Open thread for night owls: Understanding Paul Ryan

Elon James at the Washington Monthly writes Understanding Paul Ryan:

Now, I have not spent as much time observing Paul Ryan in his native habitat, but I'm quite sure another thing that makes him tick, as I alluded to earlier, is a longtime opposition to gay rights. This isn't something Ryan puts at the top of his resume, of course ' it would cut against his image as an intellectual and a wonk ' but the evidence is stark.

Via the National Organization for Marriage, here's a taste of how Paul Ryan feels about gays:

'Voted for a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as the union between one man and one woman.'
Voted against repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell in 2011.

Voted YES on Constitutionally defining marriage as one-man-one-woman.

Voted YES on Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Supported the marriage amendment in Wisconsin in 2006.

In a crucial way these positions are of a piece with Ryan's desire to, as Matthew Yglesias put it so well, 'ax programs aimed at benefiting poor people.' They reveal a guy who does not hesitate ' and is in fact eager ' to put a boot on the neck of a large swath of Americans. Isn't this a 'key' to understanding the man?

High Impact Posts. Top Comments.