Paul Ryan is an impressive man in many ways, but perhaps nothing amazes more than his warlock-like ability to make charts and graphs appear in midair just by waving his hands. It’s as if the PowerPoint Force is with him, or perhaps under his breath, he utters a Harry Potter–like “reducto” on the deficit:
He has a powerful message. But can it break through one of the most powerful forces in American politics: complacency?
UPDATE: I’m watching Ryan roll out his plan here. The public reaction to this will tell us a lot about how serious we are as a country. If the response is general support, or “I think we need something like this, but would want to change this part here or that part there,” we’ll be okay. If there’s a general recoiling and rejection, and a preference to cling (bitterly?) to the notion that small-ball cuts in discretionary spending will be sufficient to control the debt, then we’re doomed.
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