Conservative Democrats agree Democrats will capitulate on privatizing Medicare

Today's award for totally clueless Democrats who want the Very Serious People to love them is a tie: former Lousiana Sen. John Breaux, and Alice Rivlin, the former head of the White House's Office of the Management and Budget in the Clinton administration. They say Democrats are ready and waiting to go along with Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to end Medicare as we know it, they're just waiting until after the election to do it.

WASHINGTON -- Democrats who are staking the 2012 election in part on the charge that Republicans will "end Medicare as we know it" likely will join in on that transformation once the election is over, according to high-powered lobbyist John Breaux, a Democrat and former senator from Louisiana.

"You're going to have to get past Nov. 5 or whenever the election is," Breaux told reporters after a Friday House hearing on "premium support," which is at the heart of Republican Rep. Paul Ryan's Medicare reform plan -- that Democrats equate with ending Medicare. [...]

Rivlin, who also testified Friday, recently told The Huffington Post that Democrats "are lying, not to put too fine a point on it," when they say that premium support will end Medicare. Her vision (watch her explain it here), like Breaux's, includes aggressive oversight meant to ensure Medicare survives. [...]

"People are starting to realize that you have to start in the center," Breaux added. "I'm hearing talk from members about that; I think they're open. Max Baucus on the Senate Finance Committee is a type of centrist that can help put together a deal like this. And Orrin Hatch, after the elections."

That's ever so helpful, Breaux and Rivlin, in helping Democrats in this election. Of course, they don't want to help Democrats, because even though that's what they call themselves, it would just be far too nasty and partisan of them to not trash their party in public.

This is how these so called centrist Democrats, including Rep. Steny Hoyer and Sen. Kent Conrad, like to work. Either turn the decision-making over to some unelected, unaccountable commission (preferably with actual power) and have them make the critical decisions about the economic future of every middle-class and low-income American behind closed doors. Alternatively, have a bunch of lame duck Congress members who won't be back next term and who also aren't accountable to their constituents do the dirty work.

Our job is to tell them no backroom deals on Medicare or Social Security.