I think that this logo suggested by the Democratic Underground captures the economic and political philosophy of the Republican ticket perfectly.
Democratic Underground
Why Mitt Romney picked Paul Ryan is still being puzzled and even fretted over, especially by Republican party insiders. Gossip is emerging that Romney picked him over his advisers’ recommendations.
Another Republican in conversation with the campaign — though not a member of the inner circle of Romney advisers — said the early skeptics tended to be the political professionals, including consultants Stuart Stevens and Russ Schriefer, and pollster Neil Newhouse, while Myers, foreign policy advisor Dan Senor, and ultimately Romney himself favored Ryan.
One has to take these leaks with a huge amount of salt because they are usually deliberate and meant to advance a narrative rather than be true. In this case, I can think of three purposes. One is to help Romney shed his image of a weak leader swayed by the winds, by making him look decisive and bold. He may have feared that people might think he picked Ryan because he was scared of the backlash from the Tea Party. Another is to shore up his credentials with the extremists in his party, that he is truly one of them by being willing to pick Ryan over the need to choose an alleged ‘moderate’. The third is to inoculate the advisors from any blame if the choice goes horribly wrong
Perhaps the truth is more banal. People do tend to want around them those they feel are like them and are personally comfortable with. Ryan seems like the kind of person Romney would have hired at Bain, ambitious, eager to please those who have power, willing to rationalize greed, and lacking any empathy for the adverse effects on the lives of those affected by his decisions.
Four years ago Obama was being critized for not being part of the military. Mittens never signed up, he had a religious exemption. Obama was also critized for not running a business. Ryan has been paid by taxpayers all his life and never ran a business.
Funny how many things the cons critize Obama for that they themselves have also done.
“Gekko/Galt 2012”
The truth may indeed be as banal as you say but I prefer to think that Romney chose the only one of the possibilities who has any personality at all. I mean Tim Pawlenty? Bobby Jindal? What’s his name from Ohio?
Unfortunately Ryan has more personality than Romney -- and not in a good way. If the democrats were smart (which I don’t think they are) this would be a wonderful gift!
There’s also the possibility that Ryan is a ‘scapegoat’ pick. Romney thinks that he can’t win, so he picks a controversial running mate to lay the blame on when he loses (it can’t be his fault after all). Plus, I can’t see Ryan drawing any demographic that Romney doesn’t already have shored up, and the pick will certainly cost him votes among the elderly.
/ just a thought
Michael Dukakis actually served in the military (the army, post-war Korea) and the republicans mocked it. Military service and lack of military service are only an “issue” when it benefits them.
This is amusing, but let’s look at the net worths of leading lights of the Democratic party as well, no? Diane Feinstein, whose family fortune includes a big stake in a company described as the “Democratic Blackwater”.