Paul Ryan has been selected as Mitt Romney's running mate for the 2012 election. As I'm not going to be voting for either Mittens or Ryan it's hard for me to summon up a whole lot of excitement about it. I'm convinced- and forgive me for dropping into wonk-speak- of the following: there's an entrenched system of business-political-media/cultural interests that don't give a damn about the balance sheet of the nation. (And benefits both political parties.) They don't care that we've got a 19th Century government in a slowly emerging 21st Century post-industrial economy. They've got a good thing going with the status quo that allows them to accumulate money and power and neither four years of Mittens and Ryan or for more years of President Obama are going to change that. And until we do change that, nothing done gonna change, children- we need politicians who are willing not just to challenge the status quo but break it completely.
That said, from a political science point of view, I think this is a good pick for Mittens. Agree or disagree with Ryan (I would lean towards disagree) he's serious about right the fiscal ship and reforming entitlements for the 21st Century. The onus is now on the President to produce his plan for doing the same thing- reforming entitlements and getting us back to fiscal sanity can no longer wait.
If Mittens wanted to define his candidacy and draw a strong contrast with the President, this pick does it. Whether it's to his benefit or not remains to be seen.
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