Mark Levin Decries A Paul Ryan Speakership: “Let's Not Pretend ... [He's] This Big Conservative”
Levin: “He May Talk The Game, But His Record Indicates Otherwise”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
From the October 23 edition of Cumulus Media Networks' The Mark Levin Show:
MARK LEVIN: Would you consider a congressman conservative, or even libertarian, if they voted for the 700 billion dollar TARP subsidy and bailout? How about if he voted for the GM-Chrysler bailout? How about if he voted for the confiscatory taxes on CEO bonuses, remember that way back? How about if he voted on No Child Left Behind? How about if he voted for $192 billion stimulus bill in 2009? Or an Economic Stimulus Act of 2008? Or to expand the Medicare prescription drug program in 2003? How about if that congressman was campaigning here and there, across the country in support of a bill that went even be on the Gang of Eight Senate bill, with among others Luis Gutierrez? And last year alone, almost got that bill passed, creating what the Center for Immigration Studies' Mark Krikorian says 32 million new voters? And I'm not talking about Donald Trump here -- I'm talking about Paul Ryan. Now the Bush contingent in the psuedo-conservative media likes to attack. Whether it's Trump, or frankly Rubio, or Cruz, or whomever, as being inconsistent. Inconsistent with what? These are the people who on one hand call we conservatives, we Reaganites, “purists,” and to put Reagan behind us. And then on the other hand, they're saying Paul Ryan is a conservative, and then on the third hand they're saying that Trump is no conservative.
They can say whatever they want, I haven't announced my support for anybody. One of the reasons I have liked Paul Ryan is because he was very, very gutsy in proposing entitlement reform, with respect to Medicare. As a matter of fact, at the time I argued he didn't go far enough, but I was thrilled that he did it, and I defended him strongly, and I defended him against Donald Trump! See, Mike Huckabee and Trump, and others, they talk about Social Security and Medicare and, as best as I can tell, about leaving it alone. Well if we leave it alone they collapse. Now I've written about this extensively, as a matter of fact I've written about it more than Paul Ryan. Or his surrogates, his mouthpieces in the media, most of whom are former Bush staffers.
But let's not pretend that Paul Ryan is this big conservative, who worked at a conservative think tank, and therefore he promotes conservative views. He may talk the game -- but his record indicates otherwise. It's not to put the man down personally, you know -- these fools in the media, the pseudo-conservative media among other places, it's all black and white with these guys. You either smear and trash Trump, you either smear and trash Cruz, you either smear and trash Carson, or you're not a true blue conservative! But of course they are! They think Boehner is a true blue conservative, they think that McConnell is a true blue conservative, McCarthy after Boehner, Paul Ryan now, they insist that we elect Jeb Bush president, or John Kasich president. Before that, they were talking up Chris Christie and on and on and on, and yet they reject the real conservatives!
Previously: