Florida Senate President and U.S. Senate Candidate Mike Haridopolos was kicked off a conservative Central Florida radio show after declining to answer questions about Congressman Paul Ryanâs budget plan.
Haridopolos called the Ryan plan a âgood start,â but host Ray Junior, aka âAmericaâs Loose Cannon,â wanted him to answer whether he would vote for it if elected.
âThe questionâs simple. Youâre a senator today. The Ryan plan comes across your desk. Are you voting yes or no?â Junior asked several times.
Haridopolos said he wanted to talk about his record in the Legislature, and was not interested in taking a specific position on a âhypotheticalâ vote. After nearly five minutes of back and forth, Junior asked his producer to kick Haridopolos off the line. Listen to the exchange here:
Ryanâs plan would change Medicare from a provider of universal health care for seniors to a voucher program that would help them buy private insurance through subsidized exchanges. It has become a litmus test among conservatives who say Medicare is fiscally âunsustainable,â including Haridopolosâ opponents in next yearâs Republican primary. Adam Hasner in particular has made a point of supporting the plan and castigating his rivals for taking fuzzier positions.
The issue could prove especially thorny in Florida, with its large elderly population. Democrats certainly hope it will. They are already saying Ryanâs plan would âend Medicare as we know itâ (though it wouldnât change Medicare for people older than 55). They seem to relish watching the Republicans take each other to task on the Ryan plan, and have already begun passing around the Haridopolos video.