Romney's VP Pick Changes the Race

The Foundation

"I suppose, indeed, that in public life, a man whose political principles have any decided character and who has energy enough to give them effect must always expect to encounter political hostility from those of adverse principles." --Thomas Jefferson

Political Futures

"In 'Reflections on the Revolution in France,' [Edmund Burke] wrote, 'Circumstances (which with some gentlemen pass for nothing) give in reality to every political principle its distinguishing color and discriminating effect. The circumstances are what render every civil and political scheme beneficial or noxious to mankind.' That's what Republicans and especially conservatives in this heady moment have to keep in mind: the circumstances. ... Republicans know how meaningful this campaign became when [Paul] Ryan was picked [as Mitt Romney's running mate]: He changed its subject matter just by showing up. And he is right in his central insight, which is his central political reason for being: America, to be strong again, must get its spending and revenues more closely aligned. ... But Republicans must understand, also, that the race probably just became more of an uphill battle, because Paul Ryan has been very specific about what must and can be done. ... Republicans should keep this picture in mind. There's a woman on a porch in eastern Ohio and she has a dog and likes guns and supports the NRA and sees herself as more or less conservative. She assumed she'd vote for Romney and not that big loser in the White House. But she's hearing about Ryan and she's hearing the word 'cuts.' She knows spending is out of control and she's worried about deficits and debt. But she's on disability and her husband's illness is being handled by Medicare, and she's wondering: 'Do these guys really understand my life? Do they know how it is for us?' ... Ryan is associated with the word cutting. Republicans will have to make people believe the word to associate with him is 'saving'.... Republicans have just a few weeks to get across ... that they're trying to save Medicare, not kill it, that they're the lifeguard, not the shark. ... An old cliché of politics has never been truer: 'They don't care what you know unless they know that you care.' Or, it's the circumstances, stupid." --columnist Peggy Noonan

Opinion in Brief

"As a long-time member, and now chairman, of the Budget Committee in the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan is thoroughly familiar with both the facts and the fictions in the federal government's budget. ... The Obama campaign's big smear, about how Romney is supposed to have caused a woman to die of cancer, has been exposed as a lie by CNN, hardly a Republican network. What smears like this show is that the Obama administration cannot run on its track record, so it has to run on distractions from the country's real problems. When Senator Harry Reid claims that Mitt Romney hasn't paid his income taxes, and demands that Governor Romney disprove this unsubstantiated allegation, that raises an obvious question as to why the Internal Revenue Service has not prosecuted Romney, instead of leaving that to a partisan politician in an election year. ... This election is a test, not just of the opposing candidates but of the voting public. If what they want are the hard facts about where the country is, and where it is heading, they cannot vote for more of the same for the next four years." --economist Thomas Sowell

Reader Comments

"Mr. Alexander, I'm pleased to note the Patriot Team is taking a few days away. When they return, I hope they will challenge the choice of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney's VP. Neither Mr. Romney nor Mr. Ryan is a conservative, and I fail to see much difference in the bottom line if they are elected or Obama remains in office. The only conservatives are those who act in agreement with the Constitution." --Disillusioned! in California

Alexander's Reply: Both these men are solid Republicans, which is not to say solid conservatives. However, if you "fail to see much difference in the bottom line" whether Romney-Ryan or Obama-? are elected, then that is a FAIL. If your suggestion was just hyperbole because you are disappointed that the GOP ticket is not more conservative, then OK. However, if you conclude that a Romney-Ryan ticket or an Obama-? ticket will make no difference to the future of Liberty, you are remarkably misinformed. Any Patriot who is sulking under the same delusion, has flatly lost touch with reality. As I noted, it is time to unify and DEFEAT Obama, not foment self-defeating disunity over the Romney-Ryan ticket."

Government

"On the campaign trail, Barack Obama's signature definition of 'success' is the government bailout of General Motors. 'I said I believe in American workers, I believe in this American industry, and now the American auto industry has come roaring back,' he told an audience in Pueblo, CO [recently]. 'Now I want to do the same thing with manufacturing jobs, not just in the auto industry, but in every industry.' That pronouncement should send a shiver up the spine of every American, due to an inconvenient reality: according to Forbes Magazine, GM is likely headed for bankruptcy all over again. ... As Investors Business Daily reveals, the Treasury Department continues 'to revise upward the staggering losses inflicted on U.S. taxpayers.' ... [L]osses for GM were expected to reach $25 billion, which is $3.3 billion more than predicted earlier. ... In a move reminiscent of that which precipitated the housing meltdown, GM has ramped up its uses of risky sub-prime loans to drive vehicle purchases. 'The subprime market grew as a result of the recession,' said GM spokesman Jim Cain. 'Our experience, however, is that with proper management they are very good risks.' That's what Democrats like Barney Frank (D-MA) said about the housing market -- just before it tanked and took the rest of the economy with it. ... In this particular case, it is quite likely the president is saying exactly where he intends to take America in the next four years should he be re-elected." --columnist Arnold Ahlert

Essential Liberty

"People tend to believe that 'government can!' When problems arise, they say, 'There ought to be a law!' Even the collapse of the Soviet Union, caused by the appalling results of central planning, didn't shock the world into abandoning big government. Europe began talking about some sort of 'market socialism.' Politicians in the United States dreamt of a 'third way' between capitalism and socialism, and of 'managed capitalism' -- where politicians often replace the invisible hand. ... Amid the dazzling bounty of the marketplace, it's easy to take the benefits of markets for granted. I can go to a foreign country and stick a piece of plastic in the wall, and cash will come out. I can give that same piece of plastic to a stranger who doesn't even speak my language -- and he'll rent me a car for a week. When I get home, Visa or MasterCard will send me the accounting -- correct to the penny. ... Government, by contrast, can't even count votes accurately. Yet whenever there are problems, people turn to government. ... There is nothing government can do that we cannot do better as free individuals -- and as groups of individuals working freely together. Without big government, our possibilities are limitless." --columnist John Stossel

Insight

"Government is a guarantor of liberty and is compatible with liberty only if its range is adequately restricted to the preservation of economic freedom. Where there is no market economy, the best-intentioned provisions of constitutions and laws remain a dead letter." --economist Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973)

The Gipper

"The American dream is not that every man must be level with every other man. The American dream is that every man must be free to become whatever God intends he should become." --Ronald Reagan

Re: The Left

"Inserting himself into the biographies of past presidents on the White House website apparently wasn't enough for President Obama. His State Department is now editing its descriptions of foreign countries into yet another taxpayer-subsidized campaign commercial for the Obama Administration. The State Department has recently ended its long-running series of Background Notes, which were analytical, objective histories of other countries. In their place, new 'Fact Sheets' now tout Obama's policies and actions toward each nation. ... This follows an Administration trend that goes back to 2009. In March of that year, the Administration was caught editing President George W. Bush's biography to soften his listed accomplishments, and it quickly reversed course. Just a few months ago, it was discovered that White House staff had edited the biographies of many past presidents on whitehouse.gov to include a bullet point or two inserting President Obama into each historical narrative. These remain on the site, including a fabrication they inserted about President Ronald Reagan's tax policy to make it seem similar to Obama's. ... Using taxpayer resources to blatantly promote the president's positions on foreign policy -- and even editing the historical record -- is an egregious abuse of power." --Heritage Foundation's Amy Payne

Culture

"Floyd Corkins, a volunteer for the last six months at the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community, marched into the Family Research Center with a gun and serious ammunition, denounced FRC's policy positions and shot a security guard in the arm before being subdued. Another hate crime, but this time against, perhaps, the pre-eminent pro-family organization in America. CBS gave the story 20 seconds. NBC spent 17 seconds. Imagine a volunteer for the Family Research Council marching into some gay group's headquarters with a gun, and after shouting his opposition to the homosexual agenda, opened fire and wounded a guard before being subdued. Never mind evening news. This would be breaking news! and for days there would be seemingly endless coverage of continued conservative hatred. ... Whether it's vandalism at Chick-fil-A or rapes in Occupy Wall Street camps, these networks simply cannot find 'news' in liberal violence of any kind. ... These same media outlets pounce on allegations of conservative hatred, even when there isn't a scintilla of evidence. The Oklahoma City bombing was caused by hatred from right-wing talk radio. The Aurora, Colo., killer was a member of the tea party. So, too, was the man who shot Gabby Giffords. On and on it goes; and over and over it turns out not to be true." --columnist L. Brent Bozell

Faith and Family

"[A new] study, conducted by Dr. Ross O'Hara and soon to be published in the journal Psychological Science, found that promiscuity on-screen promotes promiscuity in real life. ... While at Dartmouth University, Dr. O'Hara (now a researcher at the University of Missouri) and his team analyzed the movie-watching patterns of about 1,200 young teens, ages 12-14. Researchers next analyzed the teens' sexual behavior six years later, considering the age at which they became sexually active, their number of partners, and the riskiness of their sexual activity, including whether or not they used contraceptives. The result: bad news. Young teens who viewed movies with sexual content were profoundly influenced by what they watched. They initiated sexual behavior earlier than their peers who viewed less sexual content, and tended to imitate the on-screen sexual behaviors they saw -- which included casual sex, multiple partners, and high-risk behaviors. It's not surprising, really. Teens crave information about sex -- and too often turn to the media for information. ... Realize that at some point your child probably will see something too sexually explicit, whether at a friend's house or on a computer. Keep the conversations going and remind your teens that Hollywood is a world without consequences." --columnist Rebecca Hagelin

The Last Word

Editor's Note: The following is satire.

"A week passes, and thus far, the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has yet to tell us whether he is or is not having sexual relations with a cow. As was reported in this column last week, based on sources in the field, Reid has been involved with the cow for at least three months, possibly more. My sources cannot be identified for obvious reasons. Even The New York Times would not reveal their identities. The story is that hot. It is, of course, possible that the relationship is purely platonic. On the other hand, possibly Reid is more involved with the cow than might have been anticipated. It is time for him to come clean. He owes it to the American people and conceivably to the Department of Agriculture. Preferably he should make his statement on the floor of the Senate, which he reserves for such solemn occasions. For instance, his recent charge that the probable Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, has paid no taxes for the better part of 10 years, was made there. His statement about the cow is no less important. Reid, we are waiting. ... Has Reid or has he not been canoodling with a cow? It is important because next week I shall be divulging the relationship of Vice President Joe Biden with a parrot, and the parrot is astonishingly lucid, at least in comparison to Biden." --columnist R. Emmett Tyrrell

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team