Palin vs. Ryan

PJ:  I have read a lot about how the selection of Paul Ryan might just be Romney's Palin moment.  I can agree that Romney's choice in selecting Ryan satisfied his desire to provide a little enthusiasm for his campaign which can be likened to McCain's Palin pick.  But that is where the comparison between Paul Ryan and Sarah Palin ends.  

Palin was a popular governor in Alaska during the 18 months that she served in that position.  As a populus politician, she sang to the choir of her electorate and they rewarded her with their approval.  As the real record now shows, she accomplished very little during that 18 months.  Her signature piece of legislation (ACES) was deemed a failure and has since been over-turned and her grand Alaskan pipeline (that she said she was building in 2008) is as far from construction as it has ever been and will likely never be built (in large part due to the failure of the legislation she championed). History has shown us Palin's true colors.  When she returned to Alaska after her run for the Vice Presidency, her approval was in a downward trajectory.  By the time she quit her elected position (half-way through her term), her negatives were outpacing her positives.  Today her approval in her home state is abysmally low.  

The truth about Sarah Palin is that her hubris is larger her intellect.  She is more apt to cash in for a quick buck than settle down and study.  She is and has always been more of a celebrity than a leader.

Paul Ryan on the other hand relishes study and hard work.  He will not embarrass his running mate or his party.  He will debate by using his own knowledge and not by memorizing the prepared remarks of a back-stage campaign policy wonk.  He is not afraid of the mainstream media and will not wilt under the bright lights, gotcha questions or not.  He will never play the victim or make poor excuses for his mistakes or missteps.  

Like or hate his policies...he is no Sarah Palin.

Paul Ryan is no Sarah Palin

By Jonathan Capehart

Ryan actually has the policy heft that Palin pretended to have. Sure, like Palin, Ryan has no foreign policy experience. But I certainly don’t expect Ryan to be as disastrous in international relations. Not because Palin set the bar so low that I felt more qualified to run for vice president just by being able to answer the questions posed to her. But because Ryan is a hard worker who will study actual policy rather memorize lines to get through a debate or interview.

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Finally, here’s the biggest and most important difference between Ryan and Palin. With his selection, the 42-year-old Ryan is the bona fide leader with the necessary policy chops that conservatives hoped Palin would be. She was poised to be the leader of the Republican Party after her 2008 defeat, but she squandered her future potential on reality TV shows and point-scoring from her perch at Fox News. That Palin won’t be speaking at the convention in Tampa is proof that her Republican reign mercifully may be over. 

Read it at The Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/paul-ryan-is-no-sarah-palin/2012/08/13/98503c88-e57f-11e1-8741-940e3f6dbf48_blog.html