Robert Reich on The Ryan Choice

[LongTomH]

Paul Ryan is the reverse of Sarah Palin. She was all right-wing flash without much substance. He’s all right-wing substance without much flash.

Ryan is not a firebrand. He’s not smarmy. He doesn’t ooze contempt for opponents or ridicule those who disagree with him. In style and tone, he doesn’t even sound like an ideologue – until you listen to what he has to say.

It’s here — in Ryan’s views and policy judgments — we find the true ideologue. More than any other politician today, Paul Ryan exemplifies the social Darwinism at the core of today’s Republican Party: Reward the rich, penalize the poor, let everyone else fend for themselves. Dog eat dog.

//snip

Ryan’s views are pure social Darwinism. As William Graham Sumner, the progenitor of social Darwinism in America, put it in the 1880s: “Civilization has a simple choice.” It’s either “liberty, inequality, survival of the fittest” or “not-liberty, equality, survival of the unfittest. The former carries society forward and favors all its best members; the latter carries society downwards and favors all its worst members.”

//snip

But there’s reason to believe Romney also agrees with Ryan’s social Darwinism. Romney accuses President Obama of creating an “entitlement society” and thinks government shouldn’t help distressed homeowners but instead let the market “hit the bottom.” And although Romney has carefully avoided specifics in his own economic plan, he has said he’s “very supportive” of Ryan’s budget plan. “It’s a bold and exciting effort, an excellent piece of work, very much needed … very consistent with what I put out earlier.”

Read the rest here: http://robertreich.org/post/29215926175

[Angry Dragon]

1. Why are assholes allowed to run for public office??

[Freddie]

2. Robert Reich should run for President; 2016?

Of all the pundits out there he has the best observations and is right on the $$ 100% of the time. Incredibly smart and astute.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. He's too short

Of course that shouldn't matter, but we know that it does.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

4. Well then...

at least let's get him his own TV show. He's brilliant, correct and does as well in front of a camera as in print.

[DavidDvorkin]

5. That's a great idea.

[Xyzse]

6. He was going to be my write in candidate

I kept saying a little over last year that I would prefer voting for him as a write in than any one else.

That was till all this craziness with the GOP has been going on. I didn't realize then how crazy their candidate became.

[Bill USA]

7. recommended!