Writing for The Weekly Standard, Arthur C. Brooks attempts to define the governing philosophy that motivates Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan.
“Ryanism” celebrates private entrepreneurship, demands lower taxation, and is willing to take on the hard issues of structural reform to programs, including out of control entitlement spending. It seeks to protect the social safety net by limiting it to the truly indigent and not to allow it to become a source of middle class entitlement (as it has over the last few decades). It does not “end Medicare,” but rather makes changes to the system for those under age 55 so the program is solvent and does not rob our children. It is unashamed of America’s powerful position in the world and recognizes that military spending is—when pursued prudently and not wastefully—a public good and not just another government boondoggle.
In other words, the Ryan approach is conservative and, very likely, workable. That is why it is so feared and loathed by the left.