Greg Mankiw is a very smart man

Greg Mankiw's Blog: The Demagoguing of Medicare Reform:

"I have been struck at the heated rhetoric surrounding Paul Ryan's Medicare reform proposal. One thing is not often pointed out: Ryan's proposed 'premium support' structure is in some ways similar to the plan put in place under President Obama's healthcare reform law. In both cases, an individual would shop among competing private insurers, on an exchange overseen by the government regulators. In both cases, the government would provide financial support for the 'needy' (low-income households in the case of Obamacare, the elderly in the case of Ryancare)."

Which is why I say that this is a disingenuous pile of shit rather than say he is confused. He knows full well that the difference is that Obama's plan takes people that would otherwise have no coverage and give them support while the Ryan plan takes people that are fully covered and reduces that coverage.

Simply dishonest.