Last week, Eric Cantor infamously said "We're going to have to come to grips with the fact that these programs cannot exist if we want America to be what we want America to be" in regards to Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. And shortly after making that ridiculous statement, Cantor's spokesman walked things back by saying the Majority Leader was dedicated to ensuring the long-term viability of those programs.
That was then, and this is today
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) admitted Sunday that he didn't expect Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare to be around when he retires.
"What we [House Republicans] have said is this: We'll protect today's seniors and those nearing retirement, but for the rest of us, all of us, who are 54 and younger, I know the programs are not going to be there for me when I retire," Cantor told Fox News' Chris Wallace.
"They can't," he added. [...]
A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 76 percent of Americans consider it unacceptable to cut Medicare, while 67 oppose cutting Medicaid, despite their deficit concerns.
Given the popularity of Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, I can only assume that when Cantor says "these programs cannot exist if we want America to be what we want America to be," he is not referring to what the average American wants it to be, but what the top 10% of Americans want it to be.
As far as I'm concerned, the Republicans can hang themselves with this issue if they want. In fact I encourage them to. I can only imagine how much squirming there will be on May 5th when the subject comes up during the first Republican primary debate. The first candidate to agree with killing Medicare and Social Security is toast.