Forgive me, fiscal conservatives, for the pain I’m about to inflict on you. Watch through your (pudding) fingers if you must, but watch. Together the two ads below raise an essential question about the nature of the modern GOP.

In 2012, the party’s presidential ticket included Paul Ryan. In 2024, it will almost certainly feature a nominee who campaigned against reforming entitlements in the Republican primary. As a measure of how unserious the right has become about solving the country’s most challenging problems, that’s tough to beat.