This time around, as we approach what’s likely to be the most important presidential election at least since 1864 [bold mine-DL], Republicans cannot afford to nominate anyone other than their best and brightest — and the best and brightest can’t afford to sit it out. The fate of Obamacare, and more broadly of limited government and liberty, too clearly hangs in the balance.

Americans deserve to have 2012 feature Paul Ryan versus Barack Obama, locked in a battle for the future — and the soul — of the country. ~Jeffrey Anderson

Apparently, Americans also deserve to have a second Obama term, because this is what would be the result of such a contest. Calls for Paul Ryan to run for President have lately had two main features: they emphasize that the upcoming election is one of the most important in all of American history, and they then propose that the right way to seize this opportunity is to promote the candidacy of a member of the House of Representatives closely associated with deeply unpopular Medicare reform. Ryan would be almost certain to lose what his fans regard as a pivotal election that will define the future of the country.

Yes, it is possible that economic woes could drag down the incumbent so badly that he might even lose to Ryan, but it would be unprecedented and staggering if a five-term House member ousted the sitting President. If you believe as Ryan enthusiasts do that the outcome of the 2012 election is critically important for the fate of liberty and the soul of America, it is truly crazy to demand that the GOP rally behind Ryan, but this is what keeps happening. One of the main themes that Republicans may be able to use in the 2012 election is the need for executive experience, and presumably they will attack Obama for not having had any executive experience before being elected to the Presidency. That attack would become useless if Ryan somehow became the nominee.

To believe that Paul Ryan is the answer, one has to believe that a majority is willing to embrace a candidate proposing major alterations to entitlements, and one must also believe that a majority will accept Ryan in this role despite his record of fiscal irresponsibility. Ryan is really one of the worse messengers Republicans could have if they want to reinvent themselves as the party of fiscal responsibility, because he voted for the wars, tax cuts, and entitlement expansions that have contributed so greatly to the federal debt. A presidential campaign would bring all of that to the forefront. That would do Ryan and his budget proposals no favors, and it would allow Obama to limp to re-election as crucial swing states recoil from Ryan’s plans for entitlements.