Paul Ryan’s big speech: Misleading, out of touch, and filled with tired talking points

[ProSense]

Paul Ryan’s big speech: Misleading, out of touch, and filled with tired talking points

By Greg Sargent

Let’s just go through some of the high points of Paul Ryan’s big speech today, which is called: “Saving the American Idea: Rejecting Fear, Envy and the Politics of Division.” Here’s the transcript as prepared for delivery.

To my great disappointment, it appears that the politics of division are making a big comeback. Many Americans share my disappointment...

I don’t know what Ryan means by “many,” but majorities of Americans completely reject this interpretation of what Obama and Dems are doing. A recent Fox News poll asked, leadingly, whether people think Obama’s “political strategy for reelection is designed to bring people together with a hopeful message” or to “drive people apart with a partisan message.” Fifty six percent chose the former; only 32 percent — Ryan’s “many” — chose the latter.

More Ryan:

Just last week, the President told a crowd in North Carolina that Republicans are in favor of, quote, “dirtier air, dirtier water, and less people with health insurance.” Can you think of a pettier way to describe sincere disagreements between the two parties on regulation and health care?

Yes, I can: The entire premise of this very speech. The accusation that Obama and Dems are sowing “envy” and ”class warfare” because they’re taking modest steps to slow trends that have severely exacerbated inequality for decades is as petty and small minded as it gets. Politics is a tough business, and it’s supposed to be all about an aggressive clash of visions. Deal with it.

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More Ryan:

Obama quotes Reagan as saying that bus drivers shouldn’t pay a higher effective tax rate than millionaires. Well, that’s a no-brainer. Nobody disagrees with that.

Wait, so does this mean one hundred percent of Republicans agree with the “Buffett Rule”? Now there’s some news!

more

Krugman:

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Just for the record: why is this petty? Why is it anything but a literal description of GOP proposals to weaken environmental regulation and repeal the Affordable Care Act?

I mean, to the extent that the GOP has a coherent case on environmental regulation, it is that the economic payoff from weaker regulation would more than compensate for the dirtier air and water. Is anyone really claiming that less regulation won’t mean more pollution?

And Republicans have not proposed anything that would make up for the loss of the measures in the ACA that would lead to more people being insured. Let me also point out that whatever else you think of it, Romneycare — which is essentially the same as the ACA — clearly has sharply reduced the number of uninsured people in Massachusetts.

So Ryan is outraged,outraged, that Obama is offering a wholly accurate description of his party’s platform.

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[livetohike]

1. The truth hurts, doesn't it Ryan? n/t

[jenmito]

2. Yup. They showed a clip of it on MSNBC where he said OBAMA is trying to divide Americans, as if

it's not the REPUBS. who have been going against everything Obama has proposed, even rejecting things Obama proposed that Repubs. used to be in favor of. They are masters at lying and finding talking points that they think will benefit them. Like the way Rove told them to use "unions" instead of "teachers and firefighters" or "job creators" instead of "the rich." They have no shame. :eyes:

[Scuba]

3. Paul Ryan is a small blob of santorum. n/t

[dragonlady]

4. This just might be his last term in Congress

A recent email from his challenger, Rob Zerban, a self-made businessman and current county supervisor:

I wondered when I began this race against Paul Ryan if I was all alone. I was horrified by what Scott Walker and Republicans in Congress were doing (and I am still horrified!). This group of politicians could not be more wrong and I wanted to stop talking about our problems and do something about it.

... The campaign also just opened a new headquarters in downtown Kenosha at 5712 6th Avenue, with others to follow. I look forward to meeting my Kenosha area supporters in the office and continue to work with you all to build grassroots momentum.

All this work is not going unnoticed. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has added me to the list of Democrats who "are putting the House in play."

Website: http://www.robzerban.com/

[and-justice-for-all]

5. All they have is FAIL...

the same trite nonsense and bullshit they have been peddling for years.