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Roger Cohen, in a typically rambling unfocused column, finally comes up with this line today:
Quote:
Ryan has built his reputation on having big ideas to balance America’s books. He is a genial guy; the geniality masks the fact that, as Norman Ornstein, the co-author of “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks,” a book on U.S. political dysfunction, put it: “His set of proposals are the most radical since Barry Goldwater.”
I'm not so sure - for all that Barry G marked the beginning of the end of the old Republican Party and its transformation into the soulless libertarian bastion it now is, it seems to me that Goldwater was essentially a practical politician. He certainly could do "the vision thing", but his eye was always on the front line, counting votes, pressing the flesh. Ryan is much more focused on ideology - hence his supposedly now-repudiated devotion to Ayn Rand's theories, which are the recognized first stop for every spotty adolescent with an affinity for Big Ideas.
According to an analysis of voting records, Ryan's voting record is fairly comparable to Michele Bachmann, and he's the most radical VP pick in a CENTURY.
The piece people haven't talked about much yet is the impact that the Romney/Ryan platform is going to have on Senate and House races. The Ryan pick is going to force republican candidates to take a stand on the privatization of medicare and social security, among other highly controversial issues, and my bet is that, depending on the district, you're going to see a big chunk of them do everything they can to distance themselves from the Romney/Ryan plan. Usually those candidates try to get a bump from riding on the coat tails of the Presidential candidate--not going to happen in many races this year, plus the candidates are going to have to actively campaign against the plan. If you're in a heavily tea party supported district the Ryan plan helps, but it's going to hurt everywhere else.
They are MORE radical than Goldwater:
1) Goldwater was a hardliner but he understood compromise was necessary. Compromise in the current Republican Party will get you labeled a RINO and booted from the good graces of the "Base."
2) Goldwater is famously quoted as saying religious fundamentalist would ruin the GOP should they be allowed into power. And well, here we are in 2012 with fundamentalist, Dominists, and Prosperity Gospel followers pushing policy in Congress.
Ryan as VP pick will turn the campaign back to the issues. That can only hurt Obama and the democrats. Ryans budget passed the house with bipartisan support. Obama's budget did not get one vote from either party!!! Can Americans recognize failure? That will be what determines this election.
Dems don't run on issues but smears and obfuscation.
Running on issues--like the privatization of medicare and social security--or running on your past voting record--is a smear campaign? I thought a smear campaign was just pulling crap out of your ear, and throwing it against the wall to see what sticks. (kind of like communist, socialist, kenyan, muslim rants?) I have zero respect for the tea party, (although I will back more moderate conservative policies to the wall) and since they're the masters of smear campaigns, you're going to have to do better than that.
Ryan as VP pick will turn the campaign back to the issues. That can only hurt Obama and the democrats. Ryans budget passed the house with bipartisan support.
Not true at all. The Ryan Budget passed the House with NO Democrats voting for it and four Republicans also voting nay. Recent Federal Budget History - NY Times Republicans than backed away from the Ryan Budget when polling indicated that it was toxic with the public and had zero chance of getting through the Senate.
We'd have a budget if they backed away from the radicalism and got back to the spirit of compromise. But remember the backlash Boehner got from the base of his party when he dared to work with House Democrats on a budget deal?
He certainly could do "the vision thing", but his eye was always on the front line, counting votes, pressing the flesh. Ryan is much more focused on ideology - hence his supposedly now-repudiated devotion to Ayn Rand's theories, which are the recognized first stop for every spotty adolescent with an affinity for Big Ideas.
Ayn Rand rejected the Ryan/Romney type of political activity and I'm confident would ask people to vote against them this Fall. She rejected Ronald Reagan as well.
Not true at all. The Ryan Budget passed the House with NO Democrats voting for it and four Republicans also voting nay. Recent Federal Budget History - NY Times Republicans than backed away from the Ryan Budget when polling indicated that it was toxic with the public and had zero chance of getting through the Senate.
We'd have a budget if they backed away from the radicalism and got back to the spirit of compromise. But remember the backlash Boehner got from the base of his party when he dared to work with House Democrats on a budget deal?
Oops, I was wrong about the democrat support. It did get 228 votes. How many votes did Obama's budget get again?
Oh and regarding the "grand bargain", Obama's idea for compromise was spending cuts that start 10 years down the road (that would never happen) in exchange for tax increases that start immediately. That trick worked once in the 1980's but not this time.
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