about the republican kill medicare plan every day between now and november 2012. is there a unified counterstrategy from the republicans, do the republicans want to talk about killing medicare, or do they not want to talk about it? >> it depends on which republicans. that's the problem. they do not have a unified strategy. the republican establishment realizes the political pros who are adding up the numbers realize this isn't working for us. we need to back off. we need to change the subject. but paul ryan doesn't want to change the subject. he believes in this in is this is the way the world ought to work kind of way. i don't think he's going to shut up about it and it's going to hurt republicans. >> while i have you here, gene, i have to ask you about how this issue fit into the crop of republican presidential candidates. we have mike huckabee and the real estate guy whose name i'm