allen claims would slash Medicare growth by $700 billion over the next 10 years. Allen leaves out the fact that Paul Ryan’s budget also includes those very same reductions![5]

By now, it would be a political master stroke if Allen can convince the electorate that he also hasn’t had similar cuts to Medicare in mind in the past or in the present. What else would moving to a voucher system do but cut government outlays to Medicare?[6]

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[1] http://washingtonexaminer.com/kaine-uses-ryan-to-attack-allen-on-entitlements/article/2504923

[2] http://washingtonexaminer.com/kaine-uses-ryan-to-attack-allen-on-entitlements/article/2504923

[3]http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-politics/post/paul-ryan-choice-for-vp-could-prove-tricky-for-george-allen/2012/08/11/90b65876-e3c3-11e1-a25e-15067bb31849_blog.html

[4] http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/2011/11/10/health-care-reform-update-where-are-we-and-whats-up-for-2012/

[5] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/14/ryans-budget-keeps-obamas-medicare-cuts-full-stop/

[6] http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/03/20/448008/three-reasons-why-the-medicare-reforms-in-ryans-new-path-to-prosperity-still-set-us-on-the-wrong-track/?mobile=nc