The selection of Paul Ryan, the Republican representative from Wisconsin as the Vice-presidential running-mate, is an exhilarating sign. It may signal a new beginning for America, or the death of the republic as we know it. Rep. Ryan (R-Wisconsin), has served as the chairman of the Congressional budget committee during this congress, and has a long history as a realist about what it will take for this economy to survive. Namely, drastic reforms of entitlement spending. Entitlements currently obligate two-thirds of the national budget. The fact that entitlement reform might now be the defining issue of this election jeopardizes the very survival of this nation. The issue strikes at the very heart of the American electorate, where the aging baby-boomers are also this country’s “likely voters demographic". This means that the Romney/Ryan ticket must be prepared to launch a propaganda campaign not seen since the likes of the Federalist Papers. At least with the Federalists, Madison, Hamilton, and Jay, had the advantage of not having an already prejudiced citizenry and an honest media to report the unexpected rewrite of the U.S. Constitution. We have a dilemma today; our national conscience changes very slowly – we want our stuff! Especially when “that stuff” has been promised to us as workers, and law abiding citizens who have done everything asked of us. We work our 40 quarters, our 50 weeks per year, and 40 hours during each of those weeks. We expect our piece of the retirement pie as a return on our time and sweat equity. Yes; we want to save this country that we love so much for our children and their children, but “I need to get mine first, and that is that!”
The beauty of our founding is that this thought process is built into the safeguards of our system. Adam Smith based his examination of the wealth of nations - better known as Capitalism, on human nature and tendencies – including, looking out for number one. He, as did the founders, knew that "the pursuit of (individual) happiness", could work to the benefit and prosperity of the whole society; so he went about designing such an economic system. Tocqueville later observed that a set of long-standing American mores were stronger than its codified law, and in many ways is responsible for how the nation moved forward and developed. In short, our society or people won’t see things differently anytime soon, so leave those entitlements in place - but please address the them!
So this exhilaration I personally feel is obviously mistook for a feeling of impending doom for the Romney/Ryan ticket. Unless of course, Romney, Ryan, their surrogates, and the GOP, can launch a 21st century Federalist Papers-styled campaign over the next 88 days! Romney needs to reach the 55 and older baby-boomer population (107.6 million, or 31 percent of the population by 2030) with the truth about the Ryan reforms –starting NOW, not tomorrow! Although there is already a hint that VP candidate Ryan is declaring himself a purveyor of the Romney plan, and not his own better known, more polarizing plan, the media will never let that be the Romney/Ryan message on its own. They need to market like mad!
Of course the upside for the citizenry is, if the GOP ticket pulls it off correctly, a very honest upcoming debate about the economy and a clear choice of political direction that hasn’t been witnessed since Reagan, or attempted in full execution as far back as JFK. Yes in one fell swoop, Romney has a chance to fully engage voters into determining their own informed destiny while saving the country from more idealogical progressive damage. The GOP and Romney must do it through the media by making provocative news, painting contrasts with Obama, challenging Obama publically, and a daring new set of Federalist Papers to inform the not-so-apathetic (on this issue hopefully) electorate. Maybe they can call them, “The Entitlement Papers (hopefully something catchier)?
No comments:
Post a Comment