The direction of the Republican Party

Today, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney chose as his running mate, Cong. Paul Ryan. (R-Wis.) With this pick, it's clear which direction the Republican Party is heading, if not already obvious. It's a far right course. First, as suspicious as conservatives are of Romney, after all he once supported abortion rights, Romney has tacked to the far right. He calls himself severely conservative. And his presidential views clearly reflect that.

But what about picking Paul Ryan? He's famous for the Ryan Budget. It's a budget that would gut Medicare with a voucher system, slash aid to the poor by cutting food stamps and weaken Medicaid. This budget which Romney called marvelous is a vision of where the Republicans want to take us. Yeah, Romney is backing away from it but do you really trust him? He says one thing while running for one position then changes when it's politically expedient. So Romney has picked somebody to the far right.

But who does Ryan appeal to? Independents? Nope. He leans too far right for them. Moderates? Ditto. I mean his budget plan is so draconian that Catholic Bishops called it, "this budget is morally indefensible and betrays Catholic principles of solidarity, just taxation and a commitment to the common good." And by the way, moderate is a dirty word for the modern Republican. Ask Meghan McCain. Liberals? Boy, I think the last liberal left the Republican Party in the seventies. Women? Both candidates are strident anti-abortion. And Romney wants to kill Planned Parenthood, which does more than just provide abortions. What about African Americans? Well, Ryan's views on the poor as reflected by his budget and his love of Ayn Rand certainly keep him from appealing to them. Hispanics? They clearly are not as conservative as Ryan as exemplified by the huge gap of support between Romney and Obama. There is one group that Ryan appeals to. Conservative white males. A block of voters that Romney already has.

The pick reflects where the Republican Party is today. There was no way a true moderate could have won the nomination or been chosen as the vice presidential nominee. Former Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and the father of the conservative movement would find him out of place in today's Republican Party. You see Goldwater supported abortion and gay rights. Today's Tea Party dominated Republican Party would have no one like Goldwater. He would be too liberal for them.