The Young vs. the Useless with a Touch of the Gipper

National Review Online ^ | August 30, 2012 | John Fund

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Some of the Republican faithful responded to Paul Ryan’s rousing acceptance speech for vice president last night as if it was the second coming of Ronald Reagan. And in a sense it was. Paul Ryan is the most Reaganesque political figure to reach the national stage since the Gipper himself. Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin was even seen crying during it — and this is a guy who just survived 18 months of siege warfare stoically.

Indeed, Ryan’s speech made an understated bow towards Reagan’s political message with a signature passage. “The right that makes all the difference now is the right to choose our own leaders. You are entitled to the clearest possible choice because the time for choosing is drawing near,” Ryan told the Tampa convention crowd. There is no doubt that he was reaching back to Reagan’s classic political debut speech endorsing the 1964 candidacy of Barry Goldwater. Reagan burst onto the national scene with a speech he called “A Time for Choosing.” He told his audience back then, “The Founding Fathers knew a government can’t control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing.”

Like Reagan, Ryan’s speech combined soaring political rhetoric with a bold discussion of controversial ideas. Reagan floated Social Security privatization back in 1964; now a half century later Ryan said the nation had to take steps to reform Medicare in order to preserve its promises: “The nation needs this debate, we want this debate, we will win this debate.”

[afraidfortherepublic]

Outstanding! Go to the source and read the whole thing! The best comment I’ve read today is one repeated from FB on another thread. “Paul Ryan hit it so far out of the park that they’re going to be calling for a steroid test!”

[downtownconservative]

It’s time to choose between capitalism and a market-based economy or a government controlled economy and society. It’s a stark choice between freedom or tyranny.

How can it not be a no-brainer???

[driftless2]

Romney knew his pre-Ryan campaign was floundering. Ryan gives it a focus it sorely lacked. Finally the Pubbies have a candidate who will be specific with the voters giving the so-called intelligent people no reason to vote for Obama. Obama will still have the left and the ignorati, but it probably won’t be enough this time.