Christie Bets on Entitlement Reform

In a New Hampshire speech, Gov. Chris Christie (R) “is expected to lay out a specific proposal on how to reform federal entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and disability insurance,” WMUR reports.

Matt Bai: “Christie will reignite a crucial but divisive debate in American politics, unveiling a surprisingly detailed plan to remake the entitlement programs that account for more than half of federal spending now (and growing). As he did in New Jersey during those first, heady years of his governorship, Christie is taking on a longer-term problem that candidates in either party have historically tried to ignore, mainly because it entails nothing but bad news and thankless choices.”

First Read: “Here’s the thing about Social Security: It wins you lots of style points with conservative intellectuals. But it’s increasingly risky for Republicans to talk about this, given that their base is white seniors.”