Remember this speech that I highlighted back in 2016, as reported by Steve Benen?
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) delivered a speech last week at the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s anniversary gala, and the Wisconsin Republican highlighted an interesting excerpt from the remarks on social media over the weekend:
“That is the key difference between ourselves and the progressives: We do not believe we should be governed by elites. We do not believe that there are experts or elites who should steer us in their preferred direction. We see that sense of organization as condescending, paternalistic, and downright arrogant. We know it’s wrong. […]
“Because we believe that all of us are equal, we believe there is no problem that all of us – working together – cannot solve. We believe every person has a piece of this puzzle, and only when we work together do we get the whole picture.”
I have come to the conclusion that the proper plain English translation is …
I hate and loathe the opinions of some experts, so I’m anointing all of you experts so you can tell me what I want to hear.
I just thought my readers should know.
Look, there is certainly a tension between experts and non-experts when it comes to topics that impact everyone, such as public health. Finding a way to live with and conform to those opinions, with the alternative being potential disaster, is important.
But former Speaker Ryan’s approach is rank and callow extremism, and I’m afraid that’s what has invaded the Republican Party organism. It screams dreadfully at the thought of being told what to do, and its members die and die and die.
