OP/ED: What Happened to 'Compassionate Conservatism'?

By Dave Potter

North Hampton resident

When George Bush spoke of "Compassionate Conservatism" we knew it was a
euphemism. But at least he made an attempt to soften the slogan, if not the
true sentiment.

By putting Congressman Paul Ryan on his ticket, Mitt Romney has dropped all pretense about what he plans to do if elected. Ryan is the ideal surrogate for the growing Ayn Rand/Social Darwinist philosophy within the Republican Party.
Their mantra of "reward the rich, penalize the poor and everyone else is on
their own" manifests itself throughout the Ryan budget.

The new "Capitalist Conservatism" puts tax cuts for the top tiers and
Defense spending above all else. I think of Eisenhower, "Beware the
military-industrial complex."

Don't be fooled by Representative Ryan's "aw shucks" demeanor! He means to
systematically remove each rung of the ladder that ordinary folks use to
climb out of tough situations and get ahead. More importantly, the
Ryan/Romney budget is more than financially damaging for the disadvantaged.
It is psychologically devastating because it snuffs out the light at the end
of the tunnel for those struggling to get a leg up.

Thanks to Romney "Trickle Down Economics" is back for a FOURTH time. Trying
it AGAIN is disingenuous and deceitful, offering false hope for a plan that
has failed the last three times it was implemented. This time, the "Voodoo
Economics," comes replete with a Raggedy Ann doll and sharpened pins which
they may use to see where they can hurt the poor and middle classes the
most.

On top of all that we have Representative Akin exposing the Republican's
thinking on abortion exceptions before the Platform Committee could quietly
approve the Akin/Ryan hardline position. Where is their compassion for
victims of rape and incest?

Is this the political philosophy we want guiding our government?