Politics: Occupy Paul Ryan

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Politics Occupy Paul Ryan House Republicans are trying to answer OWS protesters and Democrats at the same time. By David Weigel Posted Wednesday, Oct 26, 2011, at 11:12 PM ET The seventh-floor auditorium at the Heritage Foundation was sardine-box-stuffed with interns, staffers, and reporters who had been promised a speech equal to our political moment: "Rejecting Fear, Envy, and the Politics of Division." Instead, the speaker, Rep. Paul Ryan, used the occasion to reframe a point he'd been making over and over for months. "Instead of working together where we agree," said Ryan Wednesday, "the president has opted for divisive rhetoric and the broken politics of the past. He is going from town to town, impugning the motives of Republicans, setting up straw men and scapegoats, and engaging in intellectually lazy arguments, as he tries to build support for punitive tax hikes on job creators." A few blocks away, there was a group trying to do exactly what Ryan was calling for. The joint congressional "supercommittee" was meeting to discuss the options for long-term budget cuts. Democrats wanted to match the cuts with long-term tax hikes. Republicans were planning to kill any compromise that did that. Slightly farther away, Occupy Oakland protesters were gathering near City Hall after being tear-gassed the night before and subjected to mass arrests. So Ryan had two goals on Wednesday. He had to portray Occupiers and Democrats as un-American extremists. He also had to mark time, as Republicans wait for the supercommittee drama to end without what Democrats call "going large"—big reforms that would demand some kinds of tax increases in exchange for entitlement cuts. The first part should have been easy. All ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Dickerson: When Will the Herman Cain Bubble Pop? Not Anytime Soon. Why the Paranormal Activity Movies Are Such Hits If Mississippi Votes That a Fetus Is Legally a Human, Will Kids Be Able To Vote at Age 17?	Advertisement
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