liberty , free enterprise , self-determination , government by the consent of the governed -- all of these really core principles are being tested right now , '' Ryan told CNN . `` You ca n't have fear if you try to fix these problems . '' The 41-year-old Ryan has been on a fast track . First elected to Congress in 1998 after a stint as a congressional staffer and adviser at the conservative think tank Empower America , the Janesville , Wisconsin , native ran for the House at the ripe old age of 28 . It was a long shot , but he won , convincingly . Always a fiscal conservative , Ryan made his mark delving into the nuance of federal budgets . Now he 's become famous as the face of a new brand of Republican economics -- one that includes the most sweeping plan to cut government spending in decades and enact major entitlement reforms . As evidence of his growing influence in the party , the Republican National Committee on Friday tapped Ryan to be its Presidential Trust Chairman to lead its fundraising effort against President Barack Obama . Ryan had the deficit
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- To hear Paul Ryan explain it , there 's just one way to cope with becoming the Democrats ' favorite man to hate : `` I gave fear up for Lent this year , '' Ryan told CNN during an extensive interview . And he 's not kidding . It 's probably a good idea , given the fact that Ryan 's budget -- passed nearly unanimously by House Republicans -- has become the GOP Holy Grail . It includes entitlement cuts , most notably the gradual shifting of Medicare into a program dominated by private insurers . It 's no surprise , then , that Democrats call it dangerous , mean and reckless -- and that 's not all . `` The Ryan road map is the way to the cliff and then over the cliff , '' said Rep. John Yarmuth . D-Kentucky . `` The Ryan proposal would destroy our government , '' economist and Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs declared at a Democratic Progressive Caucus event . Ryan remains undeterred . `` There 's a big test to this country and whether we apply our country 's principles -- you know