Steve Sailer: iSteve: Paul Ryan, 6'2" 163 pounds

August 11, 2012

Paul Ryan, 6'2" 163 pounds

As the country gets fatter, its politicians get skinnier.

My old articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer

117 comments:

carol said...: Well, he's presentable enough. But some people will never be happy with the ticket.

I'm just glad they're both white dudes.

Take that, diversity-mongers! In your face!; 8/11/12, 2:51 PM
Anonymous said...: He is athletic. He runs, hopefully this will be highlighted. Might bring in some votes

Just from seeing him (his talking head actually) on TV I thought Ryan was in the 5'8" range. He has the verbal intensity of a smaller man.; 8/11/12, 3:04 PM
An Unmarried Man said...: Did Chris Christie not get the memo?; 8/11/12, 3:13 PM
Steve Sailer said...: Christie definitely didn't get the VP nod.; 8/11/12, 3:14 PM
Richard A. said...: At 6'2" 163 pounds his body mass index works out to be 20.9.
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/; 8/11/12, 3:17 PM
Anonymous said...: "Might bring in some votes"

Comical bias of MSM- BUsh was criticized for running and exercising, you know because he's a dumb guy and he should have been working in the oval office rather than wasting time working out...

The same reporter later wrote about obama something like: "His skin glistening in with sweat as he stands bare chested on the beach, Barak Obama knows a healthy mind and body are one"; 8/11/12, 3:19 PM
Anonymous said...: I am not voting for Romney- if the republicans want to continue to be stuck on stupid that's their business; 8/11/12, 3:20 PM
Baloo said...: This is the least Southern ticket for either party in many years.
http://ex-army.blogspot.com/2012/08/paul-ryan-it-could-be-worse.html; 8/11/12, 3:22 PM
Anonymous said...: Romney doubled down on White. And that's the future of politics in America: White vs. non-White. We will live in interesting time.; 8/11/12, 3:24 PM
Gene Berman said...: That's not exactly "robust" but it's stillnot a badly-proportioned "figure of a man."

In fact, if I remember aright, he's close to the proportions of another Virginian: George Washington.; 8/11/12, 3:44 PM
Anonymous said...: Should've picked Lieberman; 8/11/12, 3:45 PM
Anonymous said...: Well, I don't see Ryan as part of a trend. I see him as a middle age guy fearful of a heart attack at 55. Given that his father, grandfather, and great grandfather dropped dead in their mid-fifties, this guy must be driven by the foreknowledge that he's got about 15 years to accomplish all his life goals.; 8/11/12, 4:00 PM
Mark Rippletits said...: Paul Ryan needs to GOMAD and squat moar. Romney can just upload the latest weightlifting algorithm.

Imagine the improvement in POTUS if benching your bodyweight or more was a threshold requirement.; 8/11/12, 4:03 PM
hbd chick said...: from wikipedia so it must be true:

"Ryan's father, grandfather and great-grandfather all died from heart attacks at ages 55, 57 and 59 respectively."

yikes! =/

"Ryan, whose father, grandfather and great-grandfather all died of heart attacks in their 50s, has said he is careful about what he eats, performs an intense cross-training routine known as P90X most mornings, and has made close to 40 climbs of Colorado's Fourteeners (14,000-foot peaks)."; 8/11/12, 4:07 PM
Average Joe said...: I am not voting for Romney- if the republicans want to continue to be stuck on stupid that's their business

No, stuck on stupid is wanting to have Barack Obama as president for the next 4 years. If the GOP was running a hamster against Obama, I would vote for the hamster.; 8/11/12, 4:10 PM
Average Joe said...: Should've picked Lieberman

Right. Because Lieberman did so much for Gore in 2000.; 8/11/12, 4:12 PM
Anonymous said...: "This is the least Southern ticket for either party in many years."

I think america is becoming sick and tired of southern evangelicals.; 8/11/12, 4:15 PM
Baloo said...: I'm with Average Joe on the hamster thing. With Romney, it's the Tsar Vs. Lenin.; 8/11/12, 4:20 PM
Anonymous said...: Just saw a piece on Ryan and the loss of his dad and grandfathers to heart attacks. They said he organized up a small groups of other reps to work out at the gym, that he eats at the cafeteria every day a turkeyburger with fruit on the side, that he sleeps in his office and heads for WI every weekend to be with wife and 3 kids. Keeps his truck at the airport.

I had to laugh at that lying idiot Andrea Mitchell, who, upon learning Ryan was the pick, said that he wouldn't appeal to suburban moms. I was astounded. Was that simply blatant lying or is she really that clueless?

Not only do/will suburban women love him, so will single women with any brains, since this is the kind of guy they want--bright, earnest, hard-working, devoted dad and husband, and damn cute.

Whom does she think elected Ryan? Progressive, single lesbians?

The guy is so attractive in both looks and personality that I think even some lesbians might really like him!!!; 8/11/12, 4:25 PM
Anonymous said...: "No, stuck on stupid is wanting to have Barack Obama as president for the next 4 years. If the GOP was running a hamster against Obama, I would vote for the hamster."

Funny--just saw a man on the street interviewed who said virtually the same thing, that he knew little about Romney, never heard of Paul Ryan but that it didn't matter because Obama would never again get his vote.

On the other hand, some forty-something white woman said she thought Obama had done an "excellent job." I thought, "Lady, it's one thing to say you will vote for him again, but you strain your listener's credulity and belief in your logic when you state he's done an 'excellent' job."; 8/11/12, 4:28 PM
Chief Seattle said...: At first glance, it seems like the most competent VP choice in my lifetime - with the possible exception of Cheney who is competent, but also mean and crazy.

Whether it will get Romney any more votes it's hard to say. If it was calculated, it's calculated towards turnout versus expansion of the base. I don't know if he's good looking enough, in a Scott Brown sort of way, to get more women voters or not.

Anyways, best conservative ticket since Reagan.; 8/11/12, 4:32 PM
Anonymous said...: "Romney doubled down on White"

Nope, what he did was chose a guy who can slice and dice his opponent with a impressive knowledge of debt, Obamacare, and entitlements with a cheery, Wisconsin demeanor.

I love Bobby Jindal's work in LA, and he's improved a whole lot on the stump over the last 4 years, but Ryan is Midwest(hey, Ohio will listen to someone from WI), and Jindal doesn't yet have Ryan's charm. Plus, LA is red w/out Jindal.

Finally, it was said several weeks ago when they campaigned together that Mitt and Ryan hit it off personally, and that Ryan (as well as Jindal) was the kind of young guy Romney sought out and brought in at Bain, paying top dollar.; 8/11/12, 4:37 PM
Anonymous said...: They've got 3 months. It has taken the voters of NJ more than 3 months to get used to Christie, and quite frankly, much as I enjoy his antics, I don't think much of Middle America would understand him. (MY dad was from NYC and my relatives live in Jersey.); 8/11/12, 4:39 PM
a woman said...: " 'The same reporter later wrote about obama something like: "His skin glistening in with sweat as he stands bare chested on the beach, Barak Obama knows a healthy mind and body are one' "

Oh, God, I remember that, and I recall the article said he had pecs and I looked again and thought, "Pecs? Pecs? For being as young and as thin as he is and looking as nice as he does in a suit, this guy has the beginnings of sagging titties."

I thought it was pretty odd.; 8/11/12, 4:42 PM
Mac said...: "No, stuck on stupid is wanting to have Barack Obama as president for the next 4 years. If the GOP was running a hamster against Obama, I would vote for the hamster."

Heh. Here too I'm afraid. This election really does make one feel like you have to choose the lesser of two evils.; 8/11/12, 4:42 PM
Anonymous said...: I don't think CC will ever lose weight.

I would imagine he has considered the two different surgical procedures--gastric bypass and lapband, but I know 3 people who've had bypass and one that has had lapband and all of them, years later, still have to be close to a bathroom every second, although I do understand that's not the case for all.

In a job like Christie's, it wouldn't be easy to be talking at a town hall and say, "Gotta go--now!"; 8/11/12, 4:45 PM
Anonymous said...: He's really light for his height. At that weight, he's not going to have much muscle and strength.; 8/11/12, 4:56 PM
socks said...: "He is athletic. He runs, hopefully this will be highlighted. Might bring in some votes"

Gary Johnson has climbed 4 of the seven summits including Everest and runs Ironman triathlons. Doesn't seem to have done him much good.; 8/11/12, 5:17 PM
Ne Ne said...: They still have to put on a good public face to avoid voters thinking they are lazy. Then again, you have Christie...; 8/11/12, 5:19 PM
Lars said...: "Ryan, whose father, grandfather and great-grandfather all died of heart attacks in their 50s, has said he is careful about what he eats, performs an intense cross-training routine..."

Just as long as he doesn't go overboard
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9308812/Marathon-running-can-scar-the-heart-researchers-warn..html; 8/11/12, 5:23 PM
Anonymous said...: Shortophobia must end.; 8/11/12, 5:49 PM
medvedev said...: So, does it mean that all Irish Catholics are now going to vote for Romney?; 8/11/12, 5:59 PM
Anonymous said...: I don't think all that hyper-intense exercise makes your heart any better after a certain point. Runners do drop dead. Hopefully, it is an issue treatable by meds.

As far him being driven by his knowledge of his father's and grandfather's death, I've known some strains of white trash that died early, it didn't seem to make them big accomplishers.; 8/11/12, 6:28 PM
Anonymous said...: Obama and Biden are the handsomest President and Vice President combo the US has ever had, but if Romney and Ryan beat them in the election, they will also capture the title of Handsomest President and VP Pair.; 8/11/12, 7:15 PM
Anonymous said...: Anon at 7:15,

"Obama and Biden are the handsomest President and Vice President combo the US has ever had, but if Romney and Ryan beat them in the election, they will also capture the title of Handsomest President and VP Pair."

Obama is a pleasant-looking man with a nice smile. Biden in his youth was probably good-looking. The hair plugs are gross. He has a dazzling smile that "works" for only a second, until you realize how unctuous he is. He's a blowhard and a mythomaniac to boot.

Romney is still a very handsome guy and Ryan is handsome/cute. What baby blues!; 8/11/12, 7:30 PM
Dutch Boy said...: Mr. Mega-bucks Mormon and a Republican policy wonk? Now there's a combo to stir the passions of what's left of the American people!; 8/11/12, 7:30 PM
Anonymous said...: "I don't know if he's good looking enough, in a Scott Brown sort of way, to get more women voters or not."

Scott Brown seems like the kind of guy a woman would fantasize she'd have a fling with.

Paul Ryan is husband material--has it all.; 8/11/12, 7:33 PM
Anonymous said...: I had to laugh at that lying idiot Andrea Mitchell, who, upon learning Ryan was the pick, said that he wouldn't appeal to suburban moms. I was astounded. Was that simply blatant lying or is she really that clueless?

She's married to Alan Greenspan, who's basically a walking corpse.; 8/11/12, 7:41 PM
Anonymous said...: There's no way Christie will ever lose weight.

To lose weight, he'd have to drastically cut down on carbs.

There's no way a New Jersey Italian is going to cut down on all that delicious pasta and Italian cuisine.; 8/11/12, 7:48 PM
Anonymous said...: GOMAD + squats + deadlifts + bench + overhead press, all done w/ linear progression = an easy 30 lbs by election time.; 8/11/12, 8:04 PM
Anonymous said...: "She's married to Alan Greenspan, who's basically a walking corpse."

She matches him in looks but not intellect.; 8/11/12, 8:15 PM
Anonymous said...: "Mr. Mega-bucks Mormon and a Republican policy wonk? Now there's a combo to stir the passions of what's left of the American people!"

I'm a bit of a C-Span junkie. Paul Ryan is the real deal. Yes, a policy wonk, but one who has learned through years of trying to simplify data, to speak in terms people will understand. Also, he has a winning temperament, sunny, you could say, just like his mentor, Jack Kemp.; 8/11/12, 8:18 PM
Anonymous said...: BTW, I think Ryan is not as prone to believing the impossible as Kemp.; 8/11/12, 8:19 PM
Anonymous said...: Hmmmmm. Could this signal a trend?

Even William Saletan of Slate loves Paul Ryan:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/frame_game/2012/08/paul_ryan_for_vice_president_he_s_the_fiscal_conservative_a_republican_should_be_.html; 8/11/12, 8:25 PM
Mac said...: "Not only do/will suburban women love him, so will single women with any brains, since this is the kind of guy they want--bright, earnest, hard-working, devoted dad and husband, and damn cute. "
Hmmmm. Paging Roissy!; 8/11/12, 8:28 PM
Baloo said...: I guess handsome is in the eye of the beholder. I'd classify Ryan as pleasantly homely, like Jamie Farr.; 8/11/12, 8:28 PM
Baloo said...: And if Mitchell thinks Randites aren't for women, why did she marry one?; 8/11/12, 8:30 PM
Anonymous said...: Whoops. Saletan loses me in the end. After saying Obama and the Dems are taking us over a cliff, he says he'll vote Ryan 4 years from now, but for now he's for Obama.

Now, for a guy who occasionally writes a good science article, this piece is sheer nutty.; 8/11/12, 8:31 PM
anony-mouse said...: Only full 2 term fatso (at time of Presidency) we've ever had was Grant. Lots of beanpoles.

That's what America likes.; 8/11/12, 8:34 PM
Anonymous said...: Anybody remember Jim Fixx, the running and fitness guru? Despite being in excellent aerobic condition he keeled over from a heart attack in his early fifties. Early death was written in his genes.; 8/11/12, 8:34 PM
Auntie Analogue said...: Oh, fiddlesticks, let's just all feel enormously relieved that Mitt's veep pick is not named Paul Palin.; 8/11/12, 8:47 PM
Mr. Anon said...: "Average Joe said...

No, stuck on stupid is wanting to have Barack Obama as president for the next 4 years. If the GOP was running a hamster against Obama, I would vote for the hamster."

Right, four more years of Obama, and we might just get another supreme court justice like John Roberts, who just pushed Obama-care over the net. Vote Republican to keep that from happening again...........

Ryan voted for the Patriot Act and supports perpetual war. I would not be at all surprised if he voted for creation of the TSA as well (haven't found a record of the vote in a cursory search). Aside from a few good votes on 2nd amendment issues, he is no friend of liberty.

And despite his image of being a sober fiscal conservative, he voted for TARP, No Child Left Behind, and Medicare Part D.

If Romney and Ryan are the best the Republican party can do, then their best isn't good enough. The Republican party takes white middle-class voters for granted, and spits in our faces. Screw them. The only way we'll get a real conservative party is for the GOP to die.; 8/11/12, 9:26 PM
Anonymous said...: Umm, all you guys saying he doesn't have much muscle or strength, have you ever seen the guy? He is completely ripped:

http://www.dirtysexandpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Paul-ryan-guns-300x250.png

Don't worry, it's safe for work, but dude is really cut.; 8/11/12, 9:30 PM
Mr. Anon said...: "Anonymous said...

I'm a bit of a C-Span junkie. Paul Ryan is the real deal. es, a policy wonk, but one who has learned through years of trying to simplify data, to speak in terms people will understand."

In looking at his record, he seems like a fraud to me. He's spent his whole adult life as a political hack. He's a parasite.

"Also, he has a winning temperament, sunny, you could say, just like his mentor, Jack Kemp."

So how many blacks has Ryan showered with? Kemp was a nitwit, who thought a few tax-breaks would turn Detroit into Palo Alto. We don't need another foolishly optimistic rotary-club glad-hander in high office.; 8/11/12, 9:30 PM
Anonymous said...: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/10543-work-sucks-an-old-film-favorite-proves-radicalism-lives-in-the-mainstream; 8/11/12, 9:37 PM
Luke Lea said...: "One of the best things about Ryan is that he's an objectivist, or follower of Ayn Rand. "

uh-oh.; 8/11/12, 9:44 PM
Anonymous said...: Paul Ryan is handsome. The women who aren't ardent feminists nor communists, are going to flock to him pronto.; 8/11/12, 9:56 PM
Anonymous said...: BTW, I think Ryan is not as prone to believing the impossible as Kemp.

Ryan used to work for Kemp.; 8/11/12, 10:26 PM
Lugash said...: I am Lugash.

Imagine the improvement in POTUS if benching your bodyweight or more was a threshold requirement.

I'd rather see 2xBW in the deadlift or squat.

I am Lugash.; 8/11/12, 10:58 PM
Anonymous said...: The don't call the GOP the "Gay Old Pedophiles" for nothing.; 8/11/12, 11:06 PM
Anonymous said...: Jeez, one would think the feminist motto of not judging people on their physical attributes would have permeated the culture by now.; 8/11/12, 11:16 PM
Matko said...: Should've picked Rand Paul.; 8/12/12, 1:37 AM
Anonymous said...: "There's no way a New Jersey Italian is going to cut down on all that delicious pasta and Italian cuisine."

And yet if you go anywhere in Italy, which I dare say has even better Italian food than New Jersey, you see very few obese people.

Americans have disgusting, piggish eating habits and that's why so many of us are fat.; 8/12/12, 2:42 AM
Anonymous said...: " The hair plugs are gross."

Thank you for saying what very few have said about this very public visage. Artificial hair replacement - another American mania, along with inserting plastic balls in women's chests and lopping off big healthy boobs.; 8/12/12, 2:45 AM
Hapalong Cassidy said...: Anony- mouse, what about the enormous William Howard Taft? As a sidenote, it was a terrible thing that Teddy Roosevelt ran against him as a 3rd party candidate, thereby putting Wilson into office. A 2nd-term Taft would have kept the US out of WW1, and the world would be a better place today as a result.; 8/12/12, 6:19 AM
Anonymous said...: Well Obama may have more trouble that is reported. A teapartyr person is who is democratic talk to freinds in San Diego and most of them will not vote for either party and those that will some for Romney and only two for Obama. Obama going to have problems with the upper-middle class since this person and her friends are upper-middle class people and small business. She left ca when Brown became governor and wnt to va.; 8/12/12, 6:40 AM
Anonymous said...: The good thing is the Republican Party is out of the southwest on teh ticket, the southwest,Reagan, the Bushes and Mccain were the worst on immigration. Granted, Ryan not that great but less pressure from the Midwest.; 8/12/12, 6:42 AM
Kylie said...: "Not only do/will suburban women love him, so will single women with any brains, since this is the kind of guy they want--bright, earnest, hard-working, devoted dad and husband, and damn cute."

What does being the kind of guy brainy women want have to do with his qualifications for being VP? The kind of guy a woman wants in her bed and/ or her life may not necessarily be the kind of guy who should be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

But there it is in concise form, the reason I long for the day the distaff side is disenfranchised.

Yes, men think stupid things about women they find attractive. But most men also compartmentalize. They don't necessarily "love" a woman who is "damn cute" nor do they think suitability as a partner in the personal realm translates into suitability in the professional or political realm.

The only politician I can think of in my lifetime who had genuine charisma and sexual allure is Bill Clinton and I always loathed him, even as I acknowledged that he was "damn cute".; 8/12/12, 8:38 AM
Anonymous said...: Christ, Obama's a skinny guy with man boobs! Too much choom I guess.; 8/12/12, 9:01 AM
Svigor said...: "One of the best things about Ryan is that he's an objectivist, or follower of Ayn Rand. "

uh-oh.

Yep. There's nothing these ideological radicals like better than cutting off noses (their own, everyone else's) to prove their faith.

In looking at his record, he seems like a fraud to me. He's spent his whole adult life as a political hack. He's a parasite.

I don't really follow mainstream pols, what with "mainstream" meaning what it does these days, but Karl Denninger hates him. Has a recent post (Marketticker.org) about what a sell-out bankster stooge he is.

This is the least Southern ticket for either party in many years.

Makes sense. What, Southerners are going to vote for the Democrat mulatto?

Heh. Here too I'm afraid. This election really does make one feel like you have to choose the lesser of two evils.

I just keep coming back to the joy of hearing libtards gnash their teeth and rend their clothes and don the sackcloth over their Mulatto Messiah being shown the door after 1 term. Let's put that in the history books (including footnotes next to "incumbent advantage").

Anon, yes, the Euro contempt for American saline/silicone mania is totally justified. Women with perfectly nice breasts are ruining them with these things. I don't have a problem with it when women use them to fix big saggy breasts, but now we have women with nice, small breasts ruining their tits with these monstrosities. It needs to stop already.; 8/12/12, 9:15 AM
Anonymous said...: He's really light for his height.

No, he's not. He has a BMI of 21.2, where "normal" is in the range 18.5 - 24.9. In other words he is perfectly normal for his height. Only in obese America is he "really light".; 8/12/12, 10:54 AM
Anonymous said...: "So how many blacks has Ryan showered with?"

What the hell does this have to do with anything, Bozo?; 8/12/12, 11:05 AM
Anonymous said...: "One of the best things about Ryan is that he's an objectivist, or follower of Ayn Rand."

No, he is not, and he has spoken at length about this. Why don't you google a bit, read his interviews (about that very topic), and reach your own conclusions instead of reacting to stupid democratic spin?

I thought Steve readers were more informed than you seem to be.; 8/12/12, 11:07 AM
Anonymous said...: "The don't call the GOP the 'Gay Old Pedophiles' for nothing."

What?????? Harry Reid is gay?

BTW, seems Obama acolytes are only pretending to be glad Ryan is the choice. They spot trouble.; 8/12/12, 11:09 AM
Anonymous said...: "Ryan used to work for Kemp."

Yes, I know, but I suspect he's not quite as uneducated about HBD as Jack was.; 8/12/12, 11:11 AM
Anonymous said...: Ryan is a practicing Catholic, has read a lot of Aquinas.; 8/12/12, 11:12 AM
Mr. Anon said...: "Anonymous said...

""So how many blacks has Ryan showered with?""

What the hell does this have to do with anything, Bozo?"

It's a reference to Jack Kemp, and Newt Gingrich, and to the delusions of Republican politicians. As Ryan cited Kemp as one of his influences, it seemed apposite. If you are younger than mid-thirties, you might not get it, lad. If you're older than that, then look it up, idiot.; 8/12/12, 1:49 PM
Anonymous said...: "Anon, yes, the Euro contempt for American saline/silicone mania is totally justified."

And I'm not even European (though I did live in Europe for a long time). In fact, I'm the same Anonymous who trashed soccer in comparison to American sports on the women's soccer thread.; 8/12/12, 1:50 PM
Anonymous said...: No, he's not. He has a BMI of 21.2, where "normal" is in the range 18.5 - 24.9. In other words he is perfectly normal for his height.

The "normal" here is arbitrary. Studies have actually shown that a BMI somewhat above the "normal" range have lower heart disease.; 8/12/12, 2:13 PM
Catperson said...: Umm, all you guys saying he doesn't have much muscle or strength, have you ever seen the guy? He is completely ripped:

Not only that but with his tall skinny build, what we thought he lacked in strength he makes up for in speed and reach. From an evolutionary perspective he has the most advanced body type. He could outrun, out jump, and out-fight most men and can do so despite not requiring many calories. The reason the short barrel chested muscular Neanderthals went extinct is because they were the opposite of Paul Ryan physically and thus could not compete with tall skinny modern humans.; 8/12/12, 2:17 PM
Baloo said...: ""One of the best things about Ryan is that he's an objectivist, or follower of Ayn Rand. ""

"No, he is not, and he has spoken at length about this. Why don't you google a bit, read his interviews (about that very topic), and reach your own conclusions instead of reacting to stupid democratic spin?

I thought Steve readers were more informed than you seem to be."

If you're quoting me here, from my blog post, he's very likely a follower of Rand but of course he's going to say he's not, because she made a big deal about being an atheist, which he probably is not, being apparently a sincere Catholic. The good stuff in Rand isn't dependent on her infantile religious thinking. I don't blame him for distancing himself, because the Dems are going to make as much hay as they can from this.; 8/12/12, 3:09 PM
Anonymous said...: "It's a reference to Jack Kemp, and Newt Gingrich, and to the delusions of Republican politicians. As Ryan cited Kemp as one of his influences, it seemed apposite. If you are younger than mid-thirties, you might not get it, lad. If you're older than that, then look it up, idiot."

I'm not a lad, fella, but an older lassie!

Yes, I know Kemp was Ryan's mentor, and that's why above in another post I said, "but I suspect he's not quite as uneducated about HBD as Jack was."

However, what do you expect a pol to say: "Hey, there's just no educatin' 'em"?; 8/12/12, 3:16 PM
Anonymous said...: "What does being the kind of guy brainy women want have to do with his qualifications for being VP?"

It should have nothing to do with it, but it does have something to do with getting votes.

Aristotle: people are persuaded by primarily appeals to ethos, pathos, logos.

Voters rarely let appeals to their logic win their votes so other factors, such as his looks and manner will have a huge bearing on his appeal to voters.

I mean, you don't think that people who were really listening to Obama were won over 3 and half years ago or today by his "logic," do you?; 8/12/12, 3:21 PM
Anonymous said...: Marketticker.org

Svigor, you need a hypen in there: market-ticker.org.; 8/12/12, 3:39 PM
NOTA said...: Baloo:

The way it looks to me, Romney vs Obama is more like Iraq vs Iran. The only real pity is that eventually, one of the sides will win. I'm having a hell of a time caring which one wins, though I'll probably vote for Johnson.

For an Objectivist, he sure does seem to have a habit of voting for bigger and more powerful government. I gather that's more the direction the movement has gone, but it doesn't have much obvious in common with what I got out of reading Rand. Bailing out the big, politically connected banks with as much secrecy as possible? Approving massive wiretaps of American citizens with no oversight? Supporting huge deficits every year his party was in charge? Sounds like we're being more poison as antidote, to me.

Kylie:

Is there any reason to think most men think any more clearly about politics than most women? What's Sarah Palin's special appeal, or Michelle Bachman's, or Ann Coulter's for that matter?

The sad truth is that most voters make their decisions on kind-of dumb bases, without a whole lot of information or understanding or thought. The conmen and televangelists and race hustlers and talk-show hosts we elect to office reflect that.; 8/12/12, 4:05 PM
dustmouse said...: Somebody upthread said he would have guessed Ryan to be 6" shorter than he is. So would I: what is it that makes him read that way?
(And how tall is Romney? Ryan looks small in comparison.)

(Hah. Guy's been campaigning for how many years now? and I still don't know that.)

Also, this pick does help Mitt. I'd been planning to write someone in rather than vote for Mr. Severely "I Like Mandates" Conservative. As of yesterday that's less likely. It isn't the perfect ticket, but it's a lot better than it was...good enough, maybe, to accept while the Tea Party gets another couple years to grow. From the perspective of shoring up his very-leery base, this is the best pick Mitt could have made.; 8/12/12, 4:34 PM
Baloo said...: NOTA, that's how I understand it. The Objectivists are basically just a branch of the neocons now, and have less in common with the principles of Atlas Shrugged all the time. But Rand herself said things that justification for big government can be built on.

Elsewhere, a minority of men think clearly about politics, but only a handful of women do.; 8/12/12, 6:33 PM
Svigor said...: Women without a strong belief system who are to the left side of 110 IQ seem to have a real problem knowing where to stop with the plastic surgery. Or a disturbingly large subset do, anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if the headshrinkers had a name for this mania already. It's pretty nasty to see, with the stuffed tits, stuffed lips, butchered nose, etc.; 8/12/12, 6:37 PM
Mr. Anon said...: "Anonymous said...

However, what do you expect a pol to say: "Hey, there's just no educatin' 'em"?"

What I expect of a white politician, if he wants the votes of white conservatives, is to not give a damn about the concerns of black voters. he doesn't have to say that - he shouldn't say that, in fact - but that's what I want him to do. I'm fed up with politicians who are ostensibly conservative ignoring those who vote for them, while kowtowing to people who will never vote for them.

Ryan, by the way, voted to enact No Child Left Behind, the government initiative to make all children above average. So much for his HBD savvy.; 8/12/12, 7:10 PM
Mr. Anon said...: "dustmouse said...

Also, this pick does help Mitt. I'd been planning to write someone in rather than vote for Mr. Severely "I Like Mandates" Conservative. As of yesterday that's less likely. It isn't the perfect ticket, but it's a lot better than it was..."

Why do people assume that the choice of veep is relevant at all? Would Obama have governed differently if Jim Webb or Sam Nunn had been his Vice President instead of Joseph Biden? Probably not. Would Sarah Palin have made John McCain a better President? Almost certainly not.; 8/12/12, 7:15 PM
Jack said...: One of the skinniest U.S. Presidents: Andrew Jackson (6'1" 145 pounds); 8/12/12, 7:31 PM
Kylie said...: "Is there any reason to think most men think any more clearly about politics than most women?"

Good god, no. When I think of some of the dumb political beliefs men have, it's obvious to me they don't think any more clearly about politics than most women do.

But I do believe men think more clearly about politicians than women do. My observation has been men are better able to compartmentalize. When they find a woman desirable, they don't necessarily attribute admirable qualities to her, too. They'll freely admit a woman they find sexually attractive is also a bitch, or an airhead. Women tend to see men they find sexually attractive in an overall positive light.

"What's Sarah Palin's special appeal, or Michelle Bachman's, or Ann Coulter's for that matter?"

Palin, Bachman and Coulter all appeal to conservatives, period. I've seen a lot of support for all three from straight conservative women as well as straight conservative men. Yes, they're physically attractive (well, maybe not Coulter so much) but I'd say that their "special appeal" is in their more traditional femininity.

But generally, I think women tend to say, "He's so charismatic--he'd make a great president" and men tend to say, "I don't know if she'd be a good president but I know I'd do her".; 8/12/12, 7:43 PM
Nick the Geek said...: "Somebody upthread said he would have guessed Ryan to be 6" shorter than he is. So would I: what is it that makes him read that way?"

- The liberal MSM doesn't like him. They choose which images of him you see, which angles, what facial expressions, etc.; 8/12/12, 7:50 PM
Anonymous said...: "But generally, I think women tend to say, "He's so charismatic--he'd make a great president" and men tend to say, "I don't know if she'd be a good president but I know I'd do her"."

Spot on. Men will say "She's a bitch, but she is hot." Women just get the all-around swoons.; 8/12/12, 8:44 PM
Anonymous said...: I will vote for Romney, as I have little choice. But I will not give him my blind faith, as so many conservatives gave to George Bush.

"Mr. Mega-bucks Mormon and a Republican policy wonk? Now there's a combo to stir the passions of what's left of the American people!"

If they're Sarah Palins they're "idiots," if they're Paul Ryans, they're "wonks." Can we ever win?; 8/12/12, 8:50 PM
Anonymous said...: Romney made a fool of himself in his recent international tour: telling the Brits that London wasn't ready for the Olympics!

Besides being arrogant, undiplomatic and out of line, he also turned out to be so very wrong.....

As for Ryan, I just can't see how any intellectually honest person could be a follower of both Ayn Rand and the Pope...; 8/12/12, 9:18 PM
Anonymous said...: He looks like a cross between Grover and Count Dracula.; 8/12/12, 9:35 PM
Truth said...: Great, another guy who has worked for the government since he was 24 giving us the "Government is too big" jibe. Another guy who went to college upon receiving his father's S.S. death benefits, who wants to to slash S.S. Are you kidding me?; 8/12/12, 9:53 PM
Truth said...: "Ryan voted for the Patriot Act and supports perpetual war. I would not be at all surprised if he voted for creation of the TSA as well (haven't found a record of the vote in a cursory search). Aside from a few good votes on 2nd amendment issues, he is no friend of liberty."

"In looking at his record, he seems like a fraud to me. He's spent his whole adult life as a political hack. He's a parasite."

Geez, Anon, you're on fire today!

A parasite masquerading as a vaccine.; 8/12/12, 10:06 PM
DaveinHackensack said...: Truth,

The size of government per se is less if an issue for Ryan than the growing difference between what the government is spending and what it's taking in. And the government is spending a hell of a lot more on entitlements such as Medicare than it is on Congressional salaries. If anything, Congressmen are extremely underpaid relative to their power and responsibilities. A board member of a Fortune 100 company makes 2-4x as much.

It's true that having a career public servant on the ticket nixes the "government is teh evil" talking point, but that was a stupid one to begin with. Government may be bloated and poorly run, but that's not an argument for anarchy; t's an argument for better government. Romney-Ryan, while imperfect, looks like a step in that direction.; 8/12/12, 11:00 PM
Anonymous said...: "Ryan voted for the Patriot Act and supports perpetual war. I would not be at all surprised if he voted for creation of the TSA as well (haven't found a record of the vote in a cursory search). Aside from a few good votes on 2nd amendment issues, he is no friend of liberty."

"In looking at his record, he seems like a fraud to me. He's spent his whole adult life as a political hack. He's a parasite."

Geez, Anon, you're on fire today!

A parasite masquerading as a vaccine."

Truth, this is one of your most inspirational and finest posts yet. kudos; 8/13/12, 12:16 AM
Truth said...: Daevin:

That's a thoughtful and measured response, but ask yourself, regardless of the messenger, who in this country is truly ready for medicare reform?

Is it going to be the geriatric Republican party base who are going to accept a medical voucher system? Is it going to be the
"tea-partiers on foodstamps" who are going to except more austerity?

Certainly something has to be done, but the whole "you're an idiot if you aren't rich, all it takes is a little more effort, and a little less public assistant" Republican talking point, started by Dutch 30 years ago, is much better spoken by someone else than someone who has a generous lifetime pension coming from a public-sector career.

When I look at Mitt Romney, I see a man who has released ONE tax return (during which he paid 14% in taxes, probably the most he has ever paid) talking about cutting taxes on the rich. Mitt Romney jr. now wants to parse the program that put him through college in a "return to austerity." It just doesn't look good.; 8/13/12, 6:18 AM
Kylie said...: "Romney made a fool of himself in his recent international tour: telling the Brits that London wasn't ready for the Olympics!"

He was probably thinking of their unreadiness in dealing with the days-long rioting last year. It was tactless of him to allude to it, though.; 8/13/12, 7:49 AM
Kylie said...: "Great, another guy who has worked for the government since he was 24 giving us the 'Government is too big' jibe."

Better than that a guy who has little to show for his Ivy League education besides maybe writing his autobiography and getting some asbestos removed becoming the most powerful government leader in the world.

"Another guy who went to college upon receiving his father's S.S. death benefits, who wants to to slash S.S."

Better that than a guy who went to college upon receiving affirmative action and who along with his AA wife enjoyed an opulent life-style that he could never have achieved by merit alone, wanting to greatly expand benefits for his people because they aren't getting enough yet.

"Are you kidding me"

That's what we asked four years ago.; 8/13/12, 8:10 AM
NOTA said...: Paging Wesley Mouch.

To be fair, Paul Ryan is as good a disciple of Ayn Rand as the average Republican or Democrat is of Jesus or the founding fathers, both allegedly revered by most politicians of both parties. I think our political system mostly selects against people who have many beliefs or principles they won't compromise on. Maybe that's good, maybe it's bad (the current dysfunctional political situation isn't a commercial for how it's worked out lately), but it seems to be true. It's a rare national-level politician who can afford to mostly be what he or she seems to be.

And you can see this in presidential politics, right? Obama's strong statements about what he believed w.r.t. civil liberties, war, executive power, the drug war, and healthcare reform were all very quickly abandoned when they proved poltiically untenable. Romney's deeply held beliefs on gun control, abortion, gay rights, and health care reform when running for president are 180 degrees flipped from his deeply held beliefs when running for governor of Massachussets.

Now, from the outside, it's impossible to know what goes on in these mens' hearts. Perhaps they really believed one of the versions of what they said to get elected, and it rends their hearts to have to betray those beliefs in order to get and keep power. Perhaps they really believed the ideas they're governing according to, and the stuff they said to get elected (or are saying now to get elected) are just a cover. Perhaps they have no particularly strong beliefs in these areas, and just care about power and prestige. Since it's pretty hard to distinguish between these three cases from the outside, I'm not sure how much it matters which one we assume.

There are two known mental biases that come into play heavily when trying to understand your own side's politicians and the other side's politicians:

First, there's fundamental attribution bias, where you watch someone acting according to his incentives and constraints, and assume his actions reflect his inner beliefs. Being a politician probably *requires* the ability to pretend to believe things you don't believe, so the convincingly expressed beliefs of a politician should be assumed to be overwhelmingly about responding to his incentives.

Second, there's<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias confirmation bias</a>, where you tend to remember and notice and accept as valid evidence that agrees with your existing assumptions about the world.

It's pessimistic as hell, but I honestly believe one of the best ways to understand politics and partisanship is to study how conmen and con games work. There is a lot in common between the mental state of someone in the process of getting screwed out of his retirement money by some slick investment offer, and someone in the process of convincing himself that his party's candidate really truly has his interests and beliefs at heart.; 8/13/12, 8:50 AM
NOTA said...: Carol's first comment highlights the problem with identity politics, to me. I'm just glad they're both white dudes.

Before jumping on this particular bandwagon, you might ask how well it's worked for blacks in majority-black districts. Because it looks to me like it's turned out pretty badly for them, and is no more likely to work out well for us.

Romney is a white dude. Obama is a black dude. If you are a white electrician, and you live next door to a black plumber, the two of you have almost nothing in common with either man. Neither man will in any meaningful sense represent your interests. Both will maintain affirmative action in education and federal contracting, which will mostly not help or hinder you or your kids. (The boost in getting into a college is probably at least offset by the penalty of flunking out and ending up with debt.) Both will continue innumerate, fantasy-based federal meddling in local schools via NCLB, which will make your kids' education marginally worse. Neither will under any circumstances hold anyone very important responsible when their company engages in systematic widespread fraud at a profit, at your expense. Neither is going to stop going into ruinous debt in order to keep our gold plated military bombing third-world peasants in some shithole you can't find on a map.

And yet, by the magic of racial identity politics, both men can win the support of the foks they're screwing over. Because hey, at least he's one of ours.

Now, there's plenty to dislike about Obama, and I can see why someone might sensibly resolve to vote for anyone else instead of him. And there's plenty not to like about the modern Republican party, and I can see why someone might sensibly resove to vote for even Obama in order to keep them out of power. But it's probably a mistake to think one or the other of them is on your team. The sort of man who gets to the top in US politics overwhemlingly is on nobody's team but his own. Certainly, Barack and Mitt have much more in common with one another than they ever will with our hypothetical white electrician/black plumber neighbors.; 8/13/12, 9:03 AM
Svigor said...: Great, another guy who has worked for the government since he was 24 giving us the "Government is too big" jibe. Another guy who went to college upon receiving his father's S.S. death benefits, who wants to to slash S.S. Are you kidding me?

I think you mean jive. For a small fee I can continue your instruction in ebonics.

This goes back to what Kylie was saying. White (and maybe yellow) men seem to be the only ones who can divorce the personal from the intellectual in significant numbers. Not that Ryan's actually one of them, mind. But Truth sure as hell ain't.

Truth, this is one of your most inspirational and finest posts yet. kudos

It was a couple of quotes and a six-word sentence. I'm not sure anyone's dumb enough to fall for this one.; 8/13/12, 11:20 AM
Anonymous said...: Ryan wants to increase defense spending and is probably a stooge of defence contractors.; 8/13/12, 12:49 PM
NOTA said...: Out of curiosity, is there any data on what the Obama administration has done w.r.t. AA and discrimination lawsuits and such? A quick Google search doesn't turn anything up for me.

I'm curious whether the Obama administration is different from the Bush administration in either regard. My guess is that there's probably little difference, but I could easily be wrong. Data is much better than speculation.; 8/13/12, 1:34 PM
Truth said...: "It was a couple of quotes and a six-word sentence. I'm not sure anyone's dumb enough to fall for this one."

...Outside of a guy who is dumb enough to post a quote and a NINTEEN word sentence in response?; 8/13/12, 2:00 PM
Truth said...: "For a small fee I can continue your instruction in ebonics."

Great, I'll return the favor in ancient Phoneician ligature.; 8/13/12, 2:01 PM
Truth said...: Good job Kylie, keep defending your overlords.; 8/13/12, 2:34 PM
Kylie said...: "'For a small fee I can continue your instruction in ebonics.'

Great, I'll return the favor in ancient Phoneician ligature."

Phoneician ligature?

Looks like something out of "Rocky and Bullwinkle".

Stayed tuned for "I'm Tied Up On The Phone" or "Phoneician Ligature".

Wierd. ;); 8/13/12, 6:31 PM
Kylie said...: "But it's probably a mistake to think one or the other of them [Obama or Romney] is on your team."

Why "probably"?; 8/13/12, 6:35 PM
Svigor said...: ...Outside of a guy who is dumb enough to post a quote and a NINTEEN word sentence in response?

Sheesh, I say you're too smart to fall for it and you call me dumb. Teach me to defend you. Obviously I'm so dumb I missed the dumbness. Explain it for me?; 8/13/12, 7:34 PM
Pat Boyle said...: Back when I was a psychology major undergraduate I read an article in Psychology Today that the ideal height was 6'2".

Their method was to send guys into job interviews. They found that 6'2" was the best height for a job applicant. I'm not sure how they controlled everything else. Maybe they used elevator shoes?

I do remember that they claimed that the reason that women made less money than men was height discrimination not sex discrimination. This was "Psychology Today" after all. They printed a lot of stupid stuff.

However I do believe that 6'2" is something of an optimum. So do the many posters at "Celebrity Heights". Six two is the optimum movie star height. Stars who are only six six or six five are too tall for regular movie leads. Clint Walker and Christopher Lee are the obvious exceptions.

George Clooney at about five ten should not be obsessed with stature like Tom Cruse or Robert Downey are. Five ten is average or maybe a little more. The problem is that the characters Clooney plays are six two not five ten. He wears lifts just like Stallone and Pacino.

I originally supported Tim Polenty solely on the basis of his silhouette. He would look good on stage next to six two thin Barrack Obama. Romney passes that test too. Gingrich fails that test. He waddles - old and fat. Brains in the TV age are less important than stature.

Albertosaurus; 8/14/12, 1:34 PM
Anonymous said...: Pat aka Alberta:

What height were the characters that Bogart played? Were they 6'2" in your mind?

I say men of "optimal height" are actually more likely to be lightweight actors and have therefore smaller careers. So I call BS on your "height of character" assertion. Midget leading man actors would not exist if your assertion were true. But midget actors proliferate - and the audience knows they are short guys. Reality says Sinatra had a much bigger Hollywood career playing leading man roles than Sellick.

Cruise btw has played every leading man character type - as has Willis, Damon et al - and everyone realizes these are not tall men. Perhaps these guys are successful onscreen playing alpha leaders because so many men of lesser heights are leaders in real life.

Sarkozy, Bloomberg, Putin etc are setting the bar very low indeed for even high profile politicians. Are they all 6'2" in your mind? Roissy understands why short dudes - even midgets - continue to get leading man roles in movies.

Btw Downey is living a second life due to near death experiences with drugs and prison. It is unlikely he gives a damn about narcissistic concerns at this point - much like POWs who survive their ordeal report living lives free of anxiety.; 8/15/12, 11:10 PM