Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Blue Yeti ·
Jun 8, 2011 at 10:46pm
We had been trying to book Congressman Paul Ryan for a while now. The stars finally aligned this week and in a big way: we've also got Pat Sajak sitting in as a guest co-host for the roaming Rob Long. Sometimes, we're just lucky. Also on the couch: Ricochet's own professor/kingmaker Paul Rahe (who definitely gets an assist for the Ryan booking), and later, Judith Levy joins us from Israel. It's a packed show so don't waste any more time reading this. Start listening!
When it comes to links, there's no deficit:
- Rob was not on this podcast to celebrate his birthday, but he did put in an appearance on another one where he was serenaded appropriately.
- Paul Rahe is one of our most prolific and popular contributors. When he's not busy king making presidential candidates, Paul is a professor of history at Hillsdale College. He asked us to remind you that this podcast does indeed count towards your final grade, so pay attention!
- Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland. Don't feel bad about not knowing that. We didn't either had to ask Paul what he was talking about. There's also a town called Raahe in Finland.
- Well this is encouraging: Obama has indeed stopped getting daily briefings on the economy. What, were they cutting in on his time at the driving range?
- Jack Kemp was a 9 term Congressman from western New York. He was also quarterback in the old AFL for 13 seasons. Kemp advocated low taxes and supply-side policies during his political career. His positions spanned the social spectrum, ranging from his conservative opposition to abortion to his more libertarian stances advocating immigration reform. As a proponent of both Chicago school and supply-side economics, he is notable as an influence upon the Reagan agenda and the architect of the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, which is known as the Kemp–Roth tax cut. He died in 2009.
- One day, scholars will read Paul Rahe's Ricochet post Paul Ryan: A Duty To Serve to understand how President Ryan instinctively knew Ambassador Rahe would be so beloved by the people of Bermuda.
- Through the miracle of YouTube, you can watch President Obama's speech on his administration's fiscal policy that was give at George Washington University last month. There's a transcript and a word cloud here.
- Paul Ryan gave a foreign policy speech last week at the Hamilton Society. Now why would a congressman on the budget committee be giving a speech on foreign policy? Jennifer Rubin has a theory.
- The phrase "no time to go wobbly" was coined by Margaret Thatcher during a phone call with George H.W. Bush in 1990.
- Let's get wonky: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German philosopher, one of the creators of German Idealism. His historicist and idealist account of reality as a whole revolutionized European philosophy and was an important precursor to Continental philosophy and Marxism. Franz Xaver von Baader was a German Roman Catholic philosopher and theologian. We thought people in Wisconsin just read about cheese and the Packers. We stand corrected, Congressman.
- Arthur Brooks is an American social scientist and musician. He is the president of the American Enterprise Institute. Brooks is best known for his work on the junctions between culture, economics, and politics. Two of his popular volumes, Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth about Compassionate Conservatism and Gross National Happiness: Why Happiness Matters for America—and How We Can Get More of It, explore these themes in greater depth. He is a self-described independent.
- Mitt, Mitt, Mitt. What are you doing? A few more headlines like this one and even Hugh Hewitt is going to abandon you.
- We admit it: we had never heard of a peace pole before this podcast. Of course, we had never heard of Janesville, WI either. Kudos to James for not making an easy Weiner joke.
- Years from now, Michael Barone will wonder why he didn't get an ambassadorship to Bermuda but others did.
- Peter Robinson and Paul Rahe are duking it out a few posts south of here. It's like a rap war without the beats.
- Gather 'round grand kids and we'll tell you about a time in the distant past when Larry King could make or break a presidential candidate. It really did happen.
- This post kicked off the Pat Sajak/Keith Olbermann brouhaha, and was responsible for one of our busiest days ever in terms of visitors to Ricochet. Thanks, guys.
- Judith Levy is our only contributor in Israel. We found her through Claire. Her posts are required reading.
- Obama's speech to AIPAC is here.
- News reports on Syrians feeing to Turkey are sketchy, but it is happening. Amazing.
- If Lileks is reading Ace of Spades and Zombie, then you should be too.
- Military service in Israel is required of everyone at age 18: 36 months for enlisted men, 21 months for enlisted women, 48 months for officers; pilots commit to 9 years service; reserve obligation to age 41-51 (men), 24 (women).
Music from this week's episode:
- Hallogallo by Nue!
- Me And Paul by Willie Nelson
The direct link to this week's episode (great for mobile devices!). But be fiscally responsible and subscribe. Don't use iTunes? Visit our Feedburner page for a number of other subscription options.
The Ricochet Podcast is proudly sponsored by Encounter Books and their Broadside series. This week's featured title is The EPA's Green Tyranny Is Stifling America by Rich Trzupek. Available in all formats at EncounterBooks.com.
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Comments :
Sep '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
A good podcast as usual, but I liked how Pat Sajak took over. He was the Ike to Lileks' Patton and Robinson's Omar Bradley. I guess that makes Rob Long Courtney Hodges.
Or something like that.
Feb '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Peter, there are thousands of us who left the US to come and raise our families here in Israel, including sending our kids to the army. I know it's hard for you to understand, but we have prayed for this opportunity for two thousand years and we are not going to reject this divine gift we have been given.
Edited on Jun 9, 2011 at 2:30amJun '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
I'm impressed that Professor Rahe and Congressman Ryan both recognize that the trouble with a welfare state is primarily a moral problem. I agree completely, but who will make the case to the American people? And if a compelling case is made, how will Americans respond? I guess we'll find out soon whether our country is a Tea Party nation, or a spoiled and corrupted populace more akin to Greek socialists. If we have become the latter, then the game is already over.
Jun '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
My wife is watching a show called "Intervention" lately that is, predictably, a reality show following drug addicts and their families culminating in an attempt at intervention. This podcast had all the tension and awkwardness of such an episode! Next time you should have his mother on the show and have her read a letter to him about him running for president! Instead of offering to send him to a clean living facility, offer to set up an exploratory committee.
My favourite part was Rep Ryan's repeated and incredulous "...THE Pat Sajak?!".
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Wow. One impressive politician and thinker. That he serves in the same body as so many clowns, jerks, and Weiners is surreal.
Sep '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
There was much riffing on "Manitoba", "Winnipeg", "Winnipeg getting a new hockey team" and "Minneapolis is just like Winnipeg but with different colored money". I think that really demands not only a separate podcast, but a separate Member Post.
Just sayin'.
Mar '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Wait, Paul Ryan brought up Hegel? Must go listen to podcast now....
Sep '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
I keep inserting the letter c into Pat Sajak's name. I don't know why.
Oct '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Mr Sajak is class. Mr Ryan is... impressive. Imagine if every politician actually said what they thought - what would all the pundits do when they had to get real jobs?
Sep '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
I couldn't stop laughing when I heard that.
One of the most influential and well respected men in Washington D.C., and even he realizes what an honor it is to speak personally with the great Pat Sajak!
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
I already loved Paul Ryan and had very high expectations but he just blew me away in this podcast. I have no doubt where my vote will lie in the primaries should Rep. Ryan decide to run.
Nov '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Whew... agree!
Was most impressed with Ryan's observation that he was making a big difference in his current job.
Sep '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Elizabeth Dunn
Whew... agree!
Was most impressed with Ryan's observation that he was making a big difference in his current job. · Jun 10 at 2:21am
Reminds me of a story I heard about a guy who used to introduce people to his "current wife".
Apr '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Mr. Goldberg's and Mr. Lilek's remarks about how liberal commenters get all vapory at the icky physical details of lefties' sexual transgressions reminded me of something Patrick Moynihan said on Firing Line. When he was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Moynihan got fed up with the tin-pot dictators denouncing the U.S. as repressive and oppressive. So he gave a speech in which he named all the non-democratic countries and read details from annual freedom ratings.
He said that afterwards, the reps from those countries would sidle up to him and whine, "Why did you have to do that? You didn't have to do that!" He said they knew what the truth was and were aggrieved at being so embarrassed by it.
May '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Ryan's beliefs that the biggest problems facing the country are moral relativism but that as a limited government conservative he has no right to impose this view on anyone should be page one in the conservative hymnal. If we ca't convince him to run could we at least clone him a few times?
Dec '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Pseudodionysius
Elizabeth Dunn
Whew... agree!
Was most impressed with Ryan's observation that he was making a big difference in his current job. · Jun 10 at 2:21am
Reminds me of a story I heard about a guy who used to introduce people to his "current wife". · Jun 10 at 3:56am
Was that a story told in his eulogy?
Dec '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Great podcast! Ryan is very impressive, and if he runs, I hope I get a chance to vote for him. (Being in California, options often get closed to us by the time the primary rolls around.)
I also hope I get a chance to vote for Sarah Palin -- having to choose between those two would be a high-class problem. I note that Ryan more than once emphasized that the GOP needs to nominate a conviction politician who won't go wobbly and water down our side's positions during a tough campaign (or even before the campaign starts).
Nov '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Pseudodionysius
Elizabeth Dunn
Whew... agree!
Was most impressed with Ryan's observation that he was making a big difference in his current job. · Jun 10 at 2:21am
Reminds me of a story I heard about a guy who used to introduce people to his "current wife".
Hey, I'm like everybody else around here and would support Ryan in any undertaking in which he chooses to engage. Clearly, he has an even more impactful political future ahead of him.
But I respect his astuteness- his awareness- that at this particular point in time, he has more to contribute to the country's welfare in his current position.
One final observation. It takes a man considerably less devoted to personal ego gratification than to the best interests of his national constitutencies to make the decision Ryan has apparently made re: 2012.
I suggest we all support and applaud his patriotic stand. :-)
Edited on Jun 10, 2011 at 3:56pmSep '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
Like everyone above, I enjoyed the podcast a great deal and especially liked hearing Ryan speak because he obviously has a quick, agile mind behind that great face. Excellent combination! I found the podcast to be quite bittersweet, though. Optimism and hope from Ryan; resigned recognition from Judith Levy that the devil is alive and apparently thriving in the West. Makes me, a nonreligious but supportive gentile, very sad, though she seems to have made a very good decision to live in Israel. L'chaim!
Mar '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #72: Ryan's Hope
I hate to get all Matrixy on you, but is Ryan "The One?"
I can't remember the last time I heard a politician speak so fluently about complex issues, yet with a quiet, genuine passion, as well.