The Big Shouting Race

The battle for the White House is a lot more fascinating now that the most prominent Republican ideologist has joined the race right at the frontline — as a vice presidential candidate.

The choice of 42-year-old Congressman Paul Ryan, announced by Mitt Romney on Saturday last week, promises to fuel political passions. Ryan radiates a vigorous energy, has a clear ideology and looks ready to face a clash of radically conflicting ideas about the future of the U.S. The presidential campaigns from both sides have already adjusted their course to the growing challenge at stake. Less significant issues, such as the details of Romney’s private business ventures and his unrevealed tax filings, have left the central stage. Even Barack Obama’s failure to revitalize the economy seems to be less of a priority subject for the Republicans now. The focus has shifted from the past to the future. Surprisingly, the shift benefits both sides.

Paul Ryan characterizes the Republican mantra for drastic tax cuts and government spending cuts. Obama’s Democrats preach balance and tax increases for the wealthiest.

Contrary to Romney, Ryan is cherished by the right wing of the GOP, including the tea party. He is as passionate about his Catholic beliefs as he is about Ayn Rand’s individualism. As chair of the House Budget Committee, Ryan attracted plenty of media attention with his budget cutting projects. According to Democrats, the Republican vice presidential candidate is going after every opportunity to cut spending on social programs (consisting of two thirds of the budget) without considering the consequences. They also regard him as someone who will pursue far-reaching tax liberation for the wealthiest. On the other side, the Republicans believe that Ryan’s financial plan will effectively bring the country back on the right fiscal track after Obama led it into the ditch.

Romney’s running mate choice is both brave and well calculated. On the one hand, the former Massachusetts governor capitulates in the face of the right wing of his party. On the other hand, it could mean that the presidential candidate has decided to mobilize the hard core Republican electorate instead of swinging towards the center, which is the usual strategy. An aggressive move toward the right helped President Reagan in 1980 and Bush Jr. in 2004. Besides, up until now, Romney’s attempt to turn the elections into a referendum on the economy has failed. Lack of charisma and personal charm undermined his effort. Ryan will bring on stage a little bit of the first and a little too much of the second.

As always, the process of selecting a running mate for the White House candidate was covered with speculations and intrigues. The choice remained secret almost until the official announcement on Saturday, when Romney and Ryan showed up together at a rally in Virginia. Then, they went separate ways, meeting with the electorate and avoiding going into too many details about how exactly they would lead the country if given the vote.

No wonder revealing the details on how the two plan to lead the country is put on hold. The Republican convention in Tampa, Florida at the end of the month is coming. At the Convention, the two candidates will be formally nominated. The state of Florida is the key to the electoral victory, and Ryan’s ideology scares a significant part of the constituency there. Part of Ryan’s plan for the economy envisions a profound reform of Medicare (the health care system for the elderly). The idea is not popular among retirees — they would love to hear something that soothes their concerns. The vice presidential candidate would also have to explain to close to one million Cubans living in Florida why he does not support an embargo against Fidel Castro’s regime. There are plenty of questions, and for now keeping it quiet works out. Sooner or later, though, the Romney-Ryan team will have to come out with clearly formulated ideas for the fiscal future of the country. Obama’s campaign guys already started preparing the ground — they know in which direction the Republicans will go

It would be great if the presidential campaign brings to light insightful ideas for change. The U.S. needs social reform as much as Europe does. For now, though, only a shouting match is guaranteed. And it already started with a fight over who would have the final say regarding Paul Ryan’s biography in Wikipedia, which has been changed numerous times by numerous editors throughout the course of the past weekend.