105 Replies to “It’s Ryan”

  1. Great pick, although if successful wold leave a huge gap in the House, where he’s needed most. Good luck to him nonetheless.

  2. Interesting. And important. I had thought it might be Rubio. Or Christie. Or Pawlenty.
    Rubio for the ethnic vote.
    Christie for the beligerant fight-back against the Obama Gang maliciousness.
    Pawlenty for basic conservative American values.
    But picking Ryan means that Romney has made this election about: The Economy.
    Obama won’t like that. Obama doesn’t campaign on issues; he campaigns on personality. The 2008 election was all about Obama the Messiah Saviour versus Bush the Evil Warmonger.
    He’s been doing the same this time, and he’s been very successful so far, defining Himself as Obama the Nice Guy Who Just Wants to Help You, aka, Robin Hood. Versus Romney the Evil Greedy Murderous Capitalist.
    It’s worked. Now, Romney is rejecting the personal lables and bringing the focus to one thing only: The Economy.
    Whew. How will the Obama gang, who don’t want to touch this (or any other issue) deal with this?

  3. I think its mitt on the economy and Ryan on Obamacare. I can’t wait until he debates Biden one on one.

  4. If Romney takes the fight to Obama, and remind the electorate of Obama’s incompetence and dishonesty, he will win. Romney had better start defining himself, or Obama will do it for him.

  6. How will the Obama gang, who don’t want to touch this (or any other issue) deal with this?
    Two white guys don’t care about anyone with brown skin. Raciss!! is all they have.

  7. I think this is a great choice. The man has a razor sharp grasp of the issues, but takes the edge off with a relaxed demeanor at other times. I know this sounds a little odd, but in relaxed moments his grin reminds me a little of silent film star Stan Laurel. Fortunately, not too much.
    At least now we have the battle joined on an important issue; if Romney/Ryan lose, at least the choice will have been clear and the consequences revealing.

  8. Paul Ryan is the Stephen Harper of the GOP.
    Ryan is liked by both the teaparty and the GOP establishment. Few people are.
    It is very in character for Romney to pick a bright young man as his VP – he did it all the time at Bain.
    And Ryan is the very best pick to attack Obamacare and to defend the intent of Romneycare.
    I hope he is squeaky-clean (I worry for his young kids)
    He’s from Wisconsin – very much a winnable state with Paul as the nominee.
    Not a high risk / high return option that Christie would have been. That suggests – as Hugh hewitt noted – that Romneys polling shows him with a bit of a lead in the states he needs to win – he didnt need the hail Mary pick like McCain did picking palin.

  9. I second what Rob Huck said. Paul Ryan is much much needed in the position he’s currently at (House Budget Chair). But if that’s what it takes to defeat Obama at this election, so be it.

  12. Disagree with huck and fire: there are plenty of capable candidates to replace Ryan. Look for a teaparty candidate to assume the role.

  13. I agree, Ryan is a good choice. With a Romney/Ryan ticket the voter will have a choice between economic freedom or socialism.

  14. Ryan makes it about the economy and USA debt and if he doesn’t scare the pants off the majority of Americans then there is no hope for the USA. He can explain the debt issue in plain language. I was amazed to see the confused look on so many Democrats faces as he explained how their budget efforts were ‘smoke and mirrors’.
    I agree that Obama and the Dems have to make the campaign about anything other than the real issue, debt! Romney has to pull out the old Clinton barb to Bush Sr., ‘it is about jobs!’

  15. Another reason it’s a great pick is because of succession.
    If Romney gets in Ryan, a competent economic manager, will be only 50 years old in 2020 when Romney’s two terms are up.
    I’m unsure if the Democrats have any bench strength past the charismatic devil in the White House today.

  16. I hope they can stop this mess. What is wrong with these people.
    Thanks to an Obamacare regulation that took effect on Aug. 1, health care plans in Oregon will now be required to provide free sterilizations to 15- year-old girls even if the parents of those girls do not consent to the procedure.
    Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius finalized the regulation earlier this year.

  17. I was watching highlights of the 1992 Olympic ‘Dream Team’ last night. The games where the USA obliterated every basketball team they faced. To the point where you actually feel sorry for the losers.
    Ryan vs Biden debate? Same deal, except I won’t feel sorry for Biden.

  18. The second link you provided Kate pointed out that picking Ryan puts the bush clan on the outside looking in. The broader implication is that the red Tory wing of the party – the northeast big government wasp third of the party – is very much on the wane. Boehner and – to a lesser extent -Mitch Mc Connell will not be pleased. (note too that there is no evangelical or other Protestant on the ticket)

  19. Romney looked at the Chik-fil-A Appreciation Day turnout and did the math. Looks like he can count.
    DemocRats can do math too. That’s why you have morons talking about Romney causing cancer and “heavy flow” days. They’re like rats in a trap.

  20. I like Paul Ryan. Always have.
    Now we should play a little game to predict how Mr. Hope & Change will Tar & Feather the selection of Ryan. Here are some predictions:
    – The Republicans are up to their same old tricks, two white guys running the show, just like there was during the days of slavery.
    – The name “Paul Ryan” is so boring & generic & uncool.
    – Paul Ryan wants to take away all the benefits of you & your children and give it to big business. Don’t let him do it, vote for me.
    – Paul Ryan hates women, gays, Blacks, & Hispanics. I can’t necessarily prove this but hey, just trust me, he does.
    And on & on it’ll go. 🙁

  22. Good points ET and ct. Of course the Dems will do a Palin-style attack on Ryan. Watch for SNL episodes mocking him and so on.
    Yes, the economy is vital in the presidential debate. Unfortunately most people don’t have a clue about economics so it’s easy to confuse and misinform them. Watch for Obama’s team to hammer home the meme that the GOP will destroy the middle class and make their rich buddies richer.
    So. the Romney/Ryan team must ensure their ideas on the economy, including the risks of further statism/borrowing, are clearly spelled out and any attempts by the Dems to discredit their message are dealt with swifly and accurately.
    I agree with you ET that a Harper style point by point program, with constant updates is the best approach. Remember PMSH a policy a day 06 election? It was brilliant in its simplicity, and necessary to counter the Grits’ we are Canada meme.
    A simple approach with clearly spelled out ideas will be necessary elsewhere. The Republicans must counter Obama’s invevitable attempt to redefine the political landscape, whereby the “progressive” mindset is moderate, and all else is extreme and driven by greed and racism. This will require a positive and resilient campaign.
    The Romney campaign must challenge Obama to convince Americans they want more government and more debt to guarantee their prosperity. Romney must counter that the result of Dem statism will be greater and greater state intrusion, higher taxes for the middle class and lowered standard of living. Romney has Europe as an easy example to make his point.
    Most of all the Republicans must drive the Democratic Party, especially Obama, out of their non-real view of the American political culture, to force them to “get real.”
    If they do they will defeat the Democrats.

  23. Ryan should remain in Congress. He will do more good there. He will hold Romneys feet to the fire on the budget and other things. Remember he will be the VICE president, which means that he will have to back up Romney no matter what he does. If the American people don’t reelect Romney in 2016, Ryan probably won’t run in 2020 and might not get elected back to the Congress. Remember Romney was selected by the GOP not the conservatives and still could lose the election.You know ” Open mouth, insert foot.” Where will Ryan be then.

  24. Sorry to break the bubble…. BUT…..
    Ryan would likely make an excellent VP. That’s my opinion. True or not though, he doesn’t have the political stance that will get the dems to crossover… and THAT’S what this country needs right now, a mass defection. Remember, it’s the electoral college, not the popular vote that decides.
    Ryan won’t be able to pull electoral votes over to Romney. He’s a pretty face, which might appeal to the deer-in-the-headlights females that comprise the dem herd mentality. He’s young, and some 66% of the under 30 crowd voted Obama in ’08.
    But he’s white, catholic, from Wisc. … and we know how that whole fiasco didn’t sit well with many.
    The left is gonna have this guy for lunch. I hope he and Romney can pull it off, but once again, it has all the markings of another republican feat of pulling defeat from the jaws of victory.

  27. Wonderful smoking gun evidence of fiscal mismanagement – however, fact rarely determines the outcome of modern elections. Sadly it is emotionalism, mob manipulation, the big lie that wins. Integrity and truth are sullen victims of the modern electoral process.

  28. Revnant’s point is a good one. By picking Ryan, Romney is essentially saying that the time for the American people to choose their path is now. No longer can the discussions about the fiscal state of the American government be put off. No longer can Social Security & Medicare be the third rail of American politics. No longer can the American people vote into office fools & liars who promise them everything with no means to pay for it.
    But if the American people do not want to face that choice, if they want to be told lies, if they want to pretend the oncoming fiscal calamity isn’t real or won’t affect them, if they want to stay ignorant, then Romney will lose. It’s that simple. And when the American federal government collapses under an unsustainable mountain of debt under a second Obama term, the American people will be to blame.
    America can survive one term of Obama. It cannot survive a second Obama term, nor, more importantly, it cannot survive with a populace that would ELECT Obama to a second term.

  29. I loved the look at Obama before Ryan started to speak. It looked like he said “What, why aren’t you fawning over me and reveling in my glory of all things great start with Obama. Didn’t you get the memo that I don’t do policy, I don’t do governing, I don’t do decision making and I don’t do numbers. Just kiss my ass and I will tell you how great I am…” And Biden looked like he had just woke up from his afternoon nap and is ready for his juice-box and cookie. Ryan will excoriate Biden in the debates (no contest really) and I’m sure the Democ-rat, thuggery, chicago style campaigning will start in force today. Of course Obama will claim he can’t control his PACs, you know the ones he was critisizing yesterday as a republican trick (sigh), which we all know is a lye.

  31. The American people are to blame for Obama’s first term. Doubly so if they elect him for a second term. Somehow it seems that a goodly portion of the American people have indeed sold their heritage for a mess of pottage claiming ‘their fair share’ while living off the backs of the little red hens in their midst.

  32. As many are commenting already, this changes the election utterly. It’s now an election, not about the economy—it was always about that—but about political philosophy and the character of the American people and their political leaders.
    The divide could not be more sharply drawn. On one side, value in and respect for individual persons, and therefore for their intelligence, hard work, integrity, responsibility and honesty: the personal virtues. It is led now by two men of (what at least appears to be) sterling character, who stand for the very characteristics that made America great.
    On the other, the free-riding, lazy “takers” who would force others, by law, deceit and corruption, to pay their way, and who will balk at nothing to get them that free ride. They are led by President Man-child, BS artist in chief, abetted by his Chicago thuggery that will stop at nothing for their own gain. They make a virtue out of vice.
    Unlike 2008, this will be a serious election, about the most serious issues a nation can face. If it makes the wrong choice, America will be finished, and its demise will bring down the rest of civilization with it.
    This will be an election for the ages.

  33. Obama’s expression indicates he didn’t have a clue about the figures Ryan was quoting.
    Ryan is as good a candidate as the Republicans can field. Now it remains to be seen whether Americans have grown up enough to ignore the Democrat/Hollywood/MSM propaganda machine that is about to ramp up to a level never seen before.
    It is a dreadful state of affairs when the masses follow the lead of celebrities rather than people who actually have some experience and knowledge in the real world, but that’s the world we live in today.
    All the good work and common sense of a Paul Ryan can be countered by a quip from a “star”,with the teenyboppers who make up the electorate.Emotions seem to win over sense every time today.
    Unless gasoline DOES hit $5 a gallon, it’s Obama in the Whitehouse until 2017

  35. Obama: “But Rommney killed a man in Reno just to see him die along with arranging to have that Soptic woman get cancer while Ryan was pushing his granmother off a cliff … his grandmother ferchrisakes. what’s that you say, the economy? Look to the east, a shiny thing ferchrisakes, a great big shiny thing and free stuff. Have I won yet?”

  36. The reservation I have about Ryan is he is a professional politician; college straight to Capitol Hill (staffer then member) where he has stayed.
    His knowledge of the workings of Capitol Hill will help a Romney administration (note the effectiveness of former Senate Majority Leader LBJ at pushing through his agenda over an often hostile Cngress)BUT as with Johnson, Nixon and Clinton a lifetime politician does not really understand the individual voter. Everyone is part of a voting block, the joys, sorrows, triumphs and struggles of the average voter is a foreign entity.
    I have a fear of perpetual politicians regardless of their party affiliation.

  37. The looks on 0’s and Biden’s faces in that video was priceless.
    Gee, Obama has not had a debate or discussion with Republicans in a public forum since that event. I wonder why? Heh.

  38. Obambam’s eyes would glaze over thinking “oh for those heady days back at Harvard…with a big bag of choom”.

  39. I see too reactions here to this VP pick….
    The rationalists that realize the brilliance of having a number cruncher who can translate economic reality in plain language….
    The Obamaists who have abandoned the “I’m a conservative…but”….to….”both parties are corrupt so…..”
    I suspect the secret service is putting more resources to protecting Ryan than Romney…because that is the Chicago way and the SS knows this….
    The DEMONcRATs have like realized that an obvious media attack on Ryan will not work like it apparently worked on Palin….that stunt only works once. That Trojan horse will get torched outside the gate….

  40. What nick said.
    The first step back from the brink is R&R succeeding in the election. Then the heavy work begins. It will be a dogged fight to see it through, with people clinging to their entitlements and the MSM barking at their heels.
    Romney must have persuaded Ryan that he would be influential in preparing budgets, and if things go well, together they could have 16 years of renewing America. That is if they can get it right. Then the Romney-Ryan Renaissance will be the real change that makes hope a personal rather than a national thing again.

  41. Ryan voted for Medicare part D, TARP, the auto-bailouts and a myriad other horribles. His original entitlement plan was weak and it’s only gotten weaker since. It’s basically another ‘kick the can 10 years down the road’ kind of deal. The praise for Ryan only shows how easy it is to dupe conservatives. My handle still stands.

  42. Creative Minority makes an excellent point: “Mitt Romney keeps the social conservatives on board and perhaps even enthuses them a bit by selecting about as solid a social conservative as he could possibly have picked and that naturally turns the media discussion to the ECONOMY!
    He selected a 100% pro-life pro-family veep and all anyone can talk about is the economy. That, my friends, is called WINNING!”

  43. Near the end of the video, PBO was blinking like he was fighting off sleep, and he even shut his eyes for a few moments like he was driving late at night on a Montana highway. He had no interest in what Ryan was saying, and quite frankly probably didn’t even understand what he was saying!
    One of the major problems is that the majority of those educated in the public school systems have been raised and taught how to speak “Liberal Democrat”. The Socialist / Group-think language is what their ears are tuned in to, and they will recognize the language and tune in to it more readily and easily because it has been so dumbed-down over the past 50 years…or longer!
    The economic models are basically Keynesian, and talking budgets, savings, cutbacks and restraint are foreign concepts to the insta-gratification generation.
    Lets hope that the middle and lower class can have the R&R platform explained simply enough for the National Inquirer / World News crowd to ingest and digest and shake them out of their stupor. Without them getting the lights turned on and throwing their support behind hand-ups and not hand-outs, the USA will be a shell in 4 years.

  44. Dittos, nick
    Ryan is one of the few adults in the room in Washington. He is the only person who put together and passed a budget (in the House only) that starts to address the most significant issue in this election. By that measure alone he is more qualified to lead than Obama and Biden.
    He should be able to bring in more people holding their noses while voting for Romney.

  45. nick – nice points. Yes, it’s about the ‘idea that is America’, which is a focus on individual freedom, entrepreneurship, innovation, progress.
    But it IS about the economy, because Obama has tried to divert the focus from the economy to the personalities of the candidates and to an outline of America as made up of, not free individuals, but identity blocs dependent on government. His vicious and malicious personal attacks against Romney are beneath the dignity of a president but well fit Chicago politics (eg, Rahm Emanuals attack on Chick-fil-A).
    The ethnic groups (hispanic), the religious groups (anti-Christian), the gender groups (war against women, gay marriage etc); class warfare (he’s redefined a millionaire to mean anyone with 200,000); illegals. Obama selects groups and attempts to buy their votes using taxpayer money.
    The realities of the enormous debt, the lack of jobs,the refusal to deal with entitlements, to deal with tax reform, the degeneration of the small business economy, the strangling regulations, the refusal to deal with energy resources – these are all issues about the economy that Obama refuses to deal with and has indeed, added to all their problems.
    Ryan and Romney both acknowledge these issues and will focus on them – and – on the ‘idea that is America’.
    Great choice.

  46. Ryan has some reasonable support from the moderate (non fanatical) left.
    A wise choice by the Romney handlers.

  47. You can bet that Romney did some pretty thorough vetting of Ryan so I’m afraid the Democrats will have to continue to make junk up and then get caught red handed.

  48. Dacid Burge’s comment that ‘Ryan represents Obama’s most horrifying nightmare: math” could be changed to:
    “Ryan represents Obama’s most horrifying nightmare: reality”.

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