Breaking: Romney Picks Paul Ryan as Vice President

[Guest]

Mitt Romney will name Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as his vice presidential runningmate, National Journal has confirmed. The Romney campaign said it would announce its choice Saturday morning on the USS Wisconsin in Norfolk, Va.

Ryan, 42, the House Budget Committee chairman, is an intellectual leader of the conservative movement, noted for authoring a GOP budget that sharply cuts taxes, spending and entitlements. Like Republicans in the House and Senate, Romney has embraced the controversial plan.

Ryan’s presence on the ticket gives Democrats an opening to attack his budget priorities. It virtually ensures that Medicare, and the changes Ryan wants to make, will be a major issue for the rest of the campaign.

President Obama leads in polls of Wisconsin, but Romney is making a play for the state. It’s unclear if Ryan, who is from Janesville and has never run statewide, could help.

Romney hinted at his choice in an interview this week with NBC when he said he would pick someone who has “a vision for the country that adds something to the political discourse about the direction of the country.”

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http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-pres...sident-20120811

[Dr. Shane]

Unless he knows something I don't, he may have just handed the election to Obama. Obama can easily make Ryan into a villain and Ryan does nothing to bring more into the party. Picking Marco Rubio would have appealed to many Hispanic voters that really do sit on the fence and go back and forth from one election cycle to the other. Conda Liza Rice would have appealed to some minorities but mostly would have beefed up Romney's foreign policy credentials.

Ryan does help Romney stay focused on the economy and with rising unemployment and gas prices, that may help but I am not sure how much help Romney needed to stay focused on the economy. Ryan may also help Romney win Wisconsin and that could be vital but we have seen Gore lose his home state in 2000 and Edwards lost his home state in 2004 so the Ryan pick certainly doesn't guarantee a Wisconsin win. The Ryan pick we certainly energize the base - but they were already energized. The Ryan pick may also help out with fund raising - but Romeny was already raising more than Obama. So how much help is Ryan really going to be?

I voted for Obama. Really, it was more of a vote against McCain. McCain stank of Washington insider corruption and I am sure he contributed to the disastrous financial collapse. Obama was wet-behind-the ears but hadn't been in Washington that long so I thought he deserved a chance. I still do think he was deserving of that chance... but I also think he blew it.

If the election was held today I would vote for Romney. Obama has proved he cannot reach across the aisle and work with Republicans. He is no Bill Clinton. Obama throws a temper tantrum, cries and asks for a Democrat Congress. Well that is not a likely outcome. It is highly likely that the Republicans we retain control of Congress regardless who wins the White House. If Romney is elected, some legislation can get passed to move the economy forward. If Obama is elected we are in for more gridlock, more unemployment, more home foreclosures, more cars being repossessed... more of the Obama economy.

Obama did a number of things wrong. First, his stimulus failed miserably because it was aimed at paying back political favors and not at actual job creation. Second, his failed leadership cause the health-care reform debate to drag out months and instead of getting the single-payer system that he wanted he had to settle for a proposal that came out of the conservative Heritage Foundation and has now been hung around his neck. Third, his anti-energy policies have prevented the American private sector from growing and creating the jobs that will put the economy back on track.

I can't say I was wrong for giving Obama a chance but I have to admit that he blew it. Unless something major changes between now and the election, my vote will go for Ryan... although I half-way expect Obama to win.

[Guest]

I can't say I was wrong for giving Obama a chance but I have to admit that he blew it. Unless something major changes between now and the election, my vote will go for Ryan...

Better late than never, I guess.

[Dottie]

I think Ryan will add a little spizz to the campaign.

[Guest]

I think so too.

[Tom Wetmore]

Not sure who is more giddy about this choice, Republicans or Democrats.

[phkrause]

Who cares!