Saturday, August 11, 2012

Ryan in his own hand

Some time ago, I talked about the phenomenon of Reagan having thought through his own policies. As I noted just below here, Paul Ryan is the kind of individual who had also thought through his own policy proposals.

That's good, because the election has just become about Ryan's economic policy proposals.

Here's what I said:

Reagan had lost an election to Gerald Ford, but meanwhile, he was hard at work. A “Goldwater” Republican during the late 60’s and early 70’s, Reagan was a person who took the time to think through how conservative ideas and principles ought to play out in the real world. It was his thought and his policies that led very quickly (within 10 years) to the demise of the Soviet satellite of nations and eventually the Soviet system of government. And it was his economic attitude and policies that enabled the US economy to recover from the stagnation of the 1970’s to become the growth engine that it had become through the 1980’s and 1990’s and beyond.

From this perspective, it’s very hopeful for Republicans to have names like Christie and Ryan and Rubio and Jindal in some high-profile places. Ron Paul has, and articulates, some good ideas, but the weaknesses of his libertarianism (and his personal weaknesses) are very evident. Sarah Palin may have been a pretty candidate who espoused conservative principles, but she was just a “stopper” and a window dressing. The real heavy lifting of the Republican party will need to be accomplished not by someone who merely claims the mantle of Reagan, but by someone who can genuinely do what Reagan did, and that is, to think through the problems of the day, and understand how best to solve these problems with the best of conservative principles.

The American System not only allows for that, but indeed, it encourages it.

4 comments:

  1. John,

    that's not saying much!

    You know that not many mighty are called!

    1Co 1:26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
    1Co 1:27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
    1Co 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
    1Co 1:29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.


    On a scale among men in the United States the number 10 being very high and excellent and 0 being that, just how many voters in these here unUnited States have any ability to think about what you just posted "thinking through their thoughts thought through"? :)

    At the end of the day, the glitz gets it. He who offers more for less output or giving will win!

    Now the big lies come out and the real lies lie low!

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    1. Hi Michael, I know what you're saying, but I like to hold out some hope. If Romney wins, we'll have the Ryan plan; if Obama loses, we'll still have Ryan in a position of national prominence. I look at it from the perspective of what my job will be like over the next several years.

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  2. Dunno John. Reagan talked the talk, but didn't walk the walk. Big government grew under RR.
    http://mises.org/daily/1544

    Ron "The Real Reagan" Paul? Granted, I don't agree with him entirely myself, but practically speaking compared to the Dim and Repug sock puppet candidates for the Big Govt. Party?

    Ryan? Seems to be more of the same that got us into this mess. Oppose Dim spending while voting for Repug spending, TARP, Detroit bailout, Patriot Act etc. http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2012/08/what-wisconsin-republican-liberty.html

    (How about that Bryan Cross? We thought it was all about love, and he keeps telling us it's agape. Oh, well.)

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    1. RPV, I know that government grew, but Reagan was only one president, who had to live with a Democrat congress. I tend to think that he was the best president of the 20th century. When you're in the U.S. Government, there's only so much that one person can do, and that's a good thing.

      So we have to understand the "good things" that can happen in that context.

      As far as Bryan Cross is concerned, he's doing us a useful service by showing us all the places where Roman Catholicism is dependent on make believe. You and I and some others of us have known that for a long time; but it seems as if some of the other brethren are coming to understand that too. In that sense, Bryan Cross is a useful fool. He's showing up all over the place, and the clear thinkers out there are talking him down, for others in their circles to see.

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