Richard Eskow: "President Ryan" Another Shrewd Move in the Corporate State!

Paul Ryan's looks are often compared to an actor's, and that's no accident: He is being groomed for the role of a lifetime. When Mitt Romney accidentally introduced Ryan Ryan as "the next President" he may have been displaying the same predilection for accidental honesty, for truth telling as political gaffe, that he showed when he praised Israel's socialized health system. And Romney may be right. The most likeable and electable extremist in the country just became the GOP's 2016 front runner. That's no accident either. All the signs suggest that the economy will struggle for years, unless progressive steps are taken. Worse, another steep decline into recession or depression could occur at any time. If Obama's re-elected and we're still suffering in 2016, as now seems likely, our "electable extremist" will be in the perfect position to become the next President. Heads we win, says Corporate America, and tails you lose. Even that doesn't tell the whole story. The Ryan choice reflects something much bigger than an election or two. Corporate America, and those who serve it have been playing a long game for political power, displaying formidable qualities yet to be seen in its electoral opponents, a clearly articulated vision, concrete goals, and the ability to plan and execute long range strategies. Under their ideal of Corporate Statism, the President is no longer "the Decider." He or she increasingly serves as Corporate America's employee, a hireling who serves as its sales rep, its celebrity spokesperson, as a flesh and blood avatar for faceless financial power. Who's better suited for that job than Paul Ryan? The game plan was laid out in the infamous Lewis Powell memo of 1970, which encouraged corporations to take control of all major Us institutions, and their game was already well underway when Powell sketched his strategy on the chalkboard. Far from being a blunder, the Ryan nomination can be seen as the next step in a decades long plan to capture this country's political institutions for the ideology of radical corporate statism.