Paul Ryan Back to Haunt Obama

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Jan. 18, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

           Rising from the ash heap of last year’s presidential election, former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s pick for VP House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan returns as President Barack Obama nemesis-in-chief.  Mitt picked the fiscally conservative Ryan as his Obama-basher-in-chief, only to watch his presidential fortunes flushed down the porcelain throne.  Romney and the GOP brain-trust, led by Party Chairman Reince Priebus, hoped Ryan would give Mitt all the conservative chops to beat Barack on Election Day.  While Romney’s plans didn’t work, Obama now faces an energized Ryan, thinking he can get his way on the upcoming debt-ceiling talks.  Ryan talked a good game during the campaign, asking voters to follow his economic plan to slash government spending, specifically to trim back entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security.

             When voters gave Barack an Electoral College landslide Nov. 6, the GOP continued to hammer its budget-slashing message, trying to prevail on so-called “fiscal cliff” talks.  Ryan and other died-in-the-wool conservatives refused compromise, insisting Obama slash entitlement programs.  Voters agreed with Obama on Election Day, rejecting Mitt and Paul’s plan to slash government spending.  Now that the election’s over and it’s a new year, Ryan tries once again to slash government spending.  Romney and Ryan refused during the campaign to acknowledge any positive economic developments, including the Labor and Commerce Departments improvements in the nation’s jobs picture and unemployment report.  When the National Association of Realtors announced Sep. 19, 2012 strong existing home sales, Romney and Ryan, completely ignored the report.

             Instead of recognizing the sharp drop in unemployment, strong real estate recovery and solid Wall Street performance, Ryan continues the same mantra that the government must slash spending.  Ryan knows that the current $1.2 trillion budget deficit continues to shrink as the nation adds more jobs.  Unlike early in 2012 when bears growled their prophecies of doom-and-gloom, Romney and Ryan lost the election because the economy was well into recovery.  Neither Romney nor Ryan would acknowledge any positive economic news during the campaign   Now Ryan and his GOP caucus plan to hold the White House and nation hostage to debt-ceiling talks.  “We believe that it would be wrong if we walk out of this spring with no achievement on debt reduction whatsoever,” said Ryan, knowing again that a growing economy should improve the government’s budget deficit.     

            Instead of working with the White House, Ryan now plots to hold the U.S. economy over a barrel until he gets what he wants.  “We think the worst thing for the economy is to move past these events that are occurring with no progress made on the debt and the deficit,” said Ryan, repeating the exact same talking point of last year’s failed campaign.  Ryan knows that the economy has changed for the better, adding more jobs, naturally reducing government deficits and debt.  If voters bought Ryan’s fairytale of a dismal economy during the campaign he wouldn’t be on Capitol Hill making noise.  Instead of beating a dead horse, Ryan and his Republican friends need to acknowledge improvements in the U.S. economy before insisting on slashing important government programs.  Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben S. Bernanke has warned the GOP about slashing government spending.

             Ryan and his GOP cohorts are in no position to lecture the White House about what’s good for the economy.  Romney and Ryan’s formula would have tossed thousands of federal workers into unemployment, added to federal debt and deficits and sabotaged today’s economic recovery.  Ryan’s threat to shut down the federal government unless he gets his way, risking another downgrade in U.S. credit, shows how far he’ll go to impose his right wing agenda.  With the economy in recovery mode, Ryan’s in no position to dictate what’s best for the nation.  Had Romney and Ryan had their way, they would have let Detroit and most cash-strapped U.S. banks go broke.  Voters spoke loudly Nov. 6 for Obama’s economic program.  Whatever economic problems still exist, voters didn’t vote for Mitt or Paul’s economic fix.  Instead of holding $1.2 trillion in spending cuts over the White House, Ryan should negotiate in good faith.

             Given the fragile economic recovery, the White House and Congress walk a tightrope with another U.S. credit downgrade.  When both sides locked horns over the debt ceiling two years ago, S&P downgraded U.S. debt to A-minus Aug. 5, 2011.  Fitch Credit Services has already warned of another downgrade if the White House and Congress can’t get on the same page.  Obama rejects Ryan’s attempt to blackmail the White House into slashing Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.  Voters spoke loudly Nov. 6, 2012, rejecting Mitt and Paul’s economic program.  Instead of battling Barack, Ryan needs to negotiate with a reelected president to support his economic program.  If the impending “sequester” threatens the economy, Ryan should work with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to end more spending cuts.  White House and Congress must get on the same page to avoid another credit downgrade.

 John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.