Washington (CNN) -- 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 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 can'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 in his sights for years. At first, even Republicans steered clear of some of his more controversial budget ideas like Medicare reform. But then the economy went south and the tea party became the rage. Suddenly, the push to slash budget deficits became popular.





So popular, in fact, that Ryan's budget outline overwhelmingly passed the Republican-controlled House in the spring.





It cuts $6.2 trillion over 10 years in federal government spending. That's big bucks, and Ryan does it by gradually transforming Medicare into a program in which recipients receive vouchers to help buy private insurance. He also gradually raises the program's eligibility age and transforms Medicaid into a block grant program. On the tax side, the Ryan plan includes major tax reform that reduces the top rate for both individuals and corporations.





The plan died in the Senate and handed the Democrats a political issue.





"...His budget would kill people. No question," Princeton University and Nobel Prize -inning economist Paul Krugman told CNN. "The cuts in Medicare he's proposing, the replacement of Medicare by a voucher system would in the end mean that tens of millions of Americans would not be able to afford essential health care. So that counts as cruelty to me."





Ryan scoffs at the criticism.





"There's sort of a shoot-the-messenger strategy these days," he added. "I'm the messenger, and you can't fear that if you are who you are."





It's a pattern for Ryan, who has grown in popularity by pushing the unpopular, a fairly unconventional route.





Not only has he proposed major reforms in entitlements; he's also tried to end his colleagues' pork projects. When he became chairman of the House Budget Committee this year after Republicans captured control of the House, he continued to touch the untouchable-- the third rail of American politics.





"I used to say I'm like a koala bear grabbing on. So
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