Ezra previews the GOP’s budget:
[T]he Republican budget will reflect the newer, even harder-line House GOP. Their last budget didn’t balance until almost 2040. But in order to secure conservative votes to delay the debt ceiling for three months, House Speaker John Boehner and Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan promised that the next budget would balance within 10 years. They’re helped in that effort by the “fiscal cliff” deal, which added more than $600 billion in tax revenues to the bottom line. But that’s not nearly enough to get them to balance by 2024. And so they’re going to need to propose much deeper cuts than in their previous budgets. Ryan is reportedly considering breaking the GOP’s promise to keep Medicare unchanged for everyone over age 55.
Jonathan Cohn adds:
With this new budget, Ryan doesn’t appear to be offering new concessions. On the contrary, it looks like he’s making new demands. And plenty of Republicans seem to think this is the right thing to do. That’s perfectly within their rights: They believe it’s best for the country. But it’s a reminder that Republicans aren’t sincerely interested in compromise for its own sake—or in taking more moderate positions on the issues. Yes, the voters delivered a pretty devastating verdict about this agenda just a few months ago. But if the number two guy on the ticket doesn’t seem to care, why should the rest of them?
The Dish 