Democratic Aide: A Dozen Dem Senators Are Interested in Ryan-Wyden Medicare Reform

"Paul Ryan Claims Secret Democratic Support" reads the headline of a new report at Buzzfeed:

House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan told reporters in New York today that a dozen elected Democrats secretly support his plan to cut entitlement spending and privatize some benefits — but he wouldn't name "because I don't' want to get them in trouble."

Ryan cited Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, with whom he developed a Medicare reform plan, as one Democrat with whom he could work, and said, "I believe there is a bipartisan consensus emerging on going this direction."

"This isn’t like some foreign, right-wing concept," he said of his plan to raise revenues by eliminating tax breaks for the wealthy.

"There are a number of Democrats but I don’t want to name their names, because I don’t want to get them in trouble," he said. "I’ve had 12 come up to me and say, 'I love what you're doing with Ron [Wyden],'" he said. As for going public with their support, Ryan said the Democrats told him: "No way, I’ll get killed."

Ryan's claim is being met with mockery by left-wing bloggers (and one detects a hint of skepticism in Buzzfeed's own report). But Ryan isn't the only person to claim there's "secret" Democratic support for the Ryan-Wyden Medicare reform. The Hill reported on March 22 that a "senior Wyden aide said 12 Senate Democratic offices have expressed interest in the Wyden-Ryan plan."