republican point Archives - Where Is The Outrage?

Paul Ryan

So, Republican nominee (presumptive nominee) Mitt Romney has chosen Paul Ryan, Republican financial guru and Representative from Wisconsin, to be his running mate. I don’t understand.

In the past, a vice presidential candidate was chosen because they were able to bring something to the table that nominee didn’t have. For example, Dick Cheney was the experienced politician who knew the ins and outs of Washington DC. George W. Bush was relatively young and inexperienced; therefore, Dick Cheney made sense to complete the ticket. One of the big knocks on President Barack Obama was that he didn’t have foreign-policy experience. VP Joe Biden had been in the Senate for over two decades and had extensive experience in foreign policy. He made sense. Paul Ryan simply doesn’t make sense.

Mitt Romney has been telling the American people that he should be president because he was a successful businessman who understands the economy. He’s a money guy. This is his selling card. Paul Ryan has had seven terms in the House. He has become the financial guru for the House Republicans. He’s come up with their last two budgets. So, is it logical that if one financial guru is good, two must be better? Really?

When you look at the demographics, the Republicans are in some trouble. This is the whole reason for the voter ID laws, to decrease the number of people (undesirable people, from the Republican point of view) eligible to vote. One would figure the Republican Party would somehow have to reach out to minorities. With Barack Obama in the White House, they have basically written off Blacks. Therefore, they had to appeal to Latinos. I don’t see how Paul Ryan’s going to appeal to Latinos.

Then, of course, there is another large constituency to court – women. Republicans, as a rule, have done everything in their power to alienate all women. So, one would figure that Republicans would do something to try to win over the hearts and minds of at least some women. I don’t see how Paul Ryan does this all.

What does Paul Ryan bring to the table? What group does he solidify? To me, the answer is obvious. Ann Coulter almost had a meltdown on the set of Hannity just the other day. If she represents the conscience of the Republican Party, then the Republican Party is not all that happy with Mitt Romney. So, Mitt Romney had to choose someone who would tell the Republican Party that he’s conservative enough. This is exactly like Mitt Romney going to the NAACP and talking to the conservative base because he didn’t talk to the audience of NAACP members. He continues to try to convince the Republican base that he is one of them. This pick was to try to solidify the Republican base. I also find it interesting that he made the announcement before the convention. Now, the convention has only one purpose, to solidify the base.

GOP supporting a Consumer Protection Agency would be news

When was the last time the GOP stood up for anything to help the average American? I can’t think of anything, but maybe you can. In order for the GOP to tell you that they support the average American you have to use some mental gymnastics — by trying to create an environment where big business can trounce any individual initiative or entitlement, big business can then hire more people, so… therefore (here it comes) they support the American people. This is what the GOP has been arguing for over three decades.

So it comes as no shock that Republicans are going to oppose the new consumer financial protection agency.

From HuffPo:

Senate Republicans are determined to prevent the creation of an independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency because they consider it as threatening as their current arch-nemesis regulator: the Environmental Protection Agency.

Consumer advocates, meanwhile, say the CFPA must have strong, independent authority to craft and enforce rules. Anything less, they argue, would be too much of a concession to banks that have gotten enough already.

“From the Republican point of view, the idea of a separate agency is still anathema,” said Sen. Robert Bennett of Utah, a senior Republican on the banking committee. An independent agency, he said, can go too far in the direction of tight regulation without taking into account the effect of the rules it creates on business and the economy. He said he’s seen it happen before.

“Can you say EPA?” he asked, lifting his eyebrows. The Republican Party has regretted for years that President Richard Nixon made the EPA independent. (more…)