Leaders don’t follow. They don’t listen to “popular” opinion, consider descent, see the many protesters or need to “follow” the will of the people. Leaders know what is good for the people, what is right, and aren't swayed by an out of touch "entitled" public.
That’s the Paul Ryan message.
Ryan’s been very clear that he must lead the public away from what we know as self preservation, that instinctive but self-destructive human trait:
Leaders don’t have to listen. We’ve seen the Republican legislature and Scott Walker lead despite the massive protests to save collective bargaining from the budget ax. They are leading us from the error of our ways.
This is the rhetoric we’re hearing now, since Ryan has been hitting the concept hard in the media, the same media that hasn’t noticed. Most startling is how Ryan and the radical tea party movement have similar agendas now, one where leaders hold authority over the bumbling publics need for the overly generous Medicare program.
A balanced budget is so much more important than the human carnage resulting from dismantling our entitlement programs. Ryan and the tea party are tough risk takers who lead:
Jamie Radtke, a Virginia tea-party candidate for the U.S. Senate wrote, “Take the tough and, yes, politically risky stand to put our economy back on track. We finally have conservatives in Congress who have the guts to lead … and Republicans need to embrace them. No more politics. Will you join me in full support of Paul Ryan's Path to Prosperity Plan?"
The Pied Piper was a great leader too, and you might remember how that ended.
The GOP apparently does not believe that there are enough votes out here to phase them or to impress them with the potential and possibility of irrelevance and being the out party for an extended period of time. This was erroneously demonstrated to the GOP in 2010. Those electoral gains emboldened the GOP and they appear to honestly believe that they can do it again. So called "independents" and "moderates" went to that side in the midterms in significant numbers and progressives and Dems slept through the midterms for their respective reasons. I hope that people do not make those same mistakes again. Otherwise, you can kiss this nation goodbye.
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