August 11, 2012
Romney Picks Ryan for VP
Mitt Romney has selected conservative Congressman Paul Ryan from the swing-state of Wisconsin to be his Vice-Presidential running mate. The possibility of Ryan as VP has been gaining ground over the last few days. Politico ran a piece over the supposed "split" within GOP over the notion:
Ryan advocates, including some of his colleagues and high-profile conservative elites, believe Romney will lose if he doesn’t make a more assertive case for his candidacy and that selecting the 42-year-old wonky golden boy would sound a clarion call to the electorate about the sort of reforms the presumptive GOP nominee wants to bring to Washington. Call them the “go bold” crowd.Cautious indeed. As if the Obama campaign would find anything positive about any choice, right? Rich Lowry explained why Republicans shouldn't "fear" the (at the time) potential selection of Ryan:Their opposites, pragmatic-minded Republican strategists and elected officials, believe that to select Ryan is to hand President Barack Obama’s campaign a twin-edged blade, letting the incumbent slash Romney on the Wisconsin congressman’s Medicare proposal and carve in the challenger a scarlet “C” for the unpopular Congress. This is the cautious corner.
In political terms, picking Ryan is presumed to be like hanging out with the No. 2 of an al-Qaeda affiliate somewhere in the badlands of the Middle East. Ryan is a high-value target.We'll see. In the mean time, if your looking for more background, the Weekly Standard explained how Ryan "became the intellectual leader" of the GOP.Ryan’s offense is proposing serious reform of entitlements, as part of a budget that puts federal obligations on a sustainable path. He’s already been featured in one attack ad, in which a Ryan look-alike pushed an old lady in a wheelchair off a cliff.
There’s no doubt that the heart of the Ryan budget, Medicare premium support, is a major political risk. But the GOP is wedded to it. House Republicans passed the Ryan budget — twice. Romney himself endorsed it. He is already a “little bit pregnant” on Medicare.
The Democrats’ assault over Medicare will be ferocious, not to mention lowdown and dishonest. They’ve already all but accused Romney of killing someone, and they haven’t even gotten around to Medicare. When the barrage starts, Romney won’t be able to duck and cover. He’ll have to win the argument — or at least hold his own.
This is the broader point. Romney has to carry the argument to President Barack Obama. The state of the economy alone isn’t enough to convince people that Romney has better ideas to create jobs. Neither is his résumé. Romney needs to make the case for his program, and perhaps no one is better suited to contribute to this effort than Ryan.
Ryan has been in Congress since 1999. and voted for the things that erased the Clinton surplus and created massive deficits. Ryan voted for the Bush tax cuts and the foolish and totally unnecessary trillion dollar wars in Afghanistan and Iraq . Ryan also voted for the Wall Street bailout and the bailout of GM and Chrysler.
Posted by: Sammy in Arizona at August 11, 2012 12:06 PMAssuming the accuracy of Sammy's (why does he prefer the diminutive?)post, there is cause for concern.
I think Romney's handlers may be correct in assuming he was missing the more conservative vote (one might say the "Republican Base")by standing as a "centrist". In many parts of the country, an "East Coast Centrist", would be a liberal.
In any case, I have never been enthused by Romney. As his handlers feared, if Election Day were rainy I might choose to stay home. Although I am unsure what a Veep does when not hanging out at the Old Naval Observatory, a conservative on the team gives me hope.
. Ryan also voted for the Wall Street bailout and the bailout of GM and Chrysler.
Posted by Sammy in Arizona at August 11, 2012 12:06 PM
You mean the bailouts most Republicans voted against while the Kenyan Communist and most Democrats voted for?
Posted by: Tommy Cranston at August 11, 2012 5:17 PMRyan has been in Congress since 1999. and voted for the things that erased the Clinton surplus and created massive deficits.
Posted by Sammy in Arizona at August 11, 2012 12:06 PM
You mean he voted for the skunk's trillion dollar failed stimulus?
Or the doubling of student loans and food stamps?
Or the unfunded giveaway of Medicaid to 17 million adults?
Or making the rest of us pay for free insurance on 27 year old "kids"? Or free birth control for every slut in America?
Sammy-you know as much about economics as you do about video poker.
Why don't you go for a long, long walk in the desert?
Yes the Veep will be very important ...like Biden....now don't everyone laugh at once. Biden has done some really good things like pointing out that this is our 3rd summer of recovery in a row (U-6 at 16%...and growing).
"The U6 unemployment rate counts not only people without work seeking full-time employment (the more familiar U-3 rate), but also counts "marginally attached workers and those working part-time for economic reasons." The "marginally attached workers" include those who have gotten discouraged and stopped looking, but still want to work."
Posted by: ANTHONY at August 11, 2012 8:02 PM"Ryan has been in Congress since 1999. and voted for the things that erased the Clinton surplus and created massive deficits. Ryan voted for the Bush tax cuts and the foolish and totally unnecessary trillion dollar wars in Afghanistan and Iraq . Ryan also voted for the Wall Street bailout and the bailout of GM and Chrysler."
Which one did Barrack Obama vote against?
Posted by: Max D at August 11, 2012 9:54 PMSammy the Democratic Troll doesn't waste any time. Ryan's been campaigning for less than 24 hours and Sammy already has a cut-and-paste troll spiel from his "anti-Republican" file ready to go against him.
Posted by: Dan at August 11, 2012 10:59 PMJust take a look at Paul Ryan's resume, spending his entire adult life in Washington DC He has sucked the government teat his whole life.He's more hooked on government cheese, than a section 8, welfare queen with a dozen kids.
not that there is anything wrong with that, mind you
Posted by: Sammy in Arizona at August 12, 2012 12:33 PM"Paul Ryan's resume, spending his entire adult life in Washington DC He has sucked the government teat his whole life."
Spammy isn't that admirable to a lib like you? Oh that's right you'd rather be sucking on that stuff Hussein admits to. He's a proud Chroom gang member.
abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/obama-and-his-pot-smoking-choom-gang/
Posted by: ANTHONY at August 13, 2012 11:42 PM