Paul Ryan’s Appearance More Circus than Fair

I read the account of Congressman Paul Ryan’s visit to the Iowa State Fair on Monday with a certain amount of dismay. The newly minted vice presidential candidate had come to stand on the Des Moines Register’s soapbox and introduce himself to Iowans. OK, maybe there are better audiences for discussing policy than a sweaty throng of corndog munching fairgoers, but I would like to believe Iowans, if not all Americans, are capable of conducting civilized debate. It is becoming harder to do so.

Paul Ryan went to the Fair and all Iowa got was mustard on its t-shirt.

The sorry display by the group of protesters who came to berate Mitt Romney’s running mate and the backlash by an angry few in the pro-Romney crowd who tried to stop them was disappointing on many fronts.

The shouting and attempts to disrupt the event by demonstrators – one woman climbed onto the stage – did nothing to facilitate the exchange of ideas or help a cause, if they even have one. The pushing, shoving and insults hurled in return only added to the pathetic spectacle. There is a time for civil disobedience and there are times when a little yelling is needed. This was not one of those times.

Campaign 2012 has been as light on ideas as it has been heavy on finger pointing and name-calling. Our nation faces daunting challenges. We aren’t going to solve them through bullying, but by finding common ground.

Like it or not, Paul Ryan has shown he is willing to talk about tough issues such as our country’s debilitating budget woes. It is easy to see why some may not agree with all Mr. Ryan has proposed, but it is refreshing he is willing to take a stand. Perhaps his running mate will soon find the courage to follow this lead.

Mark Twain once wrote “It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them.”

I find myself wishing many like those folks at the Fair would exercise such prudence. They are not helping move anything forward.

Twain was joking, of course. We are not served if those who disagree with Ryan do not challenge his proposals, just as we lose if we allow the shouters to stifle the exchange of ideas. We need to hear both sides.

The journey to common ground begins with understanding and mutual respect. The fairgoers should have held the shouting, enjoyed a corndog and then proceeded with logical debate. Instead they created a silly sideshow.

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Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com 
This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register online essay.