Romney Picks Ryan: Another Sarah Palin Moment?

You’ll forgive me if Saturday morning I was more concerned with the Olympics and the raccoon we captured in the attic than Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate.

Some have asked the question rather hopefully: Is Paul Ryan as bad a pick as Sarah Palin was for John McCain four years ago. Brace yourselves, I’m about to give a very confused answer…

Paul Ryan has more experience than Sarah Palin having served in Congress for six terms. So give experience to Mr. Ryan.

Mr. Ryan can also articulate his position on any number of issues, which should prevent a replay of the Palin-Biden debate where she kept cycling back to energy policy, which turned off a Republican friend of mine.

On these two scores, Paul Ryan is no Sarah Palin.

But Ryan does have one potentially ominous thing in common with Sarah Palin. He has inspired a great amount of excitement and energy among the conservative base. Romney perhaps needed to shore up his support among conservatives, so mission accomplished.

Trouble is, there’s really no in-between with the Ryan budget plan, your either madly in love with it, or it stirs feelings of contempt within your soul. Much like Sarah Palin.

Base picks are great for the base, not so great when they create a fury among 30-40% of the population. It will be interesting to see how the Romney campaign deals with the Paul Ryan effect.

 

The Problem With Debate Policy

The Republican Presidential debate has produced some interesting sound-bites and late night comic fodder, but has it really produced much in terms of meaningful policy substance.

 I mean its’ great to tell the audience that your not Barack Obama in all, but what has any presidential candidate offered in terms of policy. When I say policy, I mean policy that can be enacted within the first few weeks of a new administration?

 Herman Cain has surged to the front of the pack for the simplicity of his 9-9-9 plan, but does he have the support to enact it within Congress? I’ve heard more talk about Mitt Romney’s gardener than policy substance. America needs substance, not three year olds throwing tantrums.

Debates are not the place for policy substance though…debates are designed to appeal to the base of Republican voters who will be voting in a primary. You have to appease the base as a candidate in primary and then do a spin-job to catch enough of the general electorate to win the actual election, without alienating your base.

 Candidate websites and voter guides are much better sources of information than these debates, which provide living proof that money doesn’t equal maturity. So for anyone voting in a primary, please only use the debates as a tool in making your decision, otherwise look to be sorely disappointed.