In December I posted a piece on this site titled, Why The Republicans Can't Win. That was long before Saturday, when Mitt Romney named Paul Ryan as his running mate. Prior to making this choice, Romney was running a nebulous campaign based almost entirely on a referendum against President Obama. That is no longer the case.
Although I find Paul Ryan's budget plan highly flawed -- unlike other Democrats -- I also respect him, because in contrast to his fellow politicians, he actually has a plan. My fellow Democrats are so obsessed with taking the right path (helping those in need) that they continue to disregard the rational path and refuse to properly address out of control spending.
When Lyndon Johnson helped implement Medicare, people didn't live as long as they do today: There were very few prescription drugs, no such thing as a heart bypass or an MRI, so unlike today, medical costs had a ceiling. Paul Ryan's message on today's spending is simple: We are on an "unsustainable path" to financial ruin. Ryan has spoken of reforming, rather than eliminating entitlements and if he is capable of properly conveying this message with a legitimate plan attached, then Mitt Romney has a chance to win the presidency.
As soon as Romney made his choice for a running mate, the Democratic party's first big mistake was to consider Ryan a gift to their campaign by labeling him an economic zealot in favor of "Social Darwinism." He is intelligent and articulate and (I believe) capable of creating a bi-partisan economic plan. Ryan's message is simple: If you want to save Medicare and other entitlements, you have to do something. Because he is outspoken and unafraid to take a stand, I believe that Ryan is the future of the Republican party and yes -- amazingly -- the future of American politics as well. Democrats seem to miss the irony that Ryan is the only politician in Washington who has actually been demanding reform and change.
Increasing taxes on the wealthy is barely a Band-Aid on the exponential growth of Medicare, social security and defense spending. If President Obama wants to defeat Mitt Romney and lead America back to prosperity, then it's his responsibility to stop the negative ads (he's behaving like a Republican) and deal with the country's most pressing issue -- economic reform.