The OFA early attack line on the Paul Ryan pick repeats and force-multiplies the attack line from 2010 that Ryan is death on grandma. This was not a successful gambit in 2010 as to measure by the Tea Party domination of the House elections. Is there a significant change today? Spoke David Drucker, Roll Call, who told me that the GOP lords see Ryan as a risk just because of his well-known budget proposals to deal with the unfunded mandates from Congress and the Executive. Also, Democrats see Ryan's addition to the ticket as a way for members of Congress to run against all Republicans as if they are part of the Ryan proposals. Salena Zito, PTR, sees the Ryan addition as pleasing the Tea Party as well as the Republican base; but mostly she sees Ryan helping in the Midwest, where she believes the Election is won or lost for Mr. Romney. Larry Johnson sees Ryan not to be a drag in Florida, since the budget proposals are rational while continuing the unfunded mandates are not. Lara Brown, Villanova University, holds that Ryan will help in Pennsylvania, where he is not regarded as radical, and where he has a common language with the Roman Catholic vote. OFA is reloading its siege guns to direct them at the RomneyRyan2012 campaign as destroyers of Medicare. This is bald electioneering. Candidate Romney can show if he understands that the road to the White House is a fight. Meanwhile, the cartoonish OFA assault on Ryan for throwing grandma over the cliff reminds of the cliffs in the rolling landscape of Montana called Buffalo Jumps that the Native Americans used to drive the buffalo to their ends. The Grandma Jumps of Florida. Why will this cartoon work now in 2012 any better than it worked in 2010. At least for the moment, we are spared the Romney killed my wife stuff, and the Romney is a felonious tax-cheat stuff. Lara Brown reminded again that the GDP is the indicator, and Candidate Obama remains at the edge of electability, somewhere between George H.W. Bush's failure in '92 and George W. Bush's success in '04.
Buffalo Hunt by William R. Leigh
Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
