Paul Ryan, the politically ambitious “Man with a Plan,” whether it’s his economic plan or his poverty plan or his repeal and replace Obamacare plan is the BEST chance for Democrat wins in elections.
Like the President Paul Ryan peddles change. Unlike the President Paul Ryan’s CHANGE cannot even be marketed as populist or moderate because he has identified himself through deed and action as an ultra-conservative with a limited and myopic commitment to the Tea Party politics that have successfully trashed Republican opportunities.
For Republicans eager to attach the DISENGAGED, ALOOF, AWOL moniker on the President, Paul Ryan comes in as the evil twin of our disengaged President with Mr. Ryan appearing to be so out of touch from the realities of American life that as recently as March Mr. Ryan was talking about people in inner cities not wanting to work and how he would gut ‘entitlements’ like Medicare.
What Republicans forget is how bad their loss in 2012 was. The President was not THAT popular in 2012, with only a 43 percent approval rating going into the election. Republicans seem unable to grasp that the President’s win was as much a vote against them as it was for the President. (In all fairness, the President seems to have misunderstood his win as well.)
Republicans are hoping to change perceptions of Paul Ryan as ‘reports’ of the compassionate and paternalistic qualities of Paul Ryan’s ‘poverty’ plan are touted by eager conservatives hoping Americans will buy in. Not likely.
Whether you follow Ryan and his revealing sentiments delivered during interviews such as one much discussed in March, 2014 where Ryan talked about cultures of not working, (see articles on Paul Ryan, Bill Bennett interview, inner cities, 3/2014) or his well-publicized intentions to gut Medicare (search Ryan plans for ‘entitlement’ reform), or his ideas for repeal and replace of Obamacare, Paul Ryan will drag down Republicans who align themselves with his hyper-conservatism much as he arguably did in the 2012 election when the more moderate Romney sunk his ship by choosing Ryan as VP candidate (search reports of Ryan dragging down Romney, 2012).
If anything the promise of sweeping “CHANGE” in the wake of the lies of Obamacare will turn off our American voters, as it should. We’re still experiencing and living with the consequences of the President’s lies and half-truths. Our leaders have earned their reputations of being untrustworthy, of manipulating the system and voters to promote their personal agendas and of being so involved in the world of government that they’ve forgotten government is supposed to represent the people.
For Republicans unwilling to work to retire Tea Party politics to the pages of history, who are unwilling to engage with Americans living in today’s America, not some notion of an America of the past or even more frightening, some notion of their America of the future, yes, there are supporters and the strongest supporters are Democrats because every extreme Republican is a vote for Democrats.
