What We Think of Paul Ryan

Paul Ryan is now the choice of Mitt Romney to be his Vice President. Predictably there are differing viewpoints on the merits of the pick and about the likelihood of the choice making any impact on the final results of the Presidential race.

Ryan is a true Conservative. He is in his early forties, he is a policy wonk, and truthfully were he the candidate for President you could not ask for a better chance to debate the twenty or twenty five issues that divide this country and be sure that each side would have clear cut opinions. In short we could have a clear referendum on our future.

With Romney as the candidate, and with the Governor now asking that we not talk about family (OK), taxes ( wonder why), previous jobs ( I thought Bain Capital was what qualified him to be President), it is clear that Romney seeks to deflect any and all attention to his past and will do his best to obfuscate his policies. Romney is really a terrible candidate.

Ryan has a long career ahead of him but one wonders if he is on the wrong side of history. A few things about Ryan should be enough to settle the issue of Paul Ryan as a potential candidate once and for all.

Paul Ryan supported and still supports the private social security accounts that GW Bush was suggesting in his administration. These same accounts would have been wiped out in the last financial crisis.

Paul Ryan supports a Medicare revision that would place Seniors on a voucher system giving them X amount to spend and spend wisely with no guarantees of increasing to keep up with inflation.

Ryan on Social issues voted not to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell and does not support abortion rights even in the case of rape or incest. No matter your opinion on these issues anyone knows that demographically these are losing positions.

Paul Ryan is the ultimate supply sider. Unlike folks like Reagan and Bush Ryan really believes this stuff. He believes that rich folks with more money and less regulation will invest in the economy and things will naturally flow downwards and make things better for everyone.

Here is really all you need to know. Under Paul Ryan's tax plan Mitt Romney would have paid less than one percent of his income in taxes last year.

What can be construed as attractive in Ryan is he actually believes the things he is saying. He is not being pragmatic. He is a zealot. I am not sure what is more dangerous.

Paul Ryan would move this country back 50 years or more on social issues while taking us back to over 100 years ago financially, with a tax policy that reflects the late 1800's more than anything.

I am sure he is a good man, a good family man. He means well. He is however a perfect example of what is wrong with Republican ideas and for that demonstration we should thank Mitt Romney.

The best disinfectant is sunshine and if the Democrats can just put forth sunshine on the plans and policies of this Romney/Ryan team they cannot lose. Now unfortunately one thing Democrats no how to do better than anyone else is find a way to lose a race that it seems inconceivable they would not win, see Bush V Gore, Bush V Kerry, for examples, so one should not be overconfident. However if the Obama team runs this race correctly and just points out the factual truth of the issues that divide the two sides the race seems one that should not be lost.