Let’s Get the Ryan/Wyden Party Started!

This morning I was quoted in conservative standard-bearer Fred Barne’s lead opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal on the Ryan/Wyden Medicare reform plan.  Fred makes the point that Ryan is beginning to convince Democrats that his approach is reasonable. 

I don’t know if Ron Wyden, Jim Capretta and I make Ryan’s new proposal “bipartisan”, but the optimist in me has long hoped we can turn down the volume on the Medicare reform street-fight long enough to have a thoughtful discussion about it.

The pragmatist in me recognizes it’s an election year and that nothing meaningful can happen on this issue this year — but it will certainly be front and center in the big deficit reduction debate coming in 2013.