By Larry Bivins 

 

WASHINGTON — When Mitt Romney announced Rep. Paul Ryan as his vice presidential pick last August, Democrats seemed barely able to control their glee, so delighted they were by the opportunity to make the congressman’s budget plans a focal point of the 2012 presidential race.

 

And when Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, announced his latest “path to prosperity” blueprint on Tuesday, Democrats seemed barely able to control their glee, looking ahead to the 2014 midterm elections.

 

Consider this comment by Matt Canter, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, in an online bulletin Friday: “Democrats will hold Republicans accountable on the air, in the mail, and on the ground for the budget that has dangerous consequences for seniors and middle class families.”

 

The National Republican Congressional Committee seems braced for the challenge. The group has initiated a petition drive to gain public support for balancing the budget.

 

“Democrats are truly threatened by this plan,” the NRCC said in a statement. “They rely on our tax dollars to fund their expansive view of government.”

 

Ever since Ryan, R-Janesville, introduced “Roadmap for America’s Future” in 2008, his first fiscal document calling for changes in entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid, his budget proposals have been political lightning rods.

 

While it may be arguable how much impact Ryan’s budget had on the presidential election last fall, there is little dispute about the political ramifications of any plan that proposes to alter Medicare, the federal health care program for seniors, and Medicaid, a federal-state health insurance plan for the poor.

 

The latest incarnation of Ryan’s vision for fiscal prudence is little changed from his previous versions. He would convert Medicare into a voucher system. He would turn Medicaid over to the states in the form of block grants. He would lower the tax rate for individuals and corporations. He would slash non-defense spending.

 

The major difference between what Ryan proposes for fiscal 2014 and what he has put forth in the past is he would bring the nation’s deficit-ridden purse into balance more quickly, in 10 years. Part of the way Ryan would balance the budget is by retaining the “fiscal cliff” tax increases that took effect in January and by using revenues generated by the Affordable Care Act that his budget plan proposes to eliminate.

 

“By balancing the budget, we will promote a healthier economy and help create jobs,” Ryan said Thursday. “But a balanced budget is a means to a larger end: the well-being of the people.”

Some say Ryan, who is widely expected to contend for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, may be jumping off a political cliff with a plan that is being excoriated on the left and at least mildly rebuffed by some on the right.

 

“Ryan must be doing this because he really believes in it,” said University of Virginia political expert Larry Sabato.

 

“There’s certainly no political explanation for it that makes sense. His budget is a field day for Democrats.”

 

Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist, said Ryan’s budget could be a double-edged sword that cuts for him in a GOP primary and against him in a general election.

 

 “It’s a proposal that the fiscal conservative base will embrace, and that probably helps Ryan,” Franklin said. “It’s a harder sell to the general public.”

 

Critics have dubbed Ryan’s budget proposal a “reverse Robin Hood” plan that robs from the poor through deep spending cuts and gives to the rich through a continuation of tax loopholes and new tax cuts. Supporters say Ryan has taken a bold step in seeking to balance the budget in 10 years, an approach that will stimulate economic growth and preserve entitlement programs for America’s grandchildren.

 

“I understand not everyone shares our view,” Ryan said. “And I respect that difference of opinion.”

 

The partisan split on Capitol Hill is reflected in the comments of members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation.

 

“The balanced approach in the House plan will change the status quo in Washington by making Congress operate under a budget framework that leaves our kids and grand-kids with more opportunities instead of more debt,” said Rep. Reid Ribble, R-Sherwood, who sits on the House Budget Committee.

 

Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, also a member of the budget committee, said she was amazed that Ryan and Republicans “have once again presented a budget that is neither fair nor balanced and is clearly class warfare against the poor and middle class. Simply put, it robs Peter to pay Paul, and in this case Peter is the poor and Paul is the rich.”

 

Ryan’s budget also took a hit from The Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank, for its reliance on Obamacare revenues and tax hikes.

 

Ryan’s budget has long been a key weapon in congressional Democrats’ political arsenal. 

 

Already, Democrats are using it in their strategy for taking control of the House in 2014. They need to pick up 18 seats.

 

Still, Democrats face a difficult task, as noted by the University of Virginia’s Sabato.

 

“Any House Republican who votes for it will be attacked in 2014 on multiple grounds,” Sabato said. “But of course there are only 16 House Republicans who represent districts carried by President Obama in 2012, so the political fallout is limited. The vast majority of Republicans are in conservative districts who probably agree with most or all of the Ryan budget.”

 

The full House is expected to take up the budget this week. While some Republicans have wholeheartedly embraced Ryan’s goal of a balanced budget, they are cautious about endorsing any of the specifics.

 

Rep. Tom Petri, R-Fond du Lac, represents that approach.

 

“Chairman Ryan is right. Our budget process has been broken for so long and needs to be fixed,” Petri said. “A solid path will mean more jobs and a better economy. Of course, as I’ve always said, the devil is in the details, and I’ll be taking a close look at the budget proposal to see how it balances the budget.”

 

On Wednesday, Senate Democrats released their own fiscal 2014 budget plan, the first time they have done so in four years. The proposal introduced by Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., calls for an increase in taxes on the wealthy and some corporations, an increase in spending on highway and school construction and a cut in defense spending. It would not balance the budget and calls for less overall spending cuts than the House GOP plan.

 

 

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