Paul Ryan's budget: 4 ways it proves he's not a fiscal mastermind

Mitt Romney's running mate has a reputation as a serious policy intellectual, but critics say his budget is just fuzzy math and magical thinking

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) introduces his "Path to Prosperity" on March 20
(Image credit: T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images)

Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's running mate, is often characterized as the "Wonk King of the Republicans" — an expert on fiscal policy who enjoys perusing CBO budget estimates in his free time. The Wisconsin Republican's budget, titled "The Path to Prosperity," has been praised for its unflinching proposals to steer America away from a deficit abyss, particularly via a radical overhaul of Medicare and Medicaid. Ryan's critics, however, see the congressman as a salesman who has assiduously cultivated an image as a sensible wonk, but is really an ideological crusader using the aura of accounting to mask his tax cuts for the rich and spending cuts for the poor. Paul Krugman, the Nobel-winning economist and liberal stalwart, says Ryan merely "scribbled some stuff down, without checking at all to see if it makes sense," while David Stockman, Ronald Reagan's budget director, says Ryan's plan is a fairy tale "devoid of credible math." Here, four ways Ryan's budget prove he's not the wonky fiscal mastermind he purports to be:

1. Ryan's numbers don't add up

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us