Many have feared that, with the Paul Ryan plan to end Medicare getting so much attention, Congress would downshift to a safety valve, the Paul Ryan plan to cripple Medicaid, as part of a deficit reduction deal. Under the Ryan plan, Medicaid would be turned into a block grant, which means that state policymakers would be allowed to change the program as they see fit, and that the program would not get funding based on need, but a flat amount that would not rise in a recession, when more people become poor and qualify for Medicaid. Experts estimate that tens of millions of people would lose Medicaid coverage as a result, and considering that fully half of the coverage expansion from the Affordable Care Act comes from increases to Medicaid, the increase in the ranks of the uninsured would simply be magnified.

But rather than roll over for this, enough Senate Democrats to sustain a filibuster have said that they won’t allow it.

What is the best long term investment a government can make? Universal pre-school

With 53 Congressional districts, over 12 percent of the entire chamber, California is by far the most important prize in redistricting. In the past the state legislature controlled the redistricting process and the result was heavy partisan gerrymandering producing mostly safe seats and almost no competitive ones. This 2012 will see a change in that.

The Obama administration has a problem. As much Republican good will or corporate campaign cash as they expect to gain from their reinforcing of the deficit hysteria meme (which, let’s face it, will not be very much at all), even the most cynical of the president’s economic team realizes that all this budget cutting isn’t going to do squat for the current economy. Without something directly stimulative, the recovery likely stalls. Without some sort of jobs program, the unemployment picture continues to look grim. There is no “car” to worry about putting in reverse—it has been spinning its wheels for some time now, and, as most Americans see it, it never did drive out of that ditch.

Yes, with 2012 shaping up to be another “it’s the economy, stupid” election year, O & Co. has a problem—but with the same deficit hawks and scorched-earth partisans controlling Congress, what is a president obsessed with bipartisan-like process to do?

Between Matt Lewis’ post and this piece at Faux News, it certainly looks that way.

Michelangelo Signorelli has the goods on GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios, who sent a letter to the FCC on behalf of the organization supporting the merger of TMoblie and AT&T — written by their big donor, AT&T:

Vote now. Should Anthony Weiner resign?

National Counterterrorism Center head Michael Leiter resigned yesterday. After all, we spent most of Wednesday morning, during Robert Mueller’s confirmation hearing for an unusual two-year extension, talking about the importance of continuity

And as Sarah Posner reports today, the long knives are out for Newt among evangelicals. Marvin Olasky, publisher of the evangelical World magazine, writes a long article about Newt’s infidelities, accusing him of the ultimate heresy — colluding with the Clenis:

In a recent post, Jon Walker took aim at the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network’ s Budget for the Millennial America. Zachary Kolodin responds, clarifying the purpose, process and policies behind the plan.