● Why This Pick Was Great: The Ryan pick was great on many levels. For one thing, Ryan is one of the few politicians people trust. He’s unassuming and he’s wonkish, so he doesn’t appear prone to exaggeration or lying. He’s also willing to tell people the truth rather than trying to give people a false sense of happiness, which allows him to get things done. And he’s not someone who scares people. That will make it difficult for Obama to use Ryan to agitate his own base or upset independents.
Ryan also excites the base of the party. He is seen as the “intellectual leader” of the party these days, especially by fiscal conservatives, because of his efforts at fixing the budget and entitlement reform. His ideas have become those of the party. He’s also very much liked by the Religious Right, who remain queasy about Romney because of his religion -- and this is despite Ryan’s support for extending employment protections to gays. Ryan also is very much liked by the establishment wing who see him as a steady hand.
In effect, Ryan unites the various wings of the party and brings tremendous energy to the base. He guarantees GOP and Tea Party turn out, without scaring the moderates and without increasing Democratic turn out. Moreover, he will prove invaluable in reforming and reshaping the government toward a more conservative, more sane and more sustainable structure once Romney/Ryan are elected. That makes him a great pick.
● The Democratic Response: Naturally, the Democratic response has been shameless. It has also been instructive for how disorganized and how ineffective it has been. Basically, they are attacking Ryan along all the standard hypocritical and propaganda grounds whether they fit or not:
● “Journalist” Andrea Mitchell said Ryan was “not a pick for suburban moms, not a pick for women.” This is the standard “war on women” meme which assumes that women only care about birth control and which ridiculously contends that Republicans want to drive women from the workforce. Only idiots believe this.Conclusion
● Some Democrats and The New Yorker said Ryan was a bad pick because he lacks private sector experience! Seriously! Think about that. Obama and Biden together spent 0.0 minutes of their lives in the private sector yet somehow this is only a problem for Ryan, who did work in the private sector. Not to mention that the left has been telling us that Romney’s private sector experience makes him unacceptable for the job.
● Many Democrats, and again The New Yorker, are calling him “risky” and “totally a Palin-redo” because he lacks experience. Yeah, right. Palin was a first time governor of a small state that is entirely dependent on federal money. She had about a year of political experience and none of it at the national level. Ryan has been in Congress since 1999, he’s risen to become budget committee chairman, and he’s gone toe-to-toe with Obama on ObamaCare and took him down handily. Ryan is media savvy, policy wise, and a seasoned and skilled political operator. Palin was none of those things. This is the standard Democratic “he’s stupid” attack they always use and it won’t work here because Ryan’s intelligence is obvious. And let’s not forget that these are the same people who thought Obama was qualified because he knew how to read from a teleprompter and cast a handful of votes in the Senate. The “lack of experience” charge is wishful thinking on the left.
The New Yorker also laughably thinks Biden will rip Ryan apart in their debate because of his votes for the Iraq War, TARP and Medicare Part D. Of course, they conveniently forget that Biden voted for all of those things too -- and more. Plus, Obama/Biden can add bailouts, stimulus packages, ObamaCare and financial regulation to that their list of failures, not to mention 9% unemployment and trillions in debt.
● They’re working hard to demonize Ryan on his Medicare reform proposal as well, which is rich coming from a party that plans to cut $500 billion from Medicare to fund ObamaCare. CNN’s Candy Crowley was the first to use the old tactic of pretending that anonymous Republicans are nervous about this, stating that she has spoken with “Republicans” who claim this pick “looks a little bit like some sort of ticket death wish.” Yeah, right, find me an actually Republican who said that you hack.
Running with this, the AP is turning out articles how this pick will likely cost Romney Florida. Once-relevant liberal Michael Kinsley refers to Ryan’s proposals as “Ryan’s slasher novels” and the blogosphere is full of leftists whining about Ryan trying to kill old people and poor people. Too bad for them, nobody will listen.
● Following Crowley’s lead, Politico tells us that unnamed Republican strategists have “misgivings” about the pick because Ryan is little more than a “random Heritage Foundation analyst,” and someone “close to the campaign” supposedly “grumbled” that Ryan would now be dictating policy for the campaign. This is standard leftist prattle as well. When they can’t find a reason to attack a conservative, they invent unnamed sources supposedly on the conservative side who are despondent or outraged or just generally upset by the candidate or policy. It’s bull.
● Dumbass Debbie Wasserman Schultz is trying to link Ryan to the “failed policies of the past” and for wanting “tax breaks for the rich.” Neither line will work with Ryan as he was never the face of the Bush years and because their class warfare attacks haven’t worked yet even against Romney. As an aside, Politico also points out that Ryan is rich. . . something they never seem to mention about all those rich Democrats.
● Politico also worried that the Ryan pick was a desperation pick for Romney, which will force him to change his entire campaign strategy in ways which Politico doesn’t actually explain. They also had a couple articles on how Romney “lost control” of the picking process and was thus forced to pick Ryan because the public forced Ryan on Romney -- which contradicts the polls which show Rubio was the more popular choice and which flies in the face of the argument that Ryan is unpopular.
All in all, Ryan is an excellent pick. He’s a solid fiscal conservative with solid social conservative credential, though he doesn’t display the hate of someone like Rick Santorum. He’s got the backing of every Republican who has spoken. His budgetary brilliance is unmatched. He’s not Tea Party, but his views align with them very closely and he should excite them. And as you can see from the above, the Democrats can’t find anything to attack him with except his entitlement reform proposals, and I don’t see those as a problem. For one thing, they make Ryan the one guy in Washington who isn’t afraid to try to save the current system. For another, the party which plans to rob Medicare of $500 billion is hardly in a position to criticize, and Ryan is smart enough to point that out.
Thoughts?
169 comments:
By the way, Obama is now trying to smear Ryan by calling him "the intellectual leader" of the GOP. Ha! That's hardly a smear, especially when Obama has himself failed to demonstrate any leadership qualities. All it does is make Ryan sounds more important. Obama might want to rethink that one.
Andrew,
The down side to Rubio, other than some questionable votes is that Romney would have been accused of pandering to the Hispanic vote. Now, all Obama has is negative arguments. That and calling them white crackers.
Negative ads do work, but not for long. Obama has to have something to vote for him. He doesn't. Hope and Change have already been used.
Oh, and any one who is thinking that Romney can't fight back doesn't listen to his speeches.
I haven't heard the "pandering to Wisconsin" complaint yet, but I'm sure its out there...
The old media have nothing left. Their narrative is now countered by the Internet and the numerous voices of truth that were never heard from in the past. Their business model is shown lacking in the new reality. We will see everything thrown at Ryan as we did Romney. Unfortunately for the left, Obama and Biden now have a REAL record they must defend. One of the oldest...and weakest arguments is "yeah, but under my opponent it will be a lot worse!"
I doubt Rubio's ethnicity in and of itself would have impressed Hispanics. His immigration reform plan might have (I don't think he ever announced it) but it also would have turned off some of the base currently fired up by Ryan.
As I've said before, I think Romney's victory is inevitable, the only question is who will be part of the winning coalition.
I think Romney can appeal to Hispanics without a Hispanic on the ticket, but I don't know if the base would respond to Romney's attempt to give illegals a path to citizenship any differently then they responded to Bush's attempt (back when the economy was in better shape).
Given that truth, not trying to reform the law and taking the conventional route of merely failing to vigorously enforce it is probably the best strategy from a political perspective. It avoids the spectacle of the base resoundingly rejecting immigration reform as they did in 2007 (the percentatge of Hispanics that voted Republican dropped from 45% in 2004 to 30% in 2008).
Ryan was always my second pick behind Rubio. He already has laid to rest any concerns I had that he would be too "Republican dull vanilla." He is probably the best voice of the party, and easily handles liberal media types. My only concern is sometimes Romney looks less good by contrast. The two of them handled Bob Schiefer with ease on 60 minutes last night, but when Romney gave a less than perfect answer to one question, Ryan came back and gave a better answer. I found myself thinking "should the ticket be Ryan/Romney?"
I heard somebody on radio comment that by picking Ryan for VP, the Romney campaign has grabbed the third rail with both hands, but it was spoken with a complimentary tone, even something of relief. ObamaCare was supposed to be panacea, which it clearly is not. I think the electorate (minus some stodgy oldsters) is ready for this.
Something I hope to hear from the campaign when fending off attacks over entitlement reform is that Medicare "as we know it" is going away no matter what. I've found drawing attention to that phrase to be very effective. Everyone admits Medicare is broken and that expression just shows that Democrats are defending its broken state. It also relieves Ryan of the false criticism that he simply wants to end Medicare.
-------------------------
Andrew, calling your opponent "the intellectual leader" of anything only works as a smear if the guy is an obvious dunce. And even then, it still doesn't work as a smear against that individual. Does Obama care to explain his VP?
-------------------------
Race, LOL! That's a good one!
-------------------------
Patriot, not to mention, the attacks against the "Radical Ryan Plan" can't sustain in a world where people with honest questions can actually find answers. So far those attacks have worked because there was no reason to seriously consider the Ryan plan. Now that there is, there will be some real investigation. I even expect some unlikely supporters to crop up amongst the leftist media. I don't expect actual praise, but some will want to avoid looking like idiots when the plan doesn't bring the world to an end.
-------------------------
Anthony, I agree. It's only a gut feeling, but I believe that the GOP standing with Hispanics is much better than it's purported to be. The Dems have been somewhat successful in scaring Hispanics into thinking Republicans just want to deport them all, regardless of status. But they don't want a wide open border, either. What good is leaving Mexico (or wherever) if it can just follow them right up here?
-------------------------
TJ, I didn't see the whole thing, so I can't be sure which question you're talking about, but Ryan stepping up to clarify an imperfect response is exactly what a VP candidate should do. The major problem the right has is that it expects perfection from its candidates. Minor missteps get blown up into RINOism and worse. The fact that Ryan did what he is supposed to do doesn't make the ticket upside-down. It just makes it a good ticket.
-------------------------
And in case anyone can't tell, I've decided that I am completely jazzed by the Ryan pick.
Race, I'm sure it's coming! Loved you in Johnny Quest by the way! :)
Joel, I think the Romney can't fight back meme is coming from a group of talk radio hosts/bloggers who have decided that Romney isn't conservative enough and they simply aren't listening. To the contrary, they're listening to the MSM spin and buying into it wholesale.
They would have accused Romney of pandering if he'd picked Rubio, but that they're going to do that with anything the Republicans do which reflects well on minorities. That's the MSM defense mechanism to try to keep the Republicans being seen as a party of old white males.
Negative ads work to a degree, but in this case there just isn't anything negative enough to stop Romney. Romney only needs to pass one test: "is he acceptable as a President." Once he passes that, all the rest is on Obama because this election is a referendum om Obama.
I think the pick also tells the people that the GOP is focusing on the economic problems of the country. They may not be firey but I think people are starting to tire of that anyway. They want someone who can put the country ahead of personal politics.
Patriot, You see the effect of the new media already on the MSM and the Democrats. The MSM has been forced to report on things they never would have covered before and they are whining desperately about it. At the same time, the Democrats are showing the strain of not understanding that their words/stupidities can no longer be covered up and buried by the MSM. This has really thrown them for a loop and made them desperate and angry. It almost comes across like shell shock when you see them asked about their own words and they have no idea how to explain away what they said because they never expected anyone to ask them about that. They simply have never had to deal with that before.
What Obama is trying is to demonize Romney/Ryan in the hopes that the public simply won't consider them acceptable. But that won't work with these two -- they're too bland, too nice. And Obama has been too controversial for that to work. What they need to do is find a reason to get people to vote FOR them rather than against the other guy, but they have no idea how to do that, so I think they're doomed.
Andrew
Of course Biden will rip ryan a new one on medicare. Biden's skill with the the magic of medicare is such that he can ask those in a wheel chair to stand.....
Can Ryan heal in this way.... I think not
Anthony, I think the effect of picking a Rubio would have been less direct, but just as important. I think it would have put the lie to the Democratic talking point that Republicans hate Hispanics. Saying that just doesn't work if the Republicans put a Hispanic at the top of the ticket and on a path to the Presidency.
That said, you are right about immigration reform and we've discussed that extensively. What Romney needs to do will upset everyone and the best way to do it is by stealth in a second term. But we'll see how he handles things. He's proven to be quite savvy, but this is the most difficult issue the country faces. It's also one of the most important for the GOP to accept that they need to do something they don't like.
Jed, Ryan just impresses the heck out of me. He's come out fighting and he's so darn bright -- he always says the right things.
You're right that Ryan comes across as a stronger candidate than Romney, but I don't see that as a bad thing. For one thing, think about how this makes Romney look that he's willing to pick someone who outshines him? For another, after the fools we've seen in the P/VP slots in the past decade, think about how great it is to finally have two guys who really are the cream of the crop rather than duds.
Obama/McCain/Palin/Biden were clearly the four stupidest human beings ever to run for those offices. Bush was a fool. Only Cheney stood out, and he was like a cranky uncle. Ryan and Romney are something we haven't seen since Reagan/Bush or Clinton.
I'm very confident that we're looking at 8 years of Romney followed by 8 years of Ryan now.
I didn't get the chance to see 60 Minutes last night I was going to ask how they did?
Any third-grader could debate (and win) against Biden.
I can't wait to vote for Romney/Ryan. Come on, November!
Members of the Left are already trying to paint Paul Ryan as one born with a "Silver spoon" in his mouth and that he had an easy childhood (apparently losing a father at 16 is "easy").
I think Ryan is a good pick .....
I wonder how much influence the VP has in the Senate. I know they cast a "deciding" vote but can a VP instruct the Senate on topics to debate, can they propose legislation.
I know that this has not been done in the past at least not to the extent that I have ever heard about it but if it Can be done then I hope Ryan does so when he gets in office.
Even if he does not get a vote (barring a tiebreaker) if he could direct the budget legislation and do more to influence debate I think this would be a good thing.
tryanmax, I agree with your take on Medicare. The Democrats are liars. They are trying to steal $500 billion from the program without making any reforms in the hopes that things just kind of work out somehow. They won't. And even if they weren't trying that, the program will go bankrupt and fall apart on its own at the present rate. Something needs to be done, but the Democrats are doing the usual of attacking any Republican attempt to fix it so they can scare old people into voting for them.
I think the Ryan pick tells us that Romney is going to be bold on entitlements and there are going to be major changes before his term is over. With luck, the public will accept them and Romney will go a long way toward setting the country right.
---
I'm shocked Obama thinks that calling Ryan the "intellectual leader" of anything is a good idea. It really only works as a smear if the thing you are calling him the leader of is seen as f-d up... like the intellectual leader of the KKK. All Obama's attack is really doing is making Ryan sound REALLY important, like "he's the top guy in the Republican Party." Ok, cool, then he must be pretty smart, right? It's a really bad strategy, but it's what I've come to expect from a White House which just doesn't do politics well.
---
On your comment to Patriot, I don't have that faith in the MSM. I don't think they do their jobs anymore, not unless they are forced. They will let the Democrats cherry pick out items and then distort them. They will also comb over Ryan's 10+ years of votes for things to get upset about. But in the end it won't matter. Attacking Romney won't work when Obama is the issue and attacking Romney's VP makes even less sense.
---
I don't know that the GOP's standing is better with Hispanics than it appears, but I have faith that Romney is doing the right things to win them back. Unfortunately, the base does make a lot of negative noises and our less-bright politicians feed that.
---
I'm totally jazzed by this pick now too. And what I've noticed (in response to your comment to TJ) is that these two already act like a team of equals. It's like they are a genuine partnership -- like Gore and Clinton came across. I think that will play well with people.
Koshcat, I agree with that. This pick tells us that the Republicans are focused like Clinton's laserbeam on the economy and getting our budgetary house in order, and that is exactly what people want.
If these two were out there talking about abortion or gays, I would be worried. But since they are focused on what the public actually cares about, I am really confident this is going to go well.
Dear E. Left, Yeah, Biden can heal the sick with his very hands.... oh wait, his motorcade experiences say otherwise. How many people has he killed or maimed now?
Writer X, I concur. And I actually think Biden is a better debater than Obama! I'm really looking forward to the debates. :)
And like you, I can't wait to vote!!
Kit, Who needs fathers? Seriously, it's typical smears. The Democrats are big on poisoning the process and this is just another example of it. I'll bet it won't be more than a day or so before they start attacking his wife and sending death threats to his kids.
Like tryanmax, I'm jazzed!! I can't wait for November!!
Although I can't argue with you regarding the collective un-intelligence of the Obama/Biden/McCain/Palin group, I would wager that in 5 years only Palin will still be relevant on the national scene.
Indi, I don't think the VP gets to debate, but it doesn't really matter. The debate is just for show. The real work goes on behind the scenes and the MSM just presents soundbites in any event. Ryan has something even better than being able to debate, he's got the bully-pulpit. He can go anywhere and give a speech and people will talk about it.
I think the Ryan pick actually does something I didn't expect. I expected that Romney would essentially defer to the House on legislation, but now I'm thinking Romney actually plans to run his own agenda and will expect the Congress to work with him, and I think Ryan is the point man on that. Essentially, Ryan will be President of the Congress.
I'm very interested to see how this plays out.
DUQ, Ditto. I'm really excited about this election!
Andrew: I don't have anything to add at this point. Just to agree--excellent choice.
Koshcat, It was truly depressing to me to see the collective idiocy assembled on stage. I was embarrassed for our country.
I suspect Obama will remain relevant and here's why. The Republicans are going to repeal ObamaCare before it has a chance to fail miserably. So the Democrats will present Obama as the guy who actually fixed the system until the Republicans screwed it up. They will also argue that Obama fixed the economy. So if things get better under Romney it will be because of what Obama did. If things get worse it will be because of what Obama did.
Essentially, they will try to sell him as "what could have been" to save their brand.
Lawhawk, I think he's a great choice and I can already feel the Romney/Ryan winds getting stronger. If nothing else, this has unified our side.
Has anyone seen any polling data on how this affects the race?
DUQ, I haven't yet.
I love the Ryan pick. I'd actually prefer to see him at the top of the ticket, but either way, this makes me really happy for our future!
The democRATS are rotten liars. How can anybody support them?
Doc, I think everybody has come to love the Ryan pick. This pick really has unified conservatives and excited our base. I think this will even shut up the talk radio holdouts.
And for the record, Rush is not holding out. Rush has been very strongly for Romney in recent weeks.
Kelly, It makes you wonder. If a company ran around lying and demonizing people and just generally smearing everyone and everything that crossed their paths, you would think people would abandon it. I think the only thing protecting the Democrats is that so many of their voters rely on them for a living.
Andrew, Ryan as President of the Congress is an interesting idea. I hadn't thought of that, but you could well be right. Ryan may be the best guy to tie the White House to the Congress.
Andrew
An Obama loss in 2012 will turn the MSM against him. So long as he can provide them with power they will go along with the MEssiah complex but once that goes away and tehy lose power then all the criticism they held back will come out.
My guess is that he will be eprsona non grata for two years and then he will start making critical comments insulting Romney's position and the MSM will give him voice since that will be useful. In five years he will be back as a voice but it will only be listened to by Progs.
Either that of MTV will give him a reality show replacing the Jersey Shore.
Doc, It's a thought that hadn't occurred to me until today, but it makes sense. Ryan would be a heck of a liaison to the Congress because he was effectively the leader of the House and now he would be Romney's rep to the Senate. So he may become the driving force behind a lot of legislation and for getting Romney's agenda done. That's thought actually makes me really happy.
Indi, Only briefly. I think you will see an anti-Obama backlash at first to make it clear that it wasn't their ideas which failed, but it was Obama's implementation. Also, the MSM is very pro-Clinton, so look for a lot of hand-wringing about how Clinton would have made everything perfect.
But after the initial shock, once Romney starts to get credit/blame for how things are going, look for Obama to have a sudden revival. And it will be "things would have been perfect except for Romney."
Andrew, I'm all around excited by this pick. I feel like we're about to head in the right direction for the first time in decades, probably since the Republicans took over the Congress under Newt.
Andrew
Maybe so but I think we can all agree that Obama would have more relevance to society if he just starred in a Reality show on MTV after this gig.
And now Ryan is being slammed because he quoted Jefferson. Yes, the Declaratio of Independence is a racist document. Seriously,
MSNBC’s “Hardball” on Saturday, weekend morning host Melissa Harris-Perry
“The thing I really have against him is actually how he and Gov. Romney have misused the Declaration of Independence,” she said. “I’m deeply irritated by their notion that the ‘pursuit of happiness’ means money for the richest and that we extricate the capacity of ordinary people to pursue happiness. When they say ‘God and nature give us our rights, not government,’ that is a lovely thing to say as a wealthy white man.”
When you sit in a body like mine as an African-American woman, you know that God and nature have in fact made us — inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” she continued. “But we could not have them until there was a Civil War that allowed the federal government to impose those nature and God-given rights would actually be respected by our government. And I think that they cannot continue to go down this line on the Declaration of Independence.”
Can we get actual race cards that we can hold up for statements like these. You know, like they used to use in the Olympics. FYI - She is a professor of political science at Tulane University, and previously at UChicago and Princeton, writes for The Nation. I am wondering how much she is suffering financially?
Doc, I feel the same way. And I agree that I haven't been this enthusiastic about our government since Gingrich.
Bev
Regarding Professor Race Card .....
Why does she equate Happiness with Money....
What happened to Money can't buy you happiness...
Does Money can't buy you love go next or has the DNC so ingrained itself in political prostitution for gvoernment largess that it no longer understands these concepts.
Indi, Sadly, reality TV does seem to be the way to become famous and popular these days. So "The Obamas" would probably be the best way for him to rebuild his image.
I am a happy camper. I also think Rubio might have been a smidge better, but Ryan is...inspiring.
Now, let's get this thing done.
Bev, That is just a stunning statement. What a dipsh*t this woman is! Maybe we should ban the word "freedom" because it hasn't always applied equally throughout history?
In any event, I think the inevitable, "Ryan is racist" had to get used and will continue to be used because that's all the left has.
Patti, I totally agree, and I love that you're doing Paul Ryan week at your blog!
This pick excites me and I'm thrilled about our prospects both in November but in the future as well.
Indi, I think her point is that money is not happiness and she's attacking Ryan for supposedly equating money with happiness, which he has never done.
Ryan is an awesome pick. Any thoughts on if this will help Romney carry Wisconsin? I saw an article that it might help in Ohio for some reason.
Andrew, Koshcat, I spot a connection between your comments. The talkers/bloggers who say Romney can't fight back are the same ones who are still scrounging for that fiery candidate.
FYI, I listened to Ingraham this morning and she is still asking, now that Romney has picked Ryan as his VP, will he finally take the gloves off? Hopeless. Completely hopeless.
_____
Kit, I don't know a lot of silver-spooners who have put in time behind the grill at McD's, either.
_____
DUQ, USA Today/Gallup is calling him the worst polling VP nom since Quayle. But if you read the story, you find that VP picks are generally looked upon pretty favorably.
On the other hand, Zogby says Ryan gave Romney a push in swing states and with independents. He also reports that the nomination has dropped undecided voters from 20% to 14.7% So a lot of people were waiting for something, and now we know what.
_____
One other bit of praise regarding the timing of the announcement. The Romney campaign has successfully taken over the news cycle coming right off of the Olympics. Well done!
Andrew and Indi - Maybe he should have used the word "bliss" rather than "happiness". Everyone should have the right pursue their own bliss. Yes, that sounds much better and cannot be misconstrued by some ancient racist document.
Ryan = Bliss
Biden = Bumbler
NEWS UPDATE - Obama is speaking in Iowa and has directly blamed Paul Ryan for blocking the alleged Farm Bill.
Ed, I would think Ryan would help a lot in Wisconsin, but I have no data to back that up. I saw a headline about Ryan helping in Ohio, but I'm not sure why that would be.
tryanmax, Ingraham is one of the ones I think is hopeless. I think she got caught on the wrong side too many times so now her plan is just to lob criticism -- doesn't fight hard enough, not conservative enough, etc. I think she's determined to be right no matter what happens and the only way to do that is to keep criticizing until things have actually worked out and then she can say she caused it.
USA/Today said he's the worst pick since Dan Qayle? Wow, what a load of crap that is.
And you're right about the announcement, Romney has seized the news cycle and now controls the debate for the summer.
Bev, I'm sure bliss is racist too. I think the key to the charge is that it is aimed at a Republican, then the racism is implicit.
tryanmax, Clearly, Ryan hates farmers. He hates everyone and wants to kill us all.
Andrew
It seems to me that the assumption is in her mind meaning that deep down it is how she thinks...
Indi, I think that is her thought process. I don't think they believe the racism charge anymore, I think they just use it as a political weapon -- like calling someone a communist in the 1950s.
tryanmax, Thanks for the polling data. That's encouraging that there are fewer undecideds. I would bet those are the last conservative holdouts.
The USA idea that he's a bad pick is pathetic. That's pure spin.
Hey, is anyone aware of the "Hey Girl, Paul Ryan" meme? Take it to Google Images.
tryanmax, I ran across that the other day, but I don't know what it is and I didn't look it up.
Ryan is the worst VP pick since Qualye? You've got to be kidding me! Ryan is an excellent choice, perhaps the best ever!
What is the Hey Girl thing? I googled it and I just saw pictures of Ryan waving.
Ellen, That does seem to be pretty laughable spin, doesn't it? I've seen nothing negative at this point. Conservatives are excited. Liberals have no idea how to attack him. And he doesn't even activate their base. He's really a great pick. And I think he'll make an even better VP and this should set him up well to be the next President too. This is all around an excellent pick.
I'm not sure what the "hey girl" thing is either.
If the Clinton's have anything to do with it, I suspect Obama will "disappear" or "commit suicide". Actually, I expect him to initially get a high paying job and get a lot of money on the speaking tours. Over time though people will tire of him and he will either disappear sort of like Carter or he will do something incredibly stupid sort of like Carter.
Koshcat, So what you're saying is that you think Obama will follow the path of Carter.
I agree that he'll go out and make a fortune right after retirement. That seems to be what they all do now.
I suspect, however, that he will stay more in the public eye than people think. I don't think the left will give him up as easily as they did Carter. I think they will use him like Clinton and try to turn "the Obama years" into a great time for America.
Hey Girl Paul Ryan Gosling
We will NEVER be rid of Obama. He will remain very public and very divisive. He will become a Community Organizer on steroids and will be like Clinton who still hasn't stopped injecting himself into government matters or shut up since he left office. At least Bush went gracefully back to his private life doing good works without any politics or fanfare. But then Bush isn't a narcicist either.
Indi, That links leads right back to this article.
Bev, I agree with that. I think the left will disown him very briefly and then will pull him right back into the limelight to attack Romney for undoing all the things he did. Then Obama will be like a combo of Clinton and Carter, trying to butt in everywhere and tell us how great he was.
Superb choice. We have as our ticket two incredibly smart, sharp men who understand America, and love her as she is. This will be great for our side as well as America as a whole.
Stan, Well said. I couldn't agree more.
Hey Girl Paul Ryan Gosling
Sorry copied the wrong web page LOL
Yes, Obama is now shamelessly pandering to the Midwest farmers and has promised to buy all of the crops that have been destroyed in the drought to save the farmers. I thought Dems didn't like farm subsidies? I guess I just can't keep up what's good and bad to them now.
Ah. Thanks Indi.
Bev, Democrats love all subsidies. So promising to buy a bunch of crops fits right in with their game plan of buying every vote in America.
Here is a list of the debate moderators and the debate dates:
PBS Jim Lehrer, first Pres debate, Oct 3 Denver...
CNN Candy Crowley, town hall, Oct 16, Hempstead NY...
CBS Bob Schieffer, third Pres debate, Oct. 22, Boca Raton...
ABC Martha Raddatz, VP debate, Oct 11, Danville KY...
The Dems are sick.
First, Obama attacks Romney citing Romney's dead father.
Now Biden attacks Ryan's values citing Ryan's dead father.
Maybe we should start talking about Biden's dead family... oh wait, he's already tried to exploit them.
Andrew
Is it not funny that although Fox News has at least three times the viewership as any of the news organizations on that list none of them are Fox news.
Why do we in the GOP put up with that crap. If the dems won't agree to one debate moderated by someone from Fox then we should just deny any debate. Lehrer and Schieffer are big liberals. I don't even know Crowley or Raddatz but I am sure they are liberals.
And I personally don't beleive anyone of them will put aside their bias. Every question will be loaded to aid Obama. I think it is really time that we stand up to the MSM and have teh guts to call out their bias.
Lehrer will be no more bipartisan than Hannity would. If anything someone like Hucakabee would be perfect. He goes out of his way to try to understand the other side. This is nuts...
Here's a link to the Tumblr that the article inexplicably omitted: Hey Girl, It's Paul Ryan
DUQ, That shows you the level to which they will sink. There is no bottom.
Thanks tryanmax! It looks like it's actually connected to Ryan Gosling.
Indi, I think Leher is a conservative, but I'm not sure. I think I heard that in the past.
Anyway, I agree. They need to stop picking leftist journalists to moderate these things. They should put together a panel -- one conservative, one liberal and one moderator who doesn't ask questions, but moderates the other two journalists.
85 more days. That is all.
Tam, We should run a clock!
DUQ - The way I read Biden's statement, I'm not sure Biden understands that Ryan's father died when Ryan was 15. It's sounded to me like another one of Biden's "Come on, Joe, stand up, where are you? Just stand up...er...oh...didn't know you were a parapalegic" moments.
Bev, That could be. I didn't see the whole quote in context and it struck me that this was yet another cheapshot.
Andrew
I find it hard to believe any Conservatve would be allowed to work for PBS. At best he is a "Conservative". The few interviews I have seen almost always dish out the MSM meme, it just couched in that "academic way" to give it cover.
I actually don't think there needs to be any moderator or left wing. the other side is going to always have the list of acceptable candidates in the tank and end up with one of their own.
I actually don't think it is a bad thing for Romney to face down a leftist moderator either, it gives him a chance to take them on. I just want Obama to have to do the same thing as well, at least once.
Bev and DUQ, I haven't seen the full quote either and a Biden gaffe wouldn't surprise me in the least, but it does fit the recent pattern of Team Obama hitting below the belt. Don't forget, they also just accused Romney of killing a woman and now they're running ads accusing Ryan of the same thing. They're in full-on smear mode, so I discount potential gaffes.
Indi, I wouldn't mind a debate without a moderator. That would be more interesting on many levels, though it would be less civil.
Like I said, I haven't kept up with Leher in a long time, but I always got the impression he was center-right.
Obama's ag assistance plan: The gov't buys meat now and freezes it for later. Why is there a palm print on my forehead?
Actually, a better question might be, which Democrat member of congress has freezer manufacturing in his district?
Or his plan is, the government pays you now for meat you didn't produce. That's how these things often end up.
I've seen a lot of good things about this pick since the weekend and I feel very confident Romney made the right choice.
Andrew,
Laura Ingraham risks losing her listeners. I stopped listening to her when she went after some conservative. It meant to me that she either didn't know the conservative or is just mouthing conservative platitudes to attract an audience. Either way, not interested.
I am going to repeat what I said to LawHawk the other day.
Ryan touched on this on his accepting the VP nod. This election is not going to rest on who has the better numbers. It is going to rest on the principles this country was founded. The latest outpouring of support for those principles was on Chick-Fil-A appreciation day. Something the left has yet to really understand. Ryan said we are not going to change those principles.
Some people have said that this is an all in gamble. A roll of the dice so to speak. Business men don't do that. With the pick of Ryan, Romney has created a situation where choosing the Republicans means picking the route with the least amount of gambling possible.
Whoever it was that told Andy Borowitz that he is funny lied.
(Google: "borowitz leaked memo romney ryan"
tryanmax, LOL! I actually don't know Borowitz, but you've phrased your criticism quite well.
Ellen, Everything I've seen keeps making me happier about Romney/Ryan.
Joel, I think that eventually people like Ingraham will lose their audience because the conservative public will be fully on board with Romney/Ryan soon and she risks being seen as an obstructionist.
I agree 100% about the Chick-Fil-A issue. I think that was a clear demonstration that the Tea Party crowd is fully engaged and is ready to strike back. The left seems to have missed that and it's fascinating they couldn't get more than a handful of people to turn out. That should scare the heck out of Obama, except he's blind to what is going on because he wants to write off those who don't agree with him.
Aargh. I knew this is what we would be talking about today, but I had to spend it moving into my new apartment. It never fails.
Anyway, I agree with you that this was a good move. While the Romney campaign has been doing better than I thought it would, there was still an impression lately that it was getting listless. There seems to be a whole lot more energy now, especially for Romney in person. As for Ryan himself, the Dems can demagogue his policies, but they can't demagogue him the way they did Palin, and that counts for a lot.
Leher is a liberal. McNeil(?) his old partner was the sorta conservative.
T-Rav, Congrats on your move. I hope the new place is nice!
As for the article, better late than never and feel free to leave whatever comments you want, people are still visiting the comments and article.
I think the timing on this selection is fantastic. I think Romney exploited the search perfectly for months and just when things seem to be winding down and Obama is finally getting some traction, he announced Ryan and shakes everything up. This really has been brilliantly handled!
And yeah, they'll never get him the way they got Palin.
Stan, Oh, ok, I knew it was one of them. Arg.
Paul Ryan drove the Oscar Meyer weinermobile to help pay for college!
The weinermobile! That's unprecedented and that's cool! :^)
Great post, Andrew! Paul Ryan is smart, he can do math, and he drove the weinermobile!
Andrew,
The Chick-Fil-A phenomenon didn't happen according to the left. They believe that. MSM didn't cover it, so it didn't happen. If a person was only listening to MSM, yep, it didn't happen. What the left doesn't think about is people gossip. Yes, even on the right. And people use the internet to talk, now more than ever. On the internet, you can find out what happened that day. You can also find out what the MSM covered or more importantly didn't cover.
It is more about closing your own eyes and ears to the on-coming avalanche. You wouldn't do it if you were in that situation, but the left is doing it now when it ignores huge reactions.
It is the same thing with Ryan. Four years ago, most people were listening to the MSM. Now, it is down to 28%. They might think their message about Ryan is going to get through. They would be sadly mistaken. Now, they are closing themselves off when they don't see the huge crowds Ryan and Romney are receiving.
They will, again, blind themselves to reality like they blinded themselves to the TownHall meetings and the Tea Party get togethers. It would be sad and pathetic if they weren't so arrogant about it.
Ben, Tell me about it! That is the coolest thing any VP contender has ever done! You can't beat that! :D
Joel, I think that's right. I think the left ignored the Chick-Fil-A thing because they didn't want to believe it, just like they wanted to believe the Tea Party was astroturf.
I think they have made a huge mistake in not seeing it and by treating these people like they are some paid-fringe. Similarly, I think the MSM is making a huge mistake by not shaping up. They are slowly but surely driving people away and they seem intend on sticking their heads in the sand.
I think the end result will be a strong Republican wave in November which the left won't see coming.
Andrew,
The MSM is actually doing us a tremendous favor by hiding things like Chick-Fil-A. They aren't scaring their friends into mobilizing. They aren't sounding the clarion call for the avalanche is on it's way. If they simply reported the truth about Chick-Fil-A and then demonized it, then maybe a few would drop the hash pipe run to vote, to GOTV, to protest or whatever.
The ones who should be jumping out of their seats and doing something are being fed pablum like Ryan is so bad that [Blank], they don't have a chance this November because [Blank], or (my personal favorite) Obama is still the smartest man in the room. The constituents are going to be baffled come Nov and then scream, the MSM is aiding and abetting the right because they didn't warn us.
Joel, I agree. They are making a huge mistake by not sounding the alarm. I think the idea is to keep the rest of the public from joining in because if the public hears that some many people are doing something unified, they will join in.
But in the process, they are keeping their own troops from getting excited and they don't understand that the rest of us don't need them to hear about these things and to coordinate.
I agree about Ryan, they can smear all they want, but it only helps our side because the only people who believe it works are on the left.
Andrew, I think the more Ryan appears on television, the better he'll come across. The handful of campaign rallies he's been at show he's much better at off-the-cuff, informal speaking than a lot of people thought. As an unscientific gauge, my mother and my sister, who are fairly middle-of-the-road, seemed to think much more of him than they do of Romney (though not without reservations), so this may end up drawing over a lot of independents.
There is, of course, a potential drawback. With Ryan on the ticket, this will become partly a referendum on him and what he stands for, rather than being entirely on Obama. If we do go down in November, we can't claim it was because our nominees were RINO squishes, as we could with McCain in '08. Losing means that a majority of people will have repudiated conservatism itself, or at least as they perceive it. This would bother me more if it hadn't happened in the past, though, and we're still here, so I'm not going to worry too much about that.
I love this pairing. Rubio was my first choice - but honestly for his "non-white guy"-ness, which wasn't the best reason.
So, since Andrew has guaranteed R/R's win in November, (free invisible T-shirts to all if he's wrong - but we'll all have imploded so we won't need the tees), that means Ryan runs in 2020, right??? Ryan/Rubio 2020!
T-Rav, I think Ryan is quite telegenic after you've seen him a couple times and he's proven to be an excellent speaker. I haven't heard any negative reviews from any of the conservatives or moderates I know -- only the liberals hate him, but they hate everyone on our side.
That's true that this will be a referendum on conservatism, but I can't imagine a better time to have one!
rlaNEB, I guarantee it! And if I'm wrong, yes, free t-shirts for everyone! :)
After today's event in Iowa, I think Obama is very, very desperate. The only reason for a Dem to campaign in Council Bluffs is to grab the attention of Omaha (NE's 2nd district). That means he's vying for that one electoral vote that he peeled off last time. I can't say that he won't get it. From what I've heard, there were more Omaha people at the rally than Iowa people. But if he's devoting a stop to that one vote, he's got problems.
tryanmax, I agree with that. This must be a horrible sign if he thinks it's worth his time.
That said, I think he's making a mistake if he thinks that this is his real problem. He should be living in the rust belt right now trying to meet every voter in Ohio/Wisconsin/Pennsylvania.
Of course, Wisconsin may be lost now. In fact, the more I think about it, if Ryan can deliver Wisconsin, then Romney has effectively made Ohio meaningless!
I saw no less that three headlines without even looking that claimed Ryan cannot deliver WI, that it's a GOP write-off. Such early and eager protestation can only mean one thing.
I'm thinking Romney is even with Obama in Wisconsin. If Ryan gets a home-state bump of even 2%, that pushes Wisconsin into the red.
Andrew,
The Onion has a great piece out on Paul Ryan. It is a fake editorial by Ryan.
Admit It, I Scare The Ever-Loving Sxxx Out Of You, Don't I?
In it, the author, NOT PAUL RYAN, addresses every little fear lefties have about this election and Ryan. He taunts and blisters them mercilessly.
tonight I'm rlaWY!
Joel, I'll check that out, it sounds hilarious!
rlaWY, Are you headed to Devil's Tower? My mother made a point of wanting to see that after she saw Close Encounters! She said it was fantastic!
Andrew, I personally believe that Wisconsin is all set up to go red this year, in large part thanks to the massive operation set up on Scott Walker's behalf. There's no chance grassroots in the state won't give it their all once more. Of course, Ryan being on the ticket may motivate Dems more than in June, but there will be a similar effect for our side, so I think it can be pulled off. I also want to think there will be some carry-over in Iowa and Michigan as a result, which, as you say, will render Ohio meaningless. (A good thing, because I don't think we can count on that state for anything anymore.)
rla, are you in the mountains Wyoming or the endless beet fields Wyoming?
Joel, That is awesome! Here's the link: LINK
T-Rav, I agree. I think we get Wisconsin because of the Scott Walker recall. I think that got the GOP setting up a heck of a network out there which will pay off big time. And I think Ryan might be that 2-3% that makes a key difference.
I hope Ryan helps in other states, especially Pennsylvania. Ohio is troubling.
Wyoming has beet fields? I thought it was just weeds with a trailer park on either end of the state?
we went through endless brown grassy hills today. We're going across from Casper to Jackson into Idaho tomorrow, so mostly pretty. We skipped Devil's Tower - too out of our way on our time frame. Besides, mom said she'd seen the movie lol.
My family in Idaho are farmers/ranchers - and one of their crops is sugar beets - so watch yourself, T-Rav! I'll sic the kittens on ya! :)
rlaWY, And here I thought they only grew potatoes in Idaho! Have a nice drive. :)
The Onion piece was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!
I got a real kick out of it!
Stupid Ohio! What's it good for, anyway?
Certainly not for driving. I hate driving through Ohio. They assign you a personal cop at the border who follows you to the other end -- at least, that's how it seems.
Anyway, here's a question for you: "what's round on the end and hi in the middle?"
Answer: OhiO.
Andrew, that's Arkansas, not Wyoming. You can tell because of the smell of meth labs.
I have hopes about Pennsylvania, but if it comes down to it, we may have to write Ohio off. I don't care if a Republican has only won the WH when carrying Ohio, records are made to be broken.
rla, tell them to raise potatoes, not beets. I like the tuber, but beets are just disgusting. Besides, potatoes are what Idaho's known for, so.
T-Rav, "the smell of meth labs" LOL! Isn't that the truth!
I have hopes about Pennsylvania too. I'm not writing off Ohio yet, but I'm concerned. But if we win PA or Wisc/Iowa, then Ohio shouldn't be a problem.
Well I don't know Andrew
I am not that familiar with Lehrer I guess to sate he is not but I am very suspicious of so called right wingers that are proped up by the left in the media.
George Will comes to mind. Nice guy, does say some good things in his peices but to often is a voice of criticism regarding people I have respect for on the right which the left have deemed "extreme". The left will let Will moderate a debate because they know they can still get their way in focusing the conversation toward their end.
Someone like Hannity, Levin, Beck, Cain, Drudge or even some of the news guys on Fox they are never allowed in consideration. They are extreme because they don't have little conversations where they agree with certain leftist meme's or at least understand them. The irony is that I think a Rush Limbaugh would be a much fairer debate moderator because he'd admit to the bias in his questions and try to be fair.
But the main reason the left wants someone from PBS that is center right over a Hannity or LEvin is not how they'd treat the enemy. It is the topne of the questions they'd ask of Romeny and Ryan.
Things like we have not had a budget in thjree years and there is very little ability to make necessary cuts. What would you do to get real reductions in the deficit instead of just slowing the increase which at this point will seem pointless.
That question flies in the face of the Progresive meme which is that goverment spending is required. That minimizing the increase is not really a reduction. They refuse to allow the question to be put that way for a reason. They want to ensure that their agenda is assumed to be true and objections to that agenda have to be justified on a scale of their choosing.
Sorry but Center Right or not I don't see Lehrer not falling for that trap. I see his questions being put in their context to please the stated assumptions of the MSM. Since I reject these "assumptions" I find the debates less meaningful to me. The questions I want asked never will be. This is why Lehrer does not assuade me.
Indi, Stan assures us that it was McNeil who was the conservative and that Leher is the liberal. Oh well. Like I said, I haven't really paid attention to PBS for 10-15 years now.
I agree about Will. He's a nice guy with some good pieces, but is also too timid.
I can't imagine anyone would want an open partisan like Levin or Hannity or Insane Mr. Beck. That we be like picking Olbermann. And the debate would be about the moderator.
On what questions would be asked, in a debate, I think the best way to do it is to present bland questions and let the two sides argue about it. In an interview, I would agree that the questions need to be more pointed. But in a debate, it might even be best not to ask questions, just raise areas: "Tell us about your economic plan" and "tell us about your foreign policy plan" and then let them fight it out.
I'm not overly concerned about the moderator thing. If our candidates are truly strong, they'll manage to shine even with a biased moderator. It won't help, but they can minimize the damage.
Here is my take on the debates. It matters not what you say but how you say it.
Perry did have all the right answers, he just couldn't say it.
The debates, because the moderators are all left wing with maybe one exception, are no longer a vessel to ascertain truth, nor even good positions. It is more about how you present your side. How you can turn a simple question around and either skewer the opponent or the media or both. How you look, act, sound and talk are far more important.
"Say it aint so, Joe ..." did far more for Palin than her actual position which I forgot.
Plus, moderators dumb down the conversation. As far as I am concerned, they really don't change people's mind, unless one of the candidates gets a deer in the headlight look.
T-Rav, I agree. Plus, biased moderators tend to generate backlashes and will anger the conservative base.
How's the new place? Did you change schools or just move?
Joel, I think there is a lot to that. Debates have become a form of verbal one-ups-manship and the winner is typically the one people remember who seemed most in charge rather than remembering anything they said. In other words, it's about impressions.
Perry may have had good answer (hard to remember) but he came across like a drunken fool, so he imploded. Plus he had a couple moments that just jabbed you in the gut and made you hate him. Palin won too (IMO) because she seemed to be more in control that Biden.
I think Obama will come across as unprepared, nervous, a bad speaker, and angry. Romney is far too smooth at this point for Obama to match him. Romney is not going to freeze up and come across like Elmer Fudd like McCain did.
And Ryan's really proved the last couple days that he has a fighting spirit, so I think goofball Joe Biden is in real trouble.
But in the end, you're right, debates don't change minds unless someone completely implodes -- remember Admiral Stockdale?
I just want the best person for the job. I don't care what your gender, color of skin (or race), sexual orientation, etc. is. I would have been happy with Rubio, West, or even Jindal, but I'm not into affirmative action just to please someone, because they may have guilt (or whatever) over two white guys on the ticket. JUST BE ABLE TO DO THE JOB, and do it well. I apply this philosophy to everything.
When I first read the news of the pick late last night, I flipped out. What a move. It was awesome!
Jen, Normally, I would agree. But at the moment, it's critical that conservatives start trying to win over Hispanic votes and that means actually bringing them into the fold.
Still, I'm thrilled with this pick. Ryan is an excellent choice!
I don't meant to be a wet blanket, but I won't even consider Iowa going red. That Iowa stubborn they talk about in The Music Man is for real.
That could be, except that they are saying that Iowa is in play.
...provided you are contrary.
tryanmax,
What happened when in The Music Man the Iowans found out they were conned? The only reason he wasn't ran out on a rail was because of Shirley Jones. I don't think Michelle O. can fake a Shirley Jones act.
Have faith, my friend. This time, the Idiots Out Wandering Around will do it right. Probably by accident, but still. :)
Joel, Michelle O is more like a Klingon than Shirley Jones.
Andrew, I understand what you mean, this is just my own personal feeling, and not necessarily what's best for conservatives. Too many people want a perfect candidate, and that's never gonna happen. There are only two slots on the ticket, and we can't please everybody. Some group is going to get left out no matter what.
IMO, if conservatives would just worry about conservatism, it wouldn't matter. My dad told me he was watching something on TV (might have been Hannity) where a woman said she was going to vote for Obama simply because of his skin color, even if it meant he would destroy everything. She didn't care.
Andrew,
Now you had to go and insult all Klingons every where! Make sure your bat'leth is sharp. ;-)
Jen, Like I said, normally, I would agree with you. But the Republicans have been doing a lot which has hurt them with Hispanics and they need to repair that image. And the best way to repair that image is to start actually making them part of the program. Instead, we tend to hold up one example each election cycle and then ignore them again until the next election. That doesn't help.
And I'm not actually talking about trying to reach the people who vote based on skin color -- they are Democrats for life. I'm talking about reaching the normal people who decide on issues but have seen a lot of ugliness coming from Republican ranks.
Joel, Today is a good day to die! >:D
Andrew, I moved schools. Formerly of Ole Miss, I am now attending Mizzou, which is part of the SEC now for some stupid reason.
Iowa will vote for whoever can most convincingly promise a cornstalk in every garage and a cob in every pot.
T-Rav, I hear they changed to the SEC so that your transition would be less difficult. :)
I guess a cornstalk in every garage is better than other places they could have put them! 8(
Andrew and Jen, as someone who was pulling for Jindal, I appreciate the minority aspect of things. After the Palin debacle, though, I wonder if playing it safe with a "boring white guy" may not have been the best choice. Unfortunately, the GOP is still in a "darned if you do, darned if you don't" situation: including a minority would be seen as pandering, not doing so would be considered proof that the GOP is still not open to others. So maybe they just eliminated that factor altogether, since they knew they'd get burned either way.
Personally, I like Rubio a great deal, though I think in terms of policy and communicating issues he may not be as good as Ryan. He's probably a little better at charisma on the trail, though, so I guess it's a wash.
T-Rav, I think it would have helped a lot. But it didn't happen. So hopefully, Romney has some Plan B to do a lot of outreach. For example, it would help a lot if his cabinet was heavy on minorities or if he did a lot of events with Hispanic leaders.
Something needs to be done before critical mass is reached and being Hispanic becomes synonymous with being a Democrat.
Democrat Party...Hmmm... is this the party that features Debbie W. Shultz, and Joe Biden along with Holder. The party which features gutter slime as a drinkable product, and wanton lies about murder...That type of Democrat? And you guys are positive that Hispanics wish to be closely associated with these types?
Joel, That's them alright.
Sadly, the problem is that the MSM pushes the idea that they should be Democrats, the Democrats try to bribe them with all kinds of goodies, and the Republicans have been using rhetoric that sounds like "we need to deport all these damn foreigners." It's honestly a surprise we still get 40% of them.
Yep, how like we still get thirty five to forty percent of whites solid each election. Strange isn't it? ;-)
Andrew,
There is no solid way to get Hispanics. In fact, Cubans are different that the Spanish in New Mexico, and the Mexicans in California and Colorado and Puerto Ricans in New York. Yet, we Republicans insist on treating them all like one type. Hispanics is a Nixonian cliche. About as useful as thinking Oregon loggers and Upper East Side New Yorkers are one and the same because they are mostly white and usually vote Democrat.
Rubio would have helped with a small select group down in Florida. He would have been no help in Tennessee, nor in Arizona for that matter.
Andrew:
As a former Cheese Head (28 yrs of my adult life), I'm very happy with the Ryan pick - for all of your stated reasons and just because I like him.
I have supported and admired him from the beginning of his career. I worked for his first campaign going door to door. He is one of only a couple of people I've voted for in WI to win.
I'm only sad that WI will lose him. It will be interesting for me to watch who is elected to take his place. The once solidly blue political climate in WI is now changing to beautiful shades of red, a lot due to men like Paul Ryan and Scott Walker who have shown that conservative ideas really do work.
I'd like to thank you for swimming through the mud and the muck to report what the Dems are saying so I don't have to.
Joel, The problem with that argument is that it gets us nowhere. If we make no efforts to win them back then they won't come back. It's that simple. Politics is a two way street and there has been a heavy push to make Hispanics seem themselves in the same way blacks do, and conservatives have played into that. We need to undo the damage and let them know that they are welcome back on our side.
Cheryl, You're welcome! I haven't known of Ryan nearly as long, but what I've seen has really blown me away. He is an impressive man and I'd love to see him become President eventually.
It's interesting to me that Wisconsin is drifting into the red. I never expected that in my lifetime. I guess we'll have to see how far the drift finally goes. Hopefully, the success of Walker and Ryan will keep pushing that needle to the right!
Good points about hispanics, Andrew. Cubans always tend to be conservative, whereas say Mexicans tend to be socialist or left-leaning.
Most Cubans that make it here have seen what communism/socialism does.
Well, so have Mexicans, but for some reason, generally speaking, they are less likely to learn from it and reject leftist politics, corruption and the culture of perpetual victimization.
It's definitely better to address each group seperately and seek the best ways to communicate with them without watering down our love of liberty.
Ben, I think it's best to address them on an individual by individual basis actually, by seeking out things like "Mexican-American businessmen" or "Cuban-American-mothers". But that doesn't change the fact that conservatives really do need to make an effort to clear up the wedge that has been driven between their community and conservatives.
Absolutely, Andrew! It's crucial that Romney and Ryan clearly explain why more liberty and less govt. oppression is in everyone's best interest, which they both have been doing.
Knowing who they are speaking to helps, but not in the sense of pandering, like democrats (or republicans like Paul or Santorum) do, but like Romney did with the NAACP.
Ben, Exactly. There is a huge difference between pandering and selling your ideas. Republicans need to learn to sell their ideas without pandering. But they also need to learn that that means reaching out to and including these people. You can't sell to someone who has been told not to like you unless you show them a lot of good faith first.
Andrew,
I never said that we don't try to win them, just that we shouldn't treat them as Hispanics. Since we do, I am surprised that we have 40%. That is insulting to them and extremely ignorant on our part. If you are going to play identity politics, at the very least, know your target audience. I personally don't want to play identity politics, but you insist.
One more thing, calling a group Hispanic is playing identity politics. You can argue all day that it isn't but that doesn't take away the fact that you have grouped certain people who speak a similar language as only one type.
Post a Comment