Paul Ryan, of course, wants to move on to cut Social Security and Medicare. Here’s where the factions stand on that:
CLs: Cutting federal spending is, by definition, a blow for freedom! Go for it! You da man!
Reactionaries: Whoa, Nellie! We’re all in favor of cutting welfare for undeserving minorities, but we old white working people paid a lot of money into the system over the years, and we want what’s coming to us. Keep your government hands off our money!
PBPs: Cutting entitlements is perfectly OK in concept, but in reality, it could lead to a political backlash and a Democratic victory in 2020. Our tax cuts could be in danger. We’re opposed unless the Democrats buy in.
CDs: Cutting programs for the poor and elderly, particularly to finance regressive tax cuts, is just wrong.
There aren’t enough CLs to carry the day, so it probably won’t happen.