Paul Ryan on Principles & Values Republican nominee for Vice President; U.S. Rep. (WI-1)

The American Idea: way of life based on freedom and equality

Progressives seem to have answers, but can't keep promises

Ryan laced his blistering critique with caveats, saying progressives were not evil, but merely misguided in pursuit of the shared goal of American exceptionalism.

He acknowledged the appeal of the liberal message and the success Democrats have had in peddling their vision to voters. "This vision proved compelling," Ryan said. "It drew thousands of people into government. They seized the moral high ground. They said they were for the people. And their opponents? They were for the rich. They were selfish. Progressives seem to have an answer. The progressive state offers a sense of security. But it's a false sense of security because government can't keep all its promises."

Lives now on same block in Janesville where he grew up

I live on the same block where I grew up. We belong to the same parish where I was baptized. Janesville is that kind of place. The people of Wisconsin have been good to me. I've tried to live up to their trust. And now, I ask those hardworking men and women and millions like them across America to join our cause and get this country working again.

Side-by-side issue comparison to Joe Biden

Obama-Biden vs. Romney-Ryan on International Issues:
• Climate Change
• Oil Drilling
• Nuclear Power
• Free Trade vs. Protectionism
• China Policy
• Mexican Border
• Illegal Alien Deportation
• Immigrant Benefits
• Cuba Policy
• Iranian Sanctions
• Iraq War
• Israel/Palestine
• International Diplomacy
• Patriot A Guantanamo and Torture
• Defense Spending
• Afghanistan War
• Syrian Civil War

I credit Ayn Rand for getting me involved in public service

In that same 2005 speech: "The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand," he said. "If we're going to actually win this we need to make sure that we're solid on premises, that our principles are well-defended, and if want to go and articulately defend these principles and what they mean to our society, what they mean for the trends that we set internationally, we have to go back to Ayn Rand," Rep. Ryan said.

"I think a lot of people would observe that we are right now living in an Ayn Rand novel, metaphorically speaking," Rep. Ryan observed in 2009.

Ayn Rand is thought-provoking, but objectivism is ridiculous

Ryan once touted Rand as someone who "more than anyone else has done a fantastic job of explaining the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism." Speaking about the Obama administration, Ryan added, "And I think a lot of people would observe we are right now living in an Ayn Rand novel, metaphorically speaking."

But last summer Ryan said any talk of an obsession with Rand was a "canard." "You know I read her novels when I was young, I thought they were good at defending free markets and free enterprise. Her philosophy is kind of a ridiculous one in my opinion, objectivism. I'm a devout Catholic, how can you believe in that stuff? But I think her novels are thought-provoking."

Pursue three goals: Freedom; Growth; and Renewal

The second is Growth. I believe we must pursue a bold agenda of growth by casting aside the shackles of class envy and promoting economic growth and opportunity through lower taxes and by ultimately replacing the tax code.

The third principle which I will pursue is Renewal. We must replace moral squalor with both public decency and private civility. I believe we can begin this process of renewal by relieving the tax burden and by supporting our wealth of faith based charities. We can help restore good citizenship be freeing up individuals to become good citizens.

Won Tea Party Express poll based on fiscal conservatism

Kremer said, "We have been polling our members for the last couple of months, and Paul Ryan, along with Senator Marco Rubio, out of 27 different candidates on the ballot, had the strongest support from Tea Party Express supporters across the country. Ryan is a strong fiscal conservative, and addresses the serious financial woes facing the country."

"Selecting someone like Paul Ryan, who is so popular with tea party activists, proves that Mitt Romney is committed to addressing the economic issues that have been troubling our nation for the last 4 years," Kremer concluded.

Tea Party Express is the largest tea party political action committee in the nation. The organization aims its activity at reducing the size, cost, & intrusiveness of the federal government by electing pro-growth fiscal conservatives.

Adhere to principles to avoid squabbles among conservatives

"The only way we'll succeed is if we're united," Ryan told the others. "If we tear ourselves apart, we're finished." But, he added. He liked what he was hearing now. Everyone at the table sounded like a genuine conservative. It was a place to start.

Elected at age 28 & immediately focused on budget issues

FactCheck: "Progressivists" is intentionally insulting term

Ryan further misleads readers by asserting, "Left-of-center politicians stopped calling themselves 'liberals' and started calling themselves 'Progressives.' I can't say precisely why they made this switch." That is factually incorrect. Liberals and progressives are distinct factions in the Democratic Party, akin to libertarians vs. Christian conservatives in the Republican Party. Hillary Clinton represented the liberal faction in 2008; Barack Obama represented the progressive faction.

Liberals started calling themselves Progressivists

Progressivism is actually an old political movement in America, going back before the beginning of the 20th century. Progressivism marked the point at which some politicians and intellectuals began for the first time to question the meaning of the Constitution, that the Constitution should be a "living" document whose meaning had to "keep up with the times." Suddenly government could create "rights"--and just as easily as it could create them, it could take them away.

The Progressivist vision is to create a new American person who no longer strives to better oneself but accepts one's station in life--and looks to the government to help cope not only with difficulties but with every important personal decision.

[This statement is factually incorrect; see OnTheIssues.org FactCheck --ed.]

Thinker of the "Young Guns" conservative movement

In "The Weekly Standard", they appeared on the cover in a photo taken on a Capitol balcony overlooking the Mall. They kne each other as members of the embattled Republican caucus that had lost control of the House in the disastrous 2006 mid-term election. But they hadn't realized their individual skills were remarkably complimentary: Cantor the leader, Ryan the thinker, McCarthy the strategist. Some of us at "The Weekly Standard" had noticed this. Thus the cover story.

In a sense, their alliance and the creation of Young Guns was a revolt against the older, established Republican leaders in the House. The party establishment was dedicated to protecting incumbents at all cost. With money, manpower, and advice, Young Guns supports challengers. Young Guns is not for "me-too" Republicans, those comfortable with a scaled-back version of the Democratic agenda.

America's greatest strengths lie in Americans themselves

Religious affiliation: Catholic.

The Adherents.com website is an independent project and is not supported by or affiliated with any organization (academic, religious, or otherwise).

What’s an adherent?

Such factors as religious service attendance, belief, practice, familiarity with doctrine, belief in certain creeds, etc., may be important to sociologists, religious leaders, and others. But these are measures of religiosity and are usually not used academically to define a person’s membership in a particular religion. It is important to recognize there are various levels of adherence, or membership within religious traditions or religious bodies. There’s no single definition, and sources of adherent statistics do not always make it clear what definition they are using.

Rated 0% by the AU, indicating opposition to church-state separation.

OnTheIssues.org interprets the 2006 AU scores as follows:

• 0%- 20%: opposition to church-state separation (approx. 232 members)
• 21%- 79%: mixed record on church-state separation (approx. 79 members)
• 80%-100%: support of church-state separation (approx. 153 members)

Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. AU is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.

Americans United is a national organization with members in all 50 states. We are headquartered in Washington, D.C., and led by the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director. AU has more than 75,000 members from all over the country. They include people from all walks of life and from various faith communities, as well as those who profess no particular faith. We are funded by donations from our members and others who support church-state separation. We do not seek, nor would we accept, government funding.

Member of the House Republican Young Guns.

The new generation of pro-market, small government leaders filled such a need that in October 2007, Fred Barnes of The Weekly Standard profiled Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan, and Kevin McCarthy and christened them the "young guns."

Kevin approached Eric & Paul about the idea of traveling together, as "Young Guns", to visit Republican candidates interested in a new approach for the party.

What began as an informal way to support like-minded candidates became a more formal structure. Once the three Representatives had studied the candidate and given their support to become a Young Gun, they committed to providing financial support through their campaign committees.

Existing House Republicans were approached with a simple pitch: Are we willing to help ourselves by being proactive and going on the offense to change this House? Dozens of our House Republican colleagues joined the Young Gun effort as one of the many signs that the Republican Party had shifted.

Rated 100% by the AU, indicating opposition to separation of church & state.

Scoring system for 2014: Ranges from 0% (supports separation of church & state) to 100% (opposed to separation of church & state).

About the AU (from their website, www.au.org):Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) is a religious liberty watchdog group. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. AU is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.

Americans United fights for church-state separation of a wide variety of fronts. Here are some of the issues we work on. We encourage you learn more about each of them. Knowledge is power.
• Religion in Public Schools and Universities
  • Creationism & Evolution
  • School Prayer
  • Bibles and Religious Texts in Curricula
  • Student Religious Clubs
  • Religious Music
  • Religious Displays and Holidays
  • Pledge of Allegiance
  • Use of School Buildings by Religious Groups
• The Faith-Based Initiative & Government Subsidies of Religious Institutions
  • Constructing and Refurbishing Buildings Used for Religious Activities
  • Faith-Based Prison Programs
  • Tax Exemptions for Churches and Clergy
• School Vouchers & Government Subsidies of Religious Schools
• Official Prayer, Religious Displays & Ceremonial Religion
• Discrimination, Religious Exemptions & Free Exercise of Religion
• Churches and Politics
  • Religious Groups' Involvement in Candidate Elections
  • Religious Groups' Involvement in Ballot Initiatives
  • Lobbying by Churches and Religious Groups
  • Churches as Polling Places
  • U.S.-Vatican Diplomatic Relations
• Marriage, Reproductive Justice & Other Privacy Issues
• Nominations & the Judiciary
• Fighting the Religious Right