Speaker for the House Paul Ryan penned an op-ed in the Washington Examiner critiquing President Barack Obama, saying his presidency shows that "progressivism in practice just doesn't work."
According to Ryan, Obama's policies on healthcare reform, banking regulation, and job creation, show that Obama "saw himself as the latest in a long line of progressive leaders" and that "he wanted to lock in progressivism's gains."
On healthcare, Obama's bill was supposed to "cover every American and cut the typical family's premium by up to $2,500 a year."
"Six years later, there are still 33 million people without insurance, and the average family's premium has risen by almost $5,000 since 2008," Ryan says.
"Millions of people's insurance plans were canceled, forcing them to change coverage, and there's been a pronounced consolidation in the industry as hospital chains gobble up small clinics and doctor's offices."
Ryan also cites the passing of Dodd-Frank, which he blames for the low number of banks today, and the fact that fewer banks offer free checking. According to Ryan, progressives want to consolidate power, thinking "you need a big government to control big business, both of which must be run by a small, select elite — or as we call them today, 'the experts.'"
"This vision is very impatient with the checks and balances of the Constitution. If the experts have settled on the right idea, what's a 200-year-old document to stop them?"
On his website, Ryan focuses on examples of the "Real Obama Liberal Legacy."
"The Real Obama Liberal Legacy is a periodic series to highlight the results of liberal progressivism put into practice. Republicans are offering A Better Way, but we must also not overlook the failures of the last eight years."
A Better Way is the speaker's website outlining "a full slate of ideas to address some of the biggest challenges of our time."