The Paul Ryan Selection
The mainstream media is abuzz with the news of Mitt Romney’s choice of Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate. Ryan is the chairman of the House Budget Committee and has earned a reputation as a “budget hawk” and advocate of limited government by being the architect of a highly touted plan to supposedly slash federal spending.
In tapping the conservative Ryan, Romney is seeking to give his campaign the ideological heft it lacks and to make the presidential race a battle over the size and scope of the federal government, thus energizing the Republican Party’s base in an election where turnout will likely be the margin of victory.
That part of the strategy appears to be working. Top conservatives voices have praised the selection. Ryan has been called the GOP’s “moral compass” and The Wall Street Journal has editorialized that he “represents the GOP’s new generation of reformers.”
The Democrats appear to be equally satisfied with Romney’s selection, though for different reasons. They say Ryan’s prescription for the federal government’s budget woes is too harsh and that the voters will reject it come Election Day. Obama campaign manager Jim Messina called the Ryan budget proposals “radical” and said they would ensure “budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthy, while placing greater burdens on the middle class and seniors.”
Ryan certainly talks a good game. He told crowd at town hall forum on ABC’s This Week, “Too much government inevitably leads to bad government. When government grows too much and extends beyond its limits, it usually does things poorly.”
Good stuff but like the vast majority of politicians in Washington; there is a yawning gap between Ryan’s rhetoric and his voting record.
Harold
ACGR's "News with Attitude" 