Namig Ryan as the running mate gets people talking about "deficits, spending, size of government" ..

[YoungDemCA]

....and OFF the topics of jobs, health care, gay rights, women's rights, immigration, and the shrinking middle class.


At least, that's what the Romney team hopes.

Anyone here agree with this?

[Kalidurga]

1. Sure and that would be great...

We can talk about Mitt RomneyHood who wants to steal from the poor to give to the rich. We can talk about how Republicans want to put elderly people out on the street with their budget plans just so they don't have to raise taxes on the rich. We can talk about how Reagan expanded the MIC to the point where it is bankrupting the nation. I say bring it on.

[montanacowboy]

2. No

it will get them talking about the end of SS and Medicare

[Ikonoklast]

3. You got it in one.

It will have people asking Ryan, "Why do you want to take away my Granny's Social Security and Medicare, and make her medical care *my* financial responsibility?"

Ryan will be a disaster, because his "Coupons!" answer will just piss people off.

[woo me with science]

5. It's a brilliant move by the one percent

to make sure the public welcomes, rather than revolts against, new rounds of austerity and cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security....the traditional Third Rail of American politics.

They know Romney can't win. They know Ryan can't win.

The purpose of Ryan is to fill the election season with horror stories of what his budget would do to us, so that when Obama is reelected, the country welcomes and embraces the planned bipartisan Deficit Commission's Grand Bargain II as a humane, even generous, plan.

[joshcryer]

8. That is one high level conspiracy right threr!

No words.

[woo me with science]

10. Why conspiracy? It's politics.

They know he can't win. Why not try to get the very most of their agenda through under a Democratic President?

They are trying to ease us into austerity. They fear public resistance to that.

How do you get the public to welcome austerity? By scaring them with much worse, and then coming to the rescue with what they originally would have screamed bloody murder about.

It's not conspiracy. It's logic. And it's a very familiar page from their playbook.

[joshcryer]

11. They know their only chance is divisiveness.

Ryan was chosen for that reason and that reason alone. We're loving that they're picking Ryan and it will only lead to the right wingers hating us for it and rallying around him. It's that fucking simple.

There is no fucking way any rational person would think that they're sabotaging themselves so that Obama can usher in their policies. There is nothing logical about such hilariousness. It's beyond hilarious, it's just mind bogglingly stupid.

[sibelian]

16. That does sound convincing.

[flamingdem]

4. Namig sounds like a Muslim n/t

[CJCRANE]

6. If you talk about deficits

you need to talk about taxes, healthcare spending, supply-side vs demand-side economics (i.e. trickledown fairy dust vs investment in education, infrastructure etc) so I don't think there'll much change in emphasis from the Dem side.

[standingtall]

7. Ryan

Wasn't he in congress during the Bush years? And voted for every Bush policy that got us a huge national debt in the first place? And according to wing nuts this guy is suppose to be a budget hawk? Why just because he wants to destroy medicare, and give more to the rich? Which will not reduce the debt, but instead increase it.

[JDPriestly]

9. Wrong. It gets seniors talking about Medicare and Social Security,

two programs that keep us alive.

[aquart]

12. Well, for a day or two while we wind up the Olympics.

Romney murders wives and Ryan slaughters grannies.

[Cali_Democrat]

13. Romney is trying to rev up his base with the Ryan pick

The problem is that it will alienate seniors .

It's a stupid pick and he will be blown out in the fall.

[Douglas Carpenter]

14. EVERYONE wants to cut spending - until it gets specific - Ryan gets specific

Even during the 1980 Reagan/Carter debate Reagan got indignant when Carter suggested he was going to cut programs people needed - of course not - "I'm only going to cut 'waste and abuse'," replied Reagan. He won that argument because he went out of his way to avoid any specifics. Republicans always win arguments about spending cuts when they can convince people that they are only going to cut "waste and abuse." Ryan's public record and public plan gets very specific and leaves no room for vague generalities about cutting "waste and abuse."

Furthermore Ryan is proposing lowering the tax rate on wealthiest Americans step by step until it is down to 28%. No independent sourcess believe that Ryan's proposals will reduce the deficit - All Agree that they will massively reduce taxes on the very rich.

[Zalatix]

15. Whatever brakes the Police Gangs and Media put to slow down Occupy just fell off.

For Occupy, it's full speed ahead as soon as Romney and Ryan officially go to bat against Obama.

[davidpdx]

17. He voted for TARP and the auto bailout

The media needs to f-ing grill him on that. If he's so conservative and worried about deficits, then why did he vote for those. Also when is he going to release his taxes and how many years?