Bruce Bartlett begins to see signs of Republicans actually confronting the issues of 2013 – soaring inequality, stagnant wages, and a depressed economy – rather than those of 1980:
On Oct. 28, the Republican governor of Ohio, John R. Kasich, blasted his party for its “war on the poor.” He said that the G.O.P. implicitly believed that “if you’re poor, somehow you are shiftless and lazy.” Against Tea Party opposition, Governor Kasich recently expanded Medicaid in his state under the Affordable Care Act – an act of virtual treason against Tea Party dogma. On Oct. 31, Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, a prominent think tank in Washington, said the conservative war against the social safety net was “just insane.” He urged his fellow conservatives to “declare peace on the safety net.”
And why, pray, does that peace not extend to the ACA?
(Video: Kasich discussing his Medicaid decision)
The Dish 