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
Paul Ryan Is Just Another Establishment Neo-Con…
Despite all the histrionics coming from the Republican Party, Paul Ryan doesn’t bridge the gaps between Neo-conservatives, Tea Partiers & Libertarians. I even suspect the big story, “Kevin McCarthy’s Benghazi gaffe roils House speaker race,” was deliberately rolled out by the Establishment to position Paul Ryan as a reluctant hero who can make extraordinary demands … Read more