Why Does Anyone Still Take Paul Ryan Seriously?

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/why-does-anyone-still-take-paul-ryan-seriously



***SNIP

Here’s what I think is going on. First, institutional reasons. His party holds the majority and he’s the chair of the House Budget Committee. That in itself makes his budget newsworthy. Also, as a former VP candidate, he’s a national figure.

But that’s not the main reason.

I asked a wise, intently non-partisan friend who thought, and he admitted he was being generous, that one reason might be that Ryan’s introduced an important theme into the discussion: if you want really low taxes, you’ve got to give up Medicare as we know it.

But while that may be in there somewhere, it’s awfully muddled. It certainly wasn’t Ryan’s position in the election, where he and Mitt attacked the President for Medicare cuts. And his voucher program doesn’t start for ten years.

In other words, I think my friend is being too generous. I’ve argued that we actually need our politicians to articulate this point: if we want X, we’re going to have to pay for X. To my ears, Paul Ryan actually fits squarely in the problematic camp on this point, telling folks they can painlessly have it all. But in his version, it takes the form of trickle down: if we cut taxes on job creators, get rid of the safety net, and inject health care delivery with competition, then we can have it all for a fraction of what we’re paying now.

[wilt the stilt]

1. The news media is pathetic

They should spell out what private health care is like and what the plans cost. monthly, deductibles, RX and the like. Citizens would be shocked how terrible it is.

[Honeycombe8]

2. He's smart, good looking, articulate, speaks authoritatively w/o browbeating....

in this age of cameras, those things are important and get people's attention right off the bat, before you even get to what he's saying.

Then...most people (incl. myself) don't really understand the microeconomics of all the federal programs, and don't know what should be done to help the economy. He speaks in ways that soften the blow of what he's saying. He doesn't say "we want to privatize Social Security."

To paraphrase a quote from the movie The American President...."The people drink the sand not because they don't have water. They drink the sand because they don't know the difference."

Ryan is a dangerous man. He's all the rightwing things rolled up in an attractive, articulate package, being careful not to say things that are too frightening or harsh for the average person.

[BlueStater]

4. To each their own.

I think he comes across as a creepy schmuck. He looked like a total lightweight when he was debating Joe Biden. And this opinion might not carry much weight coming from a heterosexual man, but I don't think he's all that good-looking either. Ryan Gosling is a handsome man. Paul Ryan looks like Woody from Toy Story in human form to me.


I don't know why the media continues to pretend that this little putz has any influence whatsoever. He didn't remotely help Romney when he was his running mate, as they still lost not only Wisconsin but Ryan's home town also went handily to Obama-Biden. I see nothing bright in the future for this joker. He'll thankfully never be president and I extremely doubt he'll ever win his party's nomination as well. The media still seems to think that being a failed VP candidate is somehow a plus. Didn't they learn anything from Lieberman, Edwards, and Palin?

[Honeycombe8]

8. He's head of the Budget Committee. He does have influence.

The media isn't pretending about that.

As far as good looking...he's good looking for a politician. He has a perfect body, he's physically fit, he has pretty blue eyes, a good thick head of hair...there's really nothing wrong with his face or body. To older people, they could see him as their son. To a younger woman, he wouldn't be bad as an imaginary husband. He is appealing physically, I think. He's no Ryan Gosling, but Gosling is a movie star.

I can't stand the guy, but I can recognize an attractive man when I see one, compared to other politicians (by contrast, my senator is Ted Cruz.....say no more).

[Laura PourMeADrink]

5. Agree...except for the good looking and smart and articulate part nt

[Faux pas]

6. ahem

squared!

[spanone]

9. i don't find him smart, good looking or articulate and anyone can speak authoritatively

he's an ass

[Greybnk48]

10. He's NOT smart; that's mythology.

If you watch and listen to him, he is unable to answer new or unique questions, rather, he dodges them. He is being fed information from others and he goes out and sells it. Remember one of his famous dodges "I can't explain it right now, it's too complicated." That's to perpetuate the myth.

He's also a pathological liar, in the true sense of the term. He lies even when it's not necessary. He's an extremely nasty, and shallow person as well. Just watch and listen.

[sendero]

3. Because the MSM..

... has their marching orders (including NPR) and they execute.

[Turbineguy]

7. All the functioning braincells of the republican party

are inside his skull. That's a pretty big deal.