Media Criticism, Political Commentary

Me, Too

9 Comments

Conservatives want to see Paul Ryan enter the race:

Ryan is the perfect 0bama foil. He is patient and kind while Obama is brittle and testy. He is utterly genuine while Obama is phony. Ryan is the boy next door, the guy you can count on. People respond warmly to him. Paul Ryan is low-key and likable while the current WH occupant is high-strung, high-maintenance and extremely arrogant. Ryan has great intellectual credentials and has always been an authentic conservative thinker. His relative youth would contrast nicely with our hapless president’s tired, old act. I think Ryan could get out there and impress voters as a modern version of Abraham Lincoln, and, God knows, we really need a person like that, somebody who is authentic, somebody who is the real deal.

While any of the current Republican candidates would be a vast improvement over the current occupant of the White House, Ryan is the only one for which I would have any enthusiasm. Fairly or not (mostly not, as a result of the continuous media attacks on her for the past three years), Palin has too many negatives with too many people to be electable (at least this cycle), and Christie has problems in my mind on Second-Amendment issues and an unwillingness to recognize the threat of Jihadism.

There are only two down sides to Ryan. It would make it harder to campaign against Obama on his previous lack of executive experience, and the president would attempt to argue that he’s now had some (I can imagine the campaign slogan: “Obama in 2012: Partway Up The Learning Curve!”). The other is that, while he’s not irreplaceable, it would be good to seem him continue as Chairman of the Budget Committee, particularly with a Republican Senate.

[Mid-morning update]

Oh, be still my heart. George Pataki is considering getting into the race. I guess he wants to compete with Huntsman for the “Democrat in Republican clothing” Republican vote. All two percent of it.

[Early afternoon update]

Too bad. Ryan’s not running. He would have been the closest serious candidate to my own views in, perhaps, my lifetime, or at least since Goldwater.

[Update a while later]

Five reasons Ryan isn’t running.

9 thoughts on “Me, Too”

  1. I would much rather Ryan stay in the House or move to the Senate rather than, at best, an 8 and out president. He’s much more valuable and effective staying where he is and gaining the power/seniority of a Kennedy or Frank.

  5. The only reason people want him to run for president is that some people mistake his name with Ron Paul’s.

  6. Rand,

    Gee, you want President Obama to be re-elected to another four years don’t you? The further the right the Republicans go the more likely the Democrats will win as the party faithful don’t determine elections, but the middle-of-the-road independents.

  7. Ryan as a VP candidate in a debate would have Biden for breakfast, lunch, dinner-and a midnight snack. He’d be a good choice for Treasury, too.

  8. The middle-of-the-road independents are disfavoring Mr. Obama by margins of two and three to one, Tom.

  9. Actually the Pew Poll numbers are 31% for President Obama, 39% for a generic Republican among independent voters.

    http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/07/28/obama_loses_re-election_support_in_new_poll.html

    Meanwhile Tea Party support among independents is declining with Utah, an early Tea Party stronghold is enlightening.

    http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/52134265-90/among-monson-party-percent.html.csp

    Poll: Tea party fatigue among independent Utah voters

    [[[Utah’s independent voters are cooling to the state’s tea party movement, with support dropping by more than half over the last several months, according to a newly released poll.]]]

    So a moderate Republican would likely win, but its questionable is any of the present pack will do well.

Comments are closed.