Ryan: Romney's Libertarian
Trojan Horse May Bolt (News, Switzerland)
"It is entirely possible that Romney chose his vice presidential candidate as a consolation prize for Ron Paul, and hopes this will dampen the discord or even make it disappear. ... The question is whether Ryan's loyalty to a would-be President Romney will be stronger that his fealty toward his hallowed political positions. It is quite possible that this Libertarian 'consolation price' will be a huge detriment for Romney."
Wisconson House member Paul Ryan: A true believer in modern American conservatism, will he be a modern version of Rome's Cato the Younger, dedicated to his ideals - whatever the consequences to himself and his nation? Or will he, with Mitt Romney, play ball with the opposition, in a town where the art of the deal already appears to be a distant memory?
After the Republican vice presidential candidate proved
such an embarrassment four years ago, candidate Mitt Romney has steered clear any
such candidate this time around. Instead, he chose, superficially speaking, a
copy of himself: Paul Ryan, White, male, conservative. But Ryan offers much
more.
Because Paul Ryan, a child of the Midwest, who represents
the cheese and milk state of Wisconsin in the House of Representatives, is
decidedly libertarian - and one of the Ayn Rand
variety. It is a political movement primarily represented by Texas Representative
and Mitt Romney rival - Ron Paul. Paul is considered the intellectual godfather
of the Tea Party movement, and passionately champions the libertarian message
that the state should stay out of everything, drugs should be liberalized,
military operations abroad should be abolished, and everyone should support
themselves with their own work - not welfare.
Posted by Worldmeets.US
Positions among libertarians cover a very broad spectrum
indeed, and range from radical conservatism to anarchism. But in one respect,
they are more or less in agreement: The government should be smaller - much
smaller.
Ron Paul had announced, despite having no real chance of
being chosen as the Republican nominee, that he would gather delegates for the party
nomination and appear at the Republican National Convention to present his
points, because for many libertarians, Romney is just as much a product of
rotten government as the Democrat Obama. It is entirely possible that Romney
chose his vice presidential candidate as a consolation prize for Ron Paul, and
hopes this will dampen the discord or even make it disappear.
But the libertarian agenda, considered radical by
ordinary politicians, may not only win supporters for Romney (who wouldn't have
voted for Obama anyway), it may also frighten voters who fear the movement's
clear rejection of social solidarity. The bottom line fundamental libertarian
belief is that people who benefit from public support should never have
received it in the first place because: a) they do nothing in return and, b)
are to blame for their own situation. So the elderly, sick, and those who
haven't put aside a small fortune to pay their doctors, should remain silent
and die, or hope for charitable contributions.
If assistance is given, it should only be on a voluntary,
private basis. Government redistribution, compulsory health insurance (a major issue
is the repeal of Obama's health care reform), and yes, even public education,
is a horror to many Ron Paul (and Paul Ryan) supporters. The movement considers
the U.S. Federal Reserve to be the seat of all the world's evils. On the other hand,
individual responsibility and unlimited individual and economic freedom are core
values that should be reinstated - like the gold standard. Once these have been
reintroduced, society would automatically and immediately function much
effectively.
For many, such statements are not only enticing, but are announced in the
form of a religious mantra. All the evils of the past few years are supposedly
rooted in government intervention. The economic crisis, the debt crisis and
probably even climate change are blamed
on a botched, wasteful state - and by no means on the relaxation of government regulation
over the banking sector and decades of deregulation that followed Reagan's
"conservative revolution."
Despite
their policy similarities, Ron Paul supporters assert
dissatisfaction
with the Ryan pick, as is evidenced by this
graphic
from the pro-Ron Paul group Patriots and Paulies.
Whether such politics (the practitioners of which happily support many of Paul's
ideas) would lead to a utopia of freedom and happiness or a neo-feudal society,
should be left to the political debate. But with Ryan, who has already worked
very actively to deconstruct the U.S. health and social systems, Romney has
taken aboard a running mate that may more strongly determine the direction of
his campaign than he would like, and could badly strain his evident capacity to
compromise. After all, the relatively young 42-year-old Ryan has greater
political ambitions than the vice presidency. The question is whether his
loyalty to a would-be President Romney will be stronger that his fealty toward his
hallowed political positions. It is quite possible that this Libertarian "consolation
price" will be a huge detriment for Romney.
