The side shows at the convention were scarier than at most circuses. Two conventioneers threw peanuts at a black CNN cameraman saying, "this is how we feed animals." The crowd listened intently as New Mexico Governor Susan Martinez spoke of helping her family security business, as an 18 year old, by guarding a church parking lot during a bingo game. But they rose to their feet when she told them that her father wanted her to have protection, so he gave her a Smith and Wesson 38 magnum. Finally, Senator McCain advocated delaying the withdrawal of troups from Afghanistan and taking a role in the Syrian conflict.
Ryan's performance in the center ring was a crowd pleaser. There was no "communication breakdown" for the Led Zeppelin fan. He had a calm, optimistic delivery. Unlike his running mate, he can even be funny. The speech was well crafted, at one point almost poetic, "grasping at the
moment that has already passed, like a ship trying to sail on yesterday's wind." The discussion of his mother was a more effective appeal to women than the more blatant approach by Ann Romney.
But if the devil is in the details than the Congressman is not on "the stairway to heaven. " The GM plant that Ryan eulogizes was set to close before Obama took office, too late to be helped by the GM bailout that Romney opposed. Obama's plan extends the life of the Medicare Trust by 8 years. These are but a few of the misstatements. More importantly, for all his talk of hard choices, Ryan did not describe any of them. Everyone generically likes reduced government spending and lower taxes. But the actual cuts in government spending hurt the middle class and the working poor, while tax cuts favor the rich. Deregulation helps some companies but often at the expense of the public. If it sounds like George Bush, all I can say is "the song remains the same."
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