Paul Ryan: Hey, Elections Matter

Many conservatives live in fear of the Democrats’ plans for health care reform, and they’ve been proportionately critical of the possibility that Democratic leaders will lean on reconciliation — the budget procedure that prevents filibusters — to get it done.

But not Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Speaking to ABC News today, Ryan, who’s the senior Republican on the House Budget Committee, said that the recent elections leave Democrats every right to push their health care agenda, by reconciliation or otherwise.

From The Note:

“It’s their right. They did win the election,” said Ryan, R-Wis. “That’s what I tell all my constituents who are worried about this. They won the election. They did run on these ideas. They did run on nationalizing health care. So, you’re right about that. They have the votes with reconciliation. They nailed down the process so that they can make sure they have the votes and that they can get this thing through really fast. It is their right. It is what they can do.”

“They hold the power, and they’re probably going to exercise it.  We don’t like it because we don’t like what looks like the outcome,” he added.