Rachel Maddow ran a segment on Paul Ryan getting testy with a reporter and cut through the visual to get to the meat of what happened. Yesterday, everyone was talking about how testy Paul Ryan was, but that misses the point:
The GOP vice presidential candidate responds that “this country has a crime problem.” When the reporter asks for clarification, Ryan explains that “good, strong gun laws” are currently on the books, “but we have to make sure we enforce our laws.”
He goes on to clarify:
“We have lots of laws that aren’t being properly enforced. We need to make sure we enforce these laws. But the best thing to help prevent violent crime in the inner cities is to bring opportunity in the inner cities, is to help people get out of poverty in the inner cities, is to help teach people good discipline, good character. That is civil society. That’s what charities, and civic groups, and churches do to help one another make sure that they can realize the value in one another.”
Sound familiar? It should. This is simply another phrasing of Romney’s 47% statement. Poverty exists because poor people don’t have good discipline or good character.