Up to now, Mitt Romney has shown little backbone for the hard choices, the tough calls, the bold proposals. Since he won enough delegates to assure his nomination, his speeches have consisted mostly of criticism of President Obama, with almost no specifics offered as an alternative. He has been on the defensive against Obama's hard-hitting ad campaign, and he has committed gaffe after gaffe, the most recent in Britain during the Olympics of all places.
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| Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin |
But with the selection on Saturday of Paul Ryan to be his Vice-Presidential candidate, all that has changed. In one fell swoop, Romney made a bold pick of the rising ideological star of the Republican conservative movement. He chose a Congressman who has set out over the last 14 years a new course for America that is radical, bold, and specific. Medicare, Medicaid (and probably Social Security as well), and the federal tax system could be radically changed if the Romney/Ryan team is elected this fall, in what would be the most radical change in direction since the founding of Medicare in the 60s, and possibly since the 30s under FDR.
Whereas McCain confused things within the conservative movement by his pick of Sarah Palin (who energized some folks but turned off much of the conservative intelligensia), the pick of Paul Ryan has energized and focused the conservative movement and its support of Romney. It is now 'full speed ahead' for Romney/Ryan and the conservative legions in Washington and around the country.
If you are not very familiar with Paul Ryan, I would recommend you read
the portrait drawn by Ryan Lizza in the New Yorker magazine. Though Lizza is a liberal, his article about Ryan is fair, even sympathetic, and very easy to read. You'll get a good summary of Paul Ryan's life, his politics, and his ideological convictions.
So, game on!
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