Romney’s Campaign Shakes Things Up a Bit
With poll numbers lumbering behind President Barack Obama, Mitt Romney’s campaign has decided to shake things up a bit by announcing their pick for presumptive GOP vice-presidential running mate. Whom did they decide to pick? House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. The two will be campaigning at the event in Norfolk, VA Saturday morning.
The Romney campaign plans to make their official announcement in front of the U.S.S. Wisconsin – in Ryan’s home state.
“America’s Comeback Team”
The Romney movement is spinning their ticket as “America’s comeback team” in the release announcing the decision, touting that Ryan “has worked tirelessly leading the effort to reign in federal spending and increase accountability to taxpayers.”
This statement of course makes many wonder exactly what do they want us to come back too. The Republican Party needs an image change and it is leaving most voters on both sides of the isle wondering if Romney is promising to return us back to the status-quo, and do they really want more of the same.
Paul Ryan Hailed as Rising Star in The GOP
Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Paul Ryan, age 42, is being hailed as a rising star in the GOP, and one of their biggest proponents for reducing the deficit and debt. Romney picking Ryan is a signal that he’s taking austerity/deficit-reduction seriously, and this could help his campaign in the eyes of the voters.
This is not to say that the Obama campaign and Democrats have nothing to highlight on this front. There have been visible improvements with the economy over the past three years (a lower unemployment rate, stronger GDP growth); there hasn’t been much progress in reducing the deficit. The deficit was $1.4 trillion in FY ’09; $1.3 trillion in ’10; $1.5 trillion in ’11 (projected); and $1.1 billion in ’12 (projected).
Ryan has been a member of the House for 13 years and a staff member before that. He is also a Washington insider without business or executive experience. This directly contradicts Romney, a critic of Washington insiders, who often on the stump heralds that his years in private equity as a founder of Bain Capital have given him insight into the needs of U.S. businesses.
Darling of The Tea Party
The Wisconsin congressman is a darling of the Tea Party; an anti-tax, smaller government movement that aided the Republican take-over of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. Ryan is known for a controversial budget plan that he proposed as House budget chairman which included cuts in government health programs for the elderly and poor.
Democrats will definitely try to capitalize on this as they are eager to pounce on that issue – particularly in Florida, where many seniors live and which could be a crucial state in the November election. Ryan’s selection makes the Florida leg of Romney’s bus tour an instant test for the new ticket.
Ryan didn’t make his name at home like many others have done; Ryan started his political career on the Hill as an intern and aide and then went back to Janesville, Wisconsin, to run for office, getting elected to Congress in 1998.
Romney-Ryan Strong Enough to Succeed?
Romney-Ryan will certainly make for a strong ticket that many conservatives will pin their hopes too. It remains to be seen if it will be strong enough to succeed.
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