Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney introduced Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his vice presidential running mate on Saturday, turning to the architect of a deeply conservative and intensely controversial long-term budget plan to remake Medicare and cut trillions in federal spending.
In the campaign to come, Republicans will present economic solutions "that are bold, specific and achievable," Romney said as he presented his political partner. "We offer our commitment to create 12 million new jobs and bring better take home pay to middle class families."
Keep in mind, this is Paul Ryan, architect of the "Ryan Budget". You know, that thing that would balance our nation's economy in a quarter century, cut wasteful government spending, and restore fiscal sanity to Washington DC. It was the budget plan that the House Republicans have passed for a couple years now that the Democrat-led Senate refuses to even take a vote on. He talks the right talk, and his track record shows that he walks the walk, too.
See excerpts of his acceptance speech here. He's already pulling no punches about Obama, and if they keep up this pressure and insistence on putting the blame where it belongs, it means good things to come.
A few thoughts on his statement. I like that they're embracing Bain Capital and Romney's record there. Not only is it reality, but it has helped far more businesses than not. If they explain what Bain does and how it actually helped save jobs, it's a slam dunk and eliminates one of Obama's favorite accusations. I'd love to see that argument in a debate! Anyway, I think they're also right to directly confront Obama's statement about "you didn't build that". Right on. Go with that, hammer it, and live it. There are millions of small businesses across the country that understand this fundamental difference, and that will be effective in grass roots support. I love that they're boldly claiming to take responsibility and lead, tell Americans the truth, and get back to America's foundation. I'd flip my noodle if Romney looked at Obama and pointed out how many golf outings and vacations Obama has taken during the worst economic period since the Great Depression, but I think that would resound. Finally, I love it that they openly state our freedom and America's prosperity come from God rather than government. That's a key difference in world view, and they are in the huge majority of the nation here and should ride that one hard.
Not only is Paul Ryan about as good a bridge from Romney to the conservative base as Romney could possibly have found, but Ryan is a guy who's already taken apart Obama's signature policy, Obamacare...live and in person, in full view of the nation:
On a side note, this six-minute clip is the absolute best summary on the economic problems with Obamacare that you could possibly ask for. Keep this video handy for anytime someone claims Obamacare is economically responsible.
I suspect Ryan will bring every bit as much energy to the Romney campaign as Sarah Palin brought to the McCain campaign. I think the political Right is desperate enough to get Obama out no matter what that they were going to come out pretty big for whoever the GOP put up. Romney's got a great business background, but he's never had huge support from the conservative wing of the party. Ryan has the economic chops to wipe the floor with anyone, too, but he's also been a fan favorite with the conservative right for a long time. The key here is that while you might get a lot of votes against your opponent...you're likely to get even more when you have given people reasons to vote for you. That's what Ryan brings to Romney, and I think it'll make a big difference.
My initial, off-the-cuff reaction to this pick is that it's hard to imagine a better pick for VP.
Plus, "R squared" or "Double R" or whatever they come up with will make for very catchy slogans, bumper stickers, and signs. ;)
Rachel and I talked about this last week, and Paul Ryan was my first choice. The time for flash and pisazz is over. It is time for some no-nonsense, hard fact discussions. Good choice.
ReplyDelete