Paul Ryan's RNC Speech

Figured I'd do a quick review of Paul Ryan's excellent speech from last night. His speech included just the right amount of personal experiences, unabashed faith, and ideals. At the end he also made promises, promises that can be quoted and expected to be fulfilled to the best of his ability, one of the most important being the promise to take responsibility; something the current administration sorely lacks. How can the rest of the country be expected to take responsibility when those who are selected as our leaders are unable to do so themselves?

 "When I was waiting tables, washing dishes, or mowing lawns for money, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life. I was on my own path, my own journey, an American journey where I could think for myself, decide for myself, define happiness for myself. That's what we do in this country. That's the American Dream. That's freedom, and I'll take it any day over the supervision and sanctimony of the central planners."


Ryan added just a bit of humor, without having to make jokes at the expense of someone else like so many other politicians tend to do.

"We're a full generation apart, Governor Romney and I. And, in some ways, we're a little different. There are the songs on his iPod, which I've heard on the campaign bus and on many hotel elevators. He actually urged me to play some of these songs at campaign rallies. I said, I hope it's not a deal-breaker Mitt, but my playlist starts with AC/DC, and ends with Zeppelin."

He spoke of his faith without trying to hide it, and the responsibilities associated with those beliefs.

"Our different faiths come together in the same moral creed. We believe that in every life there is goodness; for every person, there is hope. Each one of us was made for a reason, bearing the image and likeness of the Lord of Life.

We have responsibilities, one to another- we do not each face the world alone. And the greatest of all responsibilities, is that of the strong to protect the weak. The truest measure of any society is how it treats those who cannot defend or care for themselves."

He also pointed out a fact that many of this nation's politicians seem to have forgotten, or just plain ignore, in their constant search for more control over our lives.

"Each of these great moral ideas is essential to democratic government- to the rule of law, to life in a humane and decent society. They are the moral creed of our country, as powerful in our time, as on the day of America's founding. They are self-evident and unchanging, and sometimes, even presidents need reminding, that our rights come from nature and God, not from government." *Emphasis added*

Full script for the speech can be found here.

All in all an excellent speech, makes me look forward to hearing what Romney has to say for himself. I still have some doubts about Romney, but they are mostly opinion related on various business practices (and based on incomplete information to be honest), and as opinion I can accept that I will never agree completely with any politician. In the end what we have for the Republicans are the Policy-&-Math Geek and the Successful Businessman, both are excellent family men with an appreciation for hard work, and the people who do that work. The Democrats have the Man-Who-Still-Blames-The-Past while demonizing those who work the hardest (careful, we can't have success spread!), and the Man-Who-Sticks-Foot-In-Mouth.