This post is the third in a three post series. Click for part one and part two.
Though the press has made much of the notion that Paul Ryan is a “conservative of the libertarian kind,” I actually believe just the opposite. Within the Republican Party there are two competing ideologies: traditional conservatism emphasizing fiscal temperance and constrained government on the one side, and neo-conservatism with an emphasis on social legislation and foreign influence on the other. I believe not only that Paul Ryan is firmly in the camp of the neo-conservatives, but also that he is the pivotal figure in the neo-conservative metapmorphosis of the Republican Party. In my view, the selection of Paul Ryan as Romney’s running mate is an indication that the neo-conservatives believe that their transformation of the Republican Party is assured and they are ready to challenge the Democrats on their own turf: Establishing, Embracing and Controlling Big Government.
The real tell that this is the moment the neo-conservatives have been building toward can be seen by comparing
Ron Paul on Jay Leno September 4, 2012
Would it be disrespectful of me to say that Ron Paul gets more adorable all the time? I’m beginning to agree with my 83-year-old mother who says, “That Ron Paul – He’s a cutie!” [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr4R_Q6aDbQ] And speaking of cute, I found this video of a backstage interview after Ron Paul’s Leno appearance in December. Enjoy… … Read more