Brain Trust - Guy Benson

At only 24, Guy Benson is Political Editor for Townhall.com.  He also hosts his own radio show. Benson talked about entitlements, presidential candidates, and Obama.


How long can White House get away with attacking GOP on entitlement reform without offering a plan of its own?

That's a good question.

It's very clear that's their plan at the moment. And it's not just the White House. It's the Senate Democrats too.

The White House will say, "Oh, we have an alternative. The president gave a speech in April."

But I think Republican would say, "You can't debate a speech. And you certainly can't vote on it."

Right now the Democrats' plan is (only) magic.

Why haven't Republican been pointing out that Obamacare cuts Medicare by $500 billion?

That's what Republicans need to do.

This needs to be an all hands on deck effort.

If you want to talk about ending medicare or changing Medicare as we know it, let's look at those $500 billion in cuts.

It's not just the $500 billion they cut in Obamacare. It's the math of Medicare today.

The Republican plan is the only plan on the table right now that saves Medicare.

If we continue on the same trajectory and do nothing, Medicare will become insolvent in 2024, thirteen years from now.

Could you explain the Herman Cain phenomenon?

Well I think Herman Cain is an extremely popular guy, because I think a lot of people had never heard of him.

It was just such a refreshing moment (in the debate) that Herman Cain just gets it.

He just comes across as a guy who is genuine and has private sector experience.

People are hungering for dynamic leadership, and Herman Cain fills that void.

How positive is it to have a whole bunch of social conservatives at the same time?

Primary voters are going to have to decide a number of factors.

The president may not be especially skilled at governing, but he's especially skilled at campaigning.

Voters need to look at candidates on numerous levels.

Could this person be president and can this person beat Barack Obama?

I think it's so early in the process that it's premature to make any of these calls.

There's no clear front runner. Some people want to call Romney the front runner...but he's not light years ahead of anyone else.