Paul Krugman: The Gullible Center

So, can we talk about the Paul Ryan phenomenon?

And yes, I mean the phenomenon, not the man. Mr. Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee
and the principal author of the last two Congressional Republican budget proposals, isn’t especially
interesting. He’s a garden-variety modern G.O.P. extremist, an Ayn Rand devotee who believes that the
answer to all problems is to cut taxes on the rich and slash benefits for the poor and middle class.

No, what’s interesting is the cult that has grown up around Mr. Ryan — and in particular the way selfproclaimed centrists elevated him into an icon of fiscal responsibility, and even now can’t seem to let go of their fantasy.