"An Extreme Choice": Touting Ayn Rand, GOP Pick Paul Ryan Backs Dismantling New Deal.

[Lars77]

As Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney names Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his vice presidential running mate, we speak with two Wisconsinites about the seven-term congressman's record, and how his views are influenced by the controversial philosopher, Ayn Rand. "This is not necessarily a foolish choice by Romney," says John Nichols, political writer for The Nation magazine. "It is an extreme choice and it does define the national Republican Party toward a place where the Wisconsin Republican Party is — which is very anti-labor, willing to make deep cuts in education, public services, and frankly, very combative on issues like voter ID and a host of other things that really go to the core question of how successful and how functional our democracy will be." Ryan is chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee and architect of a controversial budget plan to cut federal spending by more than $5 trillion over the next 10 years. "Ryan gets a lot of mileage for understanding so-called the budget and economics," says Matthew Rothschild, editor and publisher of The Progressive magazine. "But if you look closely, he doesn't really get it." Democrats argue Ryan's planned Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security reform would essentially dismantle key components of the social safety net.

[nichomachus]

1. No way they want to dismantle the New Deal

They want to dismantle The Enlightenment.

[wxgeek7]

2. How can anyone trust him

How can anyone trust a guy to do what's best for the country, when he follows the selfish, individualistic, anti-government ayn rand? I mean, if he follows her, then that means he's looking out for number one...himself.

[lumpy]

3. Videos of Ayn Rand's interviews should be plastered all over TV, internet and all media,

showing the strong connection to Paul Ryan's concepts and philosophy. Time to wake up the world to the dangers of this insane thought.

[tclambert]

4. Bush wasn't bad enough. They want to take us back to the good old days of Herbert Hoover.

[wxgeek7]

5. All in the Family

Great sitcom btw! Kind of ironic that Carroll O'Connor had a degree in english/speech. But it probably helped him make Archie Bunker more believable.