Kaleidoscope
By Perry Diaz
Finally, Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, picked his vice presidential running mate – Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the golden boy of the Tea Party movement. Indeed, it’s arguably the best news for the conservative wing of the Republican Party since the GOP primary season began when several conservatives joined the selection for the party’s presidential nominee. But the victory of Romney – whom his primary rivals derisively called “that moderate from Massachusetts” – dampened the spirit of many Republican conservatives who believe that the flip-flopping Romney doesn’t represent their “core values.”
The selection of Ryan is also the best news for the Obama re-election campaign because it would make the 2012 presidential election a remake of the 2008 contest when the Republicans pitted a McCain-Palin ticket against an Obama-Biden ticket. However, Ryan is much farther to the right than Sarah Palin. Indeed, Ryan is viewed as a Libertarian extremist.
I predicted the selection of Ryan months ago because I believe that Ryan would energize the conservative base – particularly the right wing – to come out for the Republican ticket on Election Day. As proven before, if the conservatives don’t like the Republican presidential candidate, they stay home rather than vote for him. So, as in the past two decades when the GOP nominated a presidential candidate who didn’t fully possess credentials acceptable to the conservatives, Romney had to pick Ryan, the ultra-conservative and darling of the Tea Party.
Indeed, Ryan’s ascension to the coveted vice presidential slot is a repeat of the past when centrist or moderate Republican presidential candidates had to pander to the extreme right to get their support. It happened when George H.W. Bush picked an unknown, Sen. Dan Quayle, as his running mate, whose only political credential was that of a right-wing conservative. Then his son, George W. Bush – who conveniently labeled himself as a “compassionate conservative” – picked neo-conservative Dick Cheney whom the right-wingers adored. And lastly, Sen. John McCain picked Gov. Sarah Palin, the ultra right-wing creationist that energized the GOP conservatives who branded McCain as too liberal.
The selection of Ryan could unify the GOP conservative base behind him. However, Romney’s dilemma is how to attract the independents to support a Romney-Ryan ticket? Given that Obama has a lock on at least 65% of the Democratic base, Romney needs a majority of independents to win the election. But the problem is that independents are by a large number, moderate. They vote for the candidate who balances himself in the center of the political spectrum. And this is where Romney treads a dangerous course. If he veers too close to the center, the right-wingers would be disappointed and stay home. If he veers too far to the right, the independents would go for Obama.
But Romney’s problem is that Obama has already positioned himself in the center. His Democratic base is solidly behind him. He has strong support from women voters because of his stand on contraception and other women issues. He made huge inroads into the minority communities particularly the Hispanic Americans who support him with a stunning 70% acceptance to Romney’s 22%. He excited the young adults with his stand on student loans. And his Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – ObamaCare – has attracted women, young adults under 25 years of age, senior citizens, and the uninsured. All in all, he appears to have achieved the 80-40 magic formula to win the election; that is, 80% of non-white voters and 40% of white voters.
Romney presidency
That was bad enough for Romney. But teaming up with Ryan is like pouring gasoline on a burning house! It dooms his quest for the White House. With Ryan on the ticket, the election would all be about tax cuts for the wealthy, the future of Medicare, and other vital programs like Medicaid and food stamps. Indeed, Romney’s adoption of Ryan’s budget plan. “A Roadmap for America’s Future,” is indicative of what a Romney presidency would look like. The New York Times called it “the most extreme budget plan passed by a House of Congress in modern times.”
In my article, “Wisconsinizing America” (June 15, 2012), I wrote: “Romney, in trying to defend the Ryan budget plan, commented during a Wisconsin radio show that the budget plan ‘does not balance the budget on the backs of the poor and the elderly. It instead preserves Medicare and Social Security.’ But as one pundit said, ‘Paul Ryan’s budget plan is simply brutal towards the poor and working families. Romney doesn’t have to like it, but he really shouldn’t lie about it.’ Yes, it’s so brutal that Ryan would take at least $3.3 trillion — or 62% — of $5.3 trillion in non-defense budget cuts over 10 years from programs for the poor.
“According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the $3.3 trillion includes the following four categories of cuts:
- $2.4 trillion in reductions from Medicaid and other health care for people with low or moderate incomes.
- $134 billion in cuts to SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program.
- At least $463 billion in cuts in mandatory programs serving low-income Americans (other than Medicaid and SNAP).
- At least $291 billion in cuts in low-income discretionary programs.
“In addition, Ryan’s budget plan would also cause tens of millions to lose their health insurance. It would also make it harder for low-income students to get a college education. It would also make cuts to transportation infrastructure, which is sorely needed to rehabilitate or repair thousands of old freeways and bridges.
“But what he did would not touch defense spending. Considering that American combat forces are scheduled to leave Afghanistan in 2014, the budget for defense should pare down. And lest I forget, Ryan’s ‘tax reform’ would cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires while shifting the tax burden to the middle class.
“And what Romney didn’t tell the people is that ‘preserving’ Medicare is not really preserving it in the true meaning of the word. What Ryan had planned for was to turn Medicare into a voucher program without the guaranteed benefits. It would also bring back Medicare’s Part D prescription drug ‘donut-hole,’ which would hurt the elderly who subsist on their Social Security checks.”
Scary detour
Ryan’s “roadmap” would hurt the middle class Americans who are struggling to survive the residual effect of the Great Recession, which was triggered by the Bush administration’s bad deregulation policies that caused the galactic meltdown of the financial institutions in 2008. By picking Ryan, many believe that Romney is taking America on a scary detour to the failed policies of the past. Is he?
With less than 90 days to election, the battle between Obama and Romney sharply contrasts where they stand. Obama projects a brighter vision of the future with his centrist policies while Romney vows to cut corporate taxes and shift the tax burden to the middle class.
The question is: Is America heading towards an oligarchic plutocracy where government is run by the few and wealthy? With the infusion of Super PAC money from big business into the Romney campaign, it seems that America has reached that time when Plato predicted a clash between democracy and oligarchy 2,300 years ago.
Perry,
As a Fil-Am Republican, I hope they win this November. However, I don’t think they will. Mitt Romney has a better chance of winning had he only picked Sen. Marco Rubio as his running mate. Rubio would have helped secure a great number of Latino votes. Personally, I think Romney blew it. But I want you to know that I also like Sen. Paul Ryan. He’s a fiscalizer who can help solve the country’s unsustainable debts and deficits. Someone who’ll assail that, for political reasons, should have his head examined.
Honestly, I want to be realistic about the U.S. election now and in the next generation for it’s a fact that we have to accept: No presidential candidate would be elected President of the United States without support from the Latino community. With the Latinos’ dominance in electoral vote-rich states like California, Texas, Florida and other Southwestern states that traditionally vote Democrat, Republicans, unless they have a candidate in the same mold of Ronald Reagan or Dwight Eisenhower, just don’t stand a chance.
Don
Hi Don,
I am still a Republican, although I now consider myself an “independent” Republican. This is because the Republican Party that I know of is dead! The Tea Party has taken over the party of Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush.
I’ve been an active Republican leader for 25 years since 1983. I was appointed by President George H.W. Bush as a board member of a Federal agency and Gov. George Deukmejian appointed me to an executive position during his administration. Nobody gets such appointments without proven Republican credentials.
It was during the presidency of Reagan that the GOP opened its door to minorities. Latinos and other minorities — Asians, African-Americans, Filipinos — were welcome to the GOP’s “big tent.” But not anymore. Non-white Republicans are abandoning the GOP that is now dominated by the Tea Party. Like one Republican pundit said, Reagan and Bush Sr. wouldn’t fit into the new GOP today.
The GOP today is no longer the Grand Old Party of Lincoln but the Grand Obstruction Party of the Tea Party. Republican politicians are no serving their constituents but are beholden to Grover Norquist. They have become the agents of big business in Congress serving the interests of the likes of the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson, and other billionaires. The U.S. government would become an oligarchic plutocracy if Romney won the election.
I can go on and on but this will do for now, my friend. But take this from a Republican who had seen the inside of the party for 25 years.
Best,
Perry
This election is
Although I am a registered Democrat, I have always voted an Independent. Like a lot of others, I enjoy listening to candidates and their supporters. I follow the polls and listen to and read with amusement political analyses from the broadcast and printed media. But I never take any of what they say seriously. So how do I decide whom to vote for? I study the candidates’ body language. As Edward Hall says in “The Silent Language,” 65% of all communication is non-verbal. From the tone of their voice, their facial expression, their gestures and even the slightest twist in their facial muscles, you can tell how sincere, how confident and how knowledgeable they are. Of course, some of them are good actors but in nonverbal communication, there is a limit to how far you can fake it. I started being a student of body language in 1960 when watching John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon debate each other I got hooked. Join me in this game. It’s a lot of fun.
The Rev. Dr. Federico I. Agnir
6119 Weatherwood Circle
Wesley Chapel, FL 33545
(Sent by email)
Dear Rev. Agnir,
Thanks for your insightful comment. I, too, is a believer in body language, which always speaks the truth.
Best,
Perry
I guess the wimp factor that Newsweek spoke about Romney, last week, made him react and got someone who, obviously is not a wimp, but dumb. How could anyone consider an extremist? I hope you’re right, Perry.
I’m curious why you “left” your Republican Party where you were once a stalwart worker? Perhaps, I’m making a wrong assumption about your leaving the RP.
Thank you for the good analyst you’re bringing to the table..
Be well.
Rev. Dr. A.C. Ubalde, Jr.
(Sent by email)
Dear Rev. Dr. Ubalde,
I never left the GOP. I’m still a registered Republican, albeit an “independent” Republican like many who were turned off by the Tea Party takeover. I supported Obama in 2008 — and openly endorsed him — after McCain picked Sarah Palin for his VP running mate. I was right of my assessment of Palin then because she’s now shunned by a lot of Republican leaders including Romney.
If you look at Ryan’s budget plan including getting rid of Medicare, Social Security, food stamp program, etc., don’t you think he’d fit into the radical/extremist mold?
History tells us that no extremist, left or right, could win in a presidential election. Look at Barry Goldwater and George McGovern. The winner is always in the mold of a centrist/moderate candidate. The Republicans know that. That’s why they never nominated another ultra conservative presidential candidate since Goldwater. Even Reagan stayed close to the center. And Obama did that in 2008 and again this year. But a moderate Republican presidential candidate has to pick an ultra conservative running mate to placate the conservative wing of the party; otherwise, they’d stay home and not vote. Look at Bush Sr.-Quayle, Bush Jr.-Cheney, and McCain-Palin tickets. And now the Romney-Ryan ticket.
Best,
Perry
Hey Perry,
Sarah Palin would have been the PERFECT choice by Mitt the Twit as his VP. Both are losers. Ryan is also a loser. He merely passed two bills as a Congressman. One well-known, laughable bill of his that was passed, was something about changing a name of a Post Office, from something to something.
The other one was about “bow and arrows” taxes. Ryan, you see, is an avid bow and arrow hunter, which is a step above those gun collectors/gun nuts morons in America.
These goofy GOPs ain’t gonna win, pare. Like you, I also believe Obama will take the White House, again. He’s done a good job, a heck of a job, in fact. He especially made sure that the PALAMUNINS and PARASITES of America didn’t go hungry … and to me, that’s a good deed and a good thing.
For Romney in order to win, first he should show to the public and the American people at least 10 more years of his Income Tax Return (2010 and 2011) are NOT enough.Paul Ryan is NOT an “Economist”..his budget is purely based on the “Conservative Ideology” which will bring USA to social and economic downfall. . The Romney-Ryan Foreign Policy will surely bring USA back to the Bush Administration era.
Hi Fernando,
I agree with your assessment. Romney and Ryan don’t have any foreign policy experience. As a matter of fact, Romney’s trip to London, Israel, and Poland was a disaster! And Ryan is worse than Sarah Palin. At least Palin can see Russia from her kitchen. Hehehe….
Perry
Hi Perry,
I agree with your observation that Ryan’s selection will help Obama’s chances for re-election. My concern is the power of the seeemingly unlimited money from the rich.
Manny
Hi Manny,
I share your concern. It’s said that the Super PACs are going the spend $2 billion in the seven battleground states. You add the voter suppression project of the GOP and it’s going to be hard to overcome Romney’s advantage. I hope that the Obama campaign has devised ways to level the playing field.
Perry
its really scary because mitt romney has already appointed ryan as the ‘next president of the united states’ heh heh.
Hi Morgan,
Yep, Romney will resign on Day One and Ryan moves to the White House. God, please save the United States!
Perry
bush senior’s ‘a kinder gentler america’ appealed to me then but, he also said ‘watch my lips..no tax increase’ and guess what? well you know the answer to that.
Hi Morgan,
I like Pres. George H.W. Bush (Sr.). He appointed me as a Member of the Board of the Architectural and Transportation Barrier Compliance Board. It his son that I don’t like. He allowed Cheney and his neo-conservative friends to run the government.
Perry
If on day of election – the unemployed, underemployed and others adversely affected by unemployment will just stay home and don’t vote who do you think will benefit from their abstained votes?
I hope these people will have the courage to troop the line to exercise their right to vote, not only about the unemployment issue but other major issues as well.