The RomneyBot v2.012 has picked Charlie Pierce’s “zombie-eyed granny-starver,” Paul Ryan, to be its running mate. And as usual, Mr. Pierce nails both the timing of the announcement and what it means.
Meanwhile, the fine folks at Political Animal remind us of Ryan’s pedigree and plans for us:
• Ed Kilgore says the RomneyBot’s choice “makes the task of exposing Mitt Romney’s agenda for the future of the country — already mortgaged to the conservative movement as the price of his nomination — vastly easier.”
• Ryan Cooper revives Jonathan Chait’s profile of the ZEGS in New York magazine.
• And James Fallows, writing for The Atlantic, calls it a “good” choice, but reminds the press corps to avoid terming Ryan’s crackpottery “serious.”
Over at The Maddog Blog, meanwhile, PA alum Steve Benen says the RomneyBot’s pick means voters will be voting not on whether the Obama administration has been a success, but on the right-wing ass-hattery of the Robot-Zombie “vision.”
And at Mother Jones, David Corn says Ryan is the GOP vice-presidential candidate of Obama’s dreams.
Myself, I’d caution against overconfidence in the analytical ability of the American electorate, which has shown a disturbing hunger for the taste of bullshit in recent election cycles. Plenty of people heehawed at the notion of a faux-redneck trouser stain from Texas making it to the White House, as you may recall.
More as I unearth it.
Mad Blog Media 
Ryan is another rich kid like Romney who is furious at the idea that anyone of his ilk not run the universe.
Between LUG and P’OG I have no reason to utilize any news outlets for politics (I mean spending sprees) and cycling. Chapeau!
When I saw the short-list the Repuglicans had created for Mittens, my fantasy was they’d pick the most rabid right-winger they could. Thanks plutocrats! Now I’ll click over to Obama’s campaign site and make a donation to show how happy I am.
Whatta world….
Your 2nd to last paragraph states the political status well. It amazes me every day how many people (voters?) do their damnedest to screw themselves and the rest of us.
Well, we all know what my wife says….
Real news you can use:
Gotta chime in on Romney/Ryan.
Love him, hate him, whatever. It’s just the veep. Warm bucket of spit and all that. Hundreds of qualified candidates, no way to rank them, blah blah blah.
But here’s the bottom-ish line: the GOP’s best shot is to make the election a referendum on Obama. Ryan takes that away. Instead of the simple question of “how is Obama doing?” now we’re looking at picking between two directions, both of which are seen as extremist to the other side.
That’s a bigger problem for the GOP than for the Dems. It’s one thing to say that obamacare is inefficient, ineffective, or just could be better. It’s another to say that the only solution is to rape and pillage all federal programs.
Once again, instead of saying “we can do this better,” the GOP is saying, let’s double down in the opposite direction. Don’t pick their extremist, pick ours.
Just baffles me how the best strategists money can buy fail to understand moderates and independents.
Yikes!
http://m.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/08/mitt-romney-would-pay-082-percent-in-taxes-under-paul-ryans-plan/261027/
If this wasn’t an election about the 99% vs the 1%, the choice of Ryan made it certain. I just hope the Repuglican strategy turns out to be as big a mistake as I think it is….but we know what my…
http://polysigh.blogspot.com/2008/09/rabbits.html?m=1
During the 1988 campaign, Lee Atwater said this to Dan Quayle:
You were the best rabbit we ever had. Let them chase you and they’ll stay off the important things.
Let’s not let a lot of cheap jokes about Paul Ryan looking like Eddie Munster distract us from the fact that he’s a sociopath.
Damn. I was hoping for Palin Part 2.
Unfortunately, Ryan, though he presents a big target, is not an obvious nitwit.
Yeah, but only by peer comparison
I take that back. He’s a nitwit.
http://m.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/08/forget-paul-ryans-budget-his-scariest-idea-is-about-the-federal-reserve/261066/
HPD — Oh, I totally agree that his policies are dreadful, and stupid to boot.
But Palin was so obviously unqualified that every time she opened her mouth, anyone with an ounce of sense cringed. Fortunately, there is a significant minority of the American electorate that has the requisite ounce of sense.
In fact, the sensible portion of the electorate outnumbers Patrick O’Grady’s enormous fan base, hard as that may be to believe!
I think, on reflection, that the right word to describe Ryan is “plausible”, in its most pejorative sense.
The Reps are definitely trying to change the path of this country to ” by the 1%, for the 1%, and of the 1%”. The wider the class division, the closer to class warfare. The Ryan nomination is just one more step in that direction.
where can I buy that bumper sticker?