GOP congressman admits Paul Ryan, GOP will “end” Medicare

Outspoken Illinois Republican congressman Joe Walsh admitted yesterday that Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, and House Republicans in Washington, DC, plan to “end” Medicare.

Walsh was being attacked by his Democratic opponent, Tammy Duckworth, who accused the House GOP budget plan, authored by Paul Ryan, of “ending Medicare as we know it.”  Walsh, remarkably, agreed.

The House GOP budget plan, [Duckworth] said, “would end Medicare as we know it.” But Walsh responded, “If we don’t end it as it is, it’s going to end as we know it all by itself.”

Medicare via Shutterstock.

While Republicans have in the past admitted that they want “change” or “reform” Medicare, I don’t think anyone has publicly admitted that Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, and the House Republicans at large, plan to “end” Medicare.

Later on in the discussion, Walsh suggested that all abortion can now be outlawed, including cases involving the life of the mother because medical science has eliminated all life-threatening complications from pregnancy.

Walsh said he was against abortion “without exception,” including rape, incest and in cases in which the life or health of the mother was in jeopardy.

Asked by reporters after the debate if he was saying that it’s never medically necessary to conduct an abortion to save the life of a mother, Walsh responded, “Absolutely.”

“With modern technology and science, you can’t find one instance,” he said. “… There is no such exception as life of the mother, and as far as health of the mother, same thing.”

Ryan Grim at the Huffington Post noted that Walsh joins an ever-increasing line of Republicans making insanely incendiary comments about abortion.

Walsh’s comments echo Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), who similarly relied on an ignorance of science and medicine to proclaim a belief that women’s bodies are able to prevent pregnancy in cases of “legitimate rape.”

“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist,” Akin said, setting off a firestorm before the Republican National Convention, including calls for him to resign from the race. Akin now trails his Senate race against Democrat Claire McCaskill.

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