The Republican National Convention is not without some additional controversy as the events kick off for day 2. In addition to ridiculous platform positions, two attendees were thrown out for tossing nuts at the black CNN journalist. There seem to be no limits for the GOP, who have 0% of the nation’s black vote, and are losing supporters left and right. What was supposed to be a unification of diverging factions has in effect held itself hostage, when it should be trying to win votes and the election in November instead.
Can he keep a straight face while he lies to every single American on live TV?
Tonight’s big speaker is Paul Ryan, the self-labelled ultra-conservative Congressmen who Romney tapped to add his name to the GOP ticket as the Vice Presidential nominee. It will be his first address broadcast live on national television in his new role, and considering that lots and lots of people don’t know who he is, it is his moment to try and win over additional voters who are concerned with the economy. Except, there is a problem. Republican organizers and the GOP establishment want him to talk more about himself, his story, and less about policy. They don’t want him to put viewers to sleep. But this is extremely dangerous.
Ryan’s family, like everyone in America’s family, came from humble immigrant roots. They worked hard and succeeded. Republicans want him to talk about how they didn’t receive any help from the government to do so, and that explanation will justify their belief in smaller government. But talking about immigrants who arrived in America is dangerous for a party that supports laws making it as difficult as possible from immigrants to arrive in the US and start a new life. Mitt Romney supports a system of self-deportation, which means that we make our country so difficult for immigrants to succeed in that they voluntarily swim back across the Rio Grande and return to their homelands. Sound hypocritical at all? It was OK for Ann Romney’s and Paul Ryan’s immigrant forefathers to come to America and succeed, but not for immigrants now, because that takes away from the people who were here first. It was exactly the same prejudice that Ryan’s family had to overcome before.
It also looks suspicious to have Ryan discuss his budget plans which would severely hurt seniors by effectively eliminating Medicare, so Republicans are pushing to make him seem more human by talking about himself. But there is no denying that he is trying to cut down on social programs that most would define as “human.” He is not a robotic budget killing machine who wants to eliminate all “unnecessary” economic and cultural programs. In fact his voting record shows that he supported nearly all expansionary budget measures including the bail out which so heavily expanded our national debt. But you can’t exactly say that in front of a group of rabid Republicans without getting bit. It will be pointless to watch.
