Tommy Thompson Attempts To Distance Himself From Paul Ryan's Budget Plan

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/22/tommy-thompson-paul-ryan-budget_n_1997870.html

there are sounds of scampering in the GOP attic.

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- The person who is perhaps Tommy Thompson's greatest asset in his U.S. Senate bid is Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). As the state's most prominent politician and the GOP's vice presidential nominee, Ryan brings Thompson increased attention and fundraising dollars. Yet at the same time, Ryan's controversial budget plan could serve as a liability for Thompson, who has both embraced and distanced himself from the congressman's ideas.

Even before Thompson won the GOP Senate primary and before Ryan was tapped to be Mitt Romney's running mate, he was actively trying to tie himself to Ryan and his economic proposals.

"I will pass Paul Ryan's budget plan in the Senate. It is the right plan at the right time for America," Thompson said on May 12 at the state GOP convention. In a radio ad he released in August, Thompson pledged to be "the 51st vote to repeal Obamacare and pass Paul Ryan's Pathway to Prosperity" plan.

rats will desert a sinking ship, fair weather friends become finger pointers in the storm.

And when Ryan returned to his home state shortly after getting the VP nod, he specifically gave a shout-out to Thompson, a former governor, praising "what we pioneered here in Wisconsin, Tommy Thompson, welfare reform, getting people off of welfare and back to working and lives of dignity and personal responsibility, on to a life of hitting their potential." Thompson sent his supporters an email touting this fact, giving him a leg up over the three other Republicans he faced in a primary at the time.

But lately, Thompson has attempted to distance himself from Ryan's budget plan, which would, among other provisions, fundamentally change Medicare by giving seniors a voucher with which to buy health insurance. The plan is controversial because it's expected to make seniors pay more out-of-pocket for their health care.

guess he didn't listen to or read any of Ryans bio "gee Paul he hardly knew ye"