Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) is pleased that Republicans appear willing to tackle entitlements. However, he argues, in an interview with National Review Online, Republicans — not President Obama — must be the ones to lead. “Some Republicans say we should wait and let the president lead. But the president has abdicated his leadership role on entitlement reform,” he says.
Paul shakes his head when discussing the president’s budget. Republicans, he says, must offer a stark alternative — wield the axe, not the scalpel. “President Obama is going to spend $46 trillion over ten years and add $13 trillion in debt,” he observes. “The problem is that even if House Republicans give us $100 billion in cuts, if you look at total debt that’s added over ten years, it still may be $10 trillion. So there is a real problem. I don’t think either side has come to grips with what it will take.”