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 Ryan’s budget plan.
Haridopolos called the Ryan plan a “good start,” but host Ray Junior, aka “America’s Loose Cannon,” wanted him to answer whether he would vote for it if elected.
“The question’s simple. You’re a senator today. The Ryan plan comes across your desk. Are you voting yes or no?” 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 “hypothetical” vote. After nearly five minutes of back and forth, Junior asked his producer to kick Haridopolos off the line. Listen to the exchange here:
Ryan’s 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 “unsustainable,” including Haridopolos’ opponents in next year’s 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 Ryan’s plan would “end Medicare as we know it” (though it wouldn’t 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.
