Simple Follow-Up Questions Challenge Paul Ryan. They Always Have.

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Terry Camp, a TV reporter in Detroit, seems to have a decent grasp on Paul Ryan's top priority - cutting taxes - to solve all of society's problems, asked a simple follow-up question to Ryan's long-winded exercise about reducing gun violence. Against that backdrop, also remember that during the Chris Wallace interview a couple weeks ago, Ryan said lowering tax rates was, "more important than anything" else to promote economic growth.

Here's Ryan's solutions to end gun crimes:

"This is why we need economic growth, this is why we need education reform, this is why we need to promote equality of opportunity and upward mobility in society so that people are out of these terrible conditions. So they can get onto lives of self sufficiency. If we deal with those problems – the problems of civil society, the problems of helping our communities — big government doesn’t do that. Big government makes it worse. Those are the kind of reforms we’re talking about. What do you do to create good jobs, to create prosperity, to help charities and people that are in communities to help one another."

[...]

"But the best thing to help prevent violent crime in the inner cities is to bring opportunities to communities in the inner cities, to help people get out of poverty in the inner cities is to teach people good discipline, good character. That is civil society. That's what charities, civic groups and churches do to help one another to make sure they can realize the value in one another." -- Paul Ryan

Any studious reporter with a grasp of Ryan's policies was left with at least two choices to ask after those circular comments. The first that immediately came to my mind was: And you intend, using the power of government, to legislate charities and churches to teach good discipline and instill personal responsibility to create the civil society you described?, OR; shorter and to the point about how Ryan's tax priorities will effect these problems, Camp asked, "And you can do all that by cutting taxes? With a big tax cut?"

Either one works for me.

Those were not "statements" by Camp. They were questions accurately drawn from Ryan's bloviations and supported by his previous "tax cuts bring prosperity" rhetoric. Camp wasn't trying to put words in Ryan's mouth. Anyone ...anyone can make the kind of statements Ryan makes without actually stating how they're going to do it.

Instead of answering the question, even a simple yes or no would do, Ryan chose to cut off and attack the reporter. It appears that even Ryan's aides know when the congressman is in over his head when they find it necessary to step in to end the interview.

Watch it:



ADDITIONAL:

Blue Cheddar - Journalist does his job. Paul Ryan: “That was kinda strange”

Salon - Paul Ryan’s thin skin. Running with Mitt Romney has introduced him to something he's not very comfortable with: Follow-up questions