Pollsters Warned Republicans About Ryan Plan

May 23, 2011

Pollsters Warned Republicans About Ryan Plan

Politico reports pollsters alerted House Republicans that Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget plan was a "political time bomb" before their April 15 vote in the House.

"No matter how favorably pollsters with the Tarrance Group or other firms spun the bill in their pitch -- casting it as the only path to saving the beloved health entitlement for seniors -- the Ryan budget's approval rating barely budged above the high 30s or its disapproval below 50 percent, according to a Republican operative familiar with the presentation."

Said former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell: "I couldn't believe these idiots -- I don't know what else to call them -- they're idiots... They actually made their members vote on it. It was completely stunning to me."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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May 23, 2011