"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! Boooo ha ha ha!!!"
Posted on 08/30/2012 11:57:01 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Paul Ryan had never before struck me as an inspiring speaker. I mean, I like the fellow: he has sound ideas, he's charming and he has a demotic, boy-next-door quality which is unusual among cerebral politicians. But his chief appeal has always been as a policy specialist rather than an orator.
Until last night. Ryan's speech to the Republican Convention in Tampa was a masterpiece. As Roger Kimball observes, 'His manner is open, confident, but somehow also humble. There is nothing swaggering, nothing of the braggart or narcissist about him. He seems impressed, not by the sound of his own voice, but by the facts and observations he shares with his listeners'.
Ryan took complex issues – the debt crisis, reform of Medicare, unemployment – and made them simple. He spoke movingly of his home town, the town where he still lives, and of the factory there which Barack Obama had said would be open for another hundred years, but which had closed a year later. He humanised the recession, managing to lay particular emphasis on 'the heartland': the key swing states of the Midwest. College graduates, he said, shouldn't have to live out their twenties in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at their fading Obama posters and wondering when they could move out and get on with life. There was something fundamentally wrong with wanting a society 'where everything is free – except us'.
.....No longer are Americans simply being invited to vote against the government that has presided over the downturn; now they are being given the chance to vote for balanced budgets and recovery. Ryan's newfound eloquence, his ability to convey the urgency of the crisis without sounding hysterical, is a bonus.
Leftist commentators, sensing the danger, have torn into him....
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...
“Barack Obama”
Maybe we should make it an equation?
"Barack Obama" = "Sinking Ship"
"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! Boooo ha ha ha!!!"
No doubt about it, I can’t wait to vote for Romney/ Ryan.
On a side note, hopefully there are enough smart people in this country to help save the FReepers from the staggering extent of their own stupidity.
I mean, really, the stench around here is very, very thick.
Not difficult at all. Since it would be wrong for me to vote for either Obama or Romney, neither gets my vote.
Congratulations! You just made it a bit easier for Obama to keep running your life.
Cheers!
Congratulations to the GOP making it so no matter who wins, someone will be trying to ruin my life.
Well, I wish I was as optimistic as you seem to be.
“Well, I wish I was as optimistic as you seem to be.”
You only think I’m optimistic because of your pessimism...
Let me see if I understand where you’re coming from. Which one of these is true?
a. you think that Romney and Obama are the same - their agenda would affect you the same.
b. you think Romney would be worse for you than Obama
c. you think Obama would be worse for you than Romney
d. something else
Most likely Obama would be worse for me personally. For the future of the country, the call is tougher to make. I can understand why people would support ABO, even Romney. Since, for me, it is wrong and even unnecessary (if my vote makes a difference in Tennessee, Romney has already lost) for me to vote for the man, I just want people to do some research to see how difficult their claimed task of holding his feet to the fire will be. By the way, I would like nothing better than to be proven wrong and Romney to be a closet Reagan. The fact that they felt they had to counterbalance Ryan with eleven other moderate to left speakers (even though the content of some of the speeches was excellent) speaks volumes on where Romney and the Party are headed.
I’ve said before and will say again, Paul Ryan was a very good pick.
Unfortunately he isn’t at the top of the ticket. That space is occupied by willard. And willard will be the one to call the shots as to policies and priorities should they be elected. Paul Ryan on the other hand will get to break tie votes in the senate. When and if any occur.
Sorry. That’s just not enough. I’m not going to vote for an anti gun pro abort candidate so that a reliable conservative can break a tie in the senate once or twice in the next 4 years.
That sums it up for me. That said, Romney does deserve credit for being willing to follow whatever adviser decided it and to pick Ryan.
I don’t think they were on the same wavelength, but what Romney really wants is to be President and he will do whatever it takes to achieve this.
I don’t think he has any principles of his own, except whatever benefits Romney, but it looks like he’s smart and pragmatic enough to make some good choices in achieving that.
I still don’t like him, but I’ll vote for him now, if only because I really think his instinct for self-preservation will lead him to make good choices.
In case you haven’t noticed, there is a whole new guard of Republican politicians: all bright and articulate and in their forties. Who are their democratic equivalents? God willing, this means that liberal democracy has had its fling.
The fact Romney HAD to pick Ryan - instead of leaving him in the U.S. House where he’s needed - reveals Romney’s own underlying weakness.
Ugh
Oh look, another stupid FReeper.
Oh no, I’m not saying vote against Romney. I’m just sayin’...
If R could really stand on his own, we’d leave Ryan in Congress to steer legislation and put Allen West or Condi Rice in the VP spot. He needs Ryan - because he IS weak......
4L
Really enjoying your comments the past few days!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.