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Why Is There So Much Enthusiasm for Paul Ryan’s Flawed Plan?

Peter Ferrara offers an implausible reason for Obama’s attacks on Paul Ryan’s budget plan: What the speech says to me is that Obama has internal polls showing him getting creamed in public opinion by Paul Ryan. Republicans may have those same internal polls, explaining the surge of interest in Ryan for VP. This assumes that […]

Peter Ferrara offers an implausible reason for Obama’s attacks on Paul Ryan’s budget plan:

What the speech says to me is that Obama has internal polls showing him getting creamed in public opinion by Paul Ryan. Republicans may have those same internal polls, explaining the surge of interest in Ryan for VP.

This assumes that most Americans are paying fairly close attention to Paul Ryan and his proposals, which I suspect isn’t the case. Ferrara makes the additional assumption that “pro-growth tax reform” and entitlement reform would be welcomed by most Americans if they were familiar with the outlines of what Ryan is proposing. Unfortunately, Ryan’s proposal doesn’t have many details when it comes to tax reform. His proposal has been credibly described as “nothing more than a PR document for Republicans so they can say they have a plan to balance the budget, cut taxes, and cure the common cold” rather than a real plan.

Whatever else it was, Obama’s attack on Ryan’s proposal suggests that he sees an opportunity to set the terms of the general election. He apparently believes that Ryan’s proposal is a major liability for the other party. For their part, Republicans are still giving Ryan the hero treatment, and the surge of interest in Ryan as a VP nominee is driven by the same impulse to celebrate a flawed plan.

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