If Mitt Romney remained true to the principles he promoted–something he has never done in his life–he would never have picked Paul Ryan as his running mate. In May he spoke enthusiastically about requiring all presidents to have three years business experience. This would disqualify Ryan.
The idea of making this a requirement is, of course, undemocratic and absurd. Realistically there are many areas of expertise which would be beneficial for a president to have, and it is impossible for any human to have them all. It is up to the voters to decide whether a candidate has what it takes to be president or vice president. Yes, the voters have sometimes made terrible blunders, such as in electing George Bush, but that is the risk of living in a democracy. (Having a friendly Supreme Court also helps someone like Bush.)
Ryan’s work experience before entering Congress was working as a Congressional aide. Paul Ryan would be the villain, not a hero, in an Ayn Rand novel. I also wish Rand was still alive to hear her attack Ryan for both his past votes for big government and for his social conservatism and mysticism.
In Ryan’s case, he might benefit from some real world experience His education comes from reading Ayn Rand and from far right think-tanks which specialize in ignoring real world facts to promote their ideology. Think of them as pseudo-intellectual Fox Propaganda organizations on steroids. Just maybe, if he saw how things work in the real world, he might have a clue that his fundamental economic beliefs conflict with how the world really works.
Apparently Ryan’s beliefs are not being accepted by voters with Gallup finding that only Dan Quayle was viewed less positively than Ryan at the time of his announcement. I actually think that Ryan deserves better than this. While he promotes the same kind of policies as Sarah Palin, at least Ryan understands them and can articulate them. I have no doubt he could have easily handled the Katie Couric interview. While amusing, this sign is really Palin, not Ryan: