Last night, New York’s John Heilemann appeared on Hardball and Charlie Rose to discuss the effects of Medicare cuts on federal-budget talks and the likelihood of a government shutdown. Talking with Chris Matthews, Heilemann points out that even though polls show Americans think Medicare should stay put, cutting or killing Medicare — as suggested by Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin — is what lawmakers have to consider “if you want to be serious about fiscal sanity in the country.” Later, with Rose, Heilemann says Speaker of the House John Boehner is all but ready to make the proposed $33 billion in cuts to the federal budget, but “he’s not free to make that deal” due to pressure from tea party Republicans and freshman congressmen who want even deeper cuts. “At heart,” Heilemann says, “John Boehner is a deal-maker, and his caucus will not let him cut the deal that’s there to be made right now.” Watch both segments here.
