A Paul Ryan reader

Ever since Mitt Romney named Paul Ryan as his running mate, the UK media has raced to portray him as a fiscal Sarah Palin and suggest that he advocates extremist policies. If anyone wants to find out for themselves, and learn about his policies and ideas, where do they start? Here is an introduction to one of the most interesting and intellectually substantial figures in American politics.

Background

Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan said a lot about the direction of the Presidential election campaign. It disappointed conservatives who wanted Romney to select a VP candidate based on identity politics, or to keep the campaign a referendum on Obama. But it was a triumph for those of us who want to see a genuine battle of ideas, or an ‘opposing visions of America’ election, between the Republicans and Democrats.For Ryan, it finalises a lofty ascent from research institutes to the intellectual leadership of US Republicans.

Ryan’s political outlook has been largely attributed to the principle of self-reliance which he was forced to accept following the premature death of his father. This