Romney picks his VP?

[cardboardbox]

All the rumors say its Ryan.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/romney-prepares-pick-ryan_649722.html

[Trader Mac]

All the rumors say its Ryan.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/...an_649722.html

That pick doesn't excite me one bit. What does he bring to the table?

[JudeBaldo]

That pick doesn't excite me one bit. What does he bring to the table?

Romney is trying to legitimize his conservative street cred and shore up his base. He'll get a statistical bounce from it, but Ryan is a one trick pony. Also Wisconsin only brings in 10 electoral votes.

[Judge Jude]

recent New Yorker profile and some tidbits from there:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/08/06/120806fa_fact_lizza?currentPage=all

"To envisage what Republicans would do if they win in November, the person to understand is not necessarily Romney, who has been a policy cipher all his public life. The person to understand is Paul Ryan."

“I grew up on the block I now live on..... My aunt and uncle live across the street from me,” he said. “My cousin is next door, my brother is a block away.”

"After his sophomore year in high school, back in 1986, he worked the grill at McDonald’s. “The manager didn’t think I had the social skills to work the counter,” he said. “And now I’m in Congress!”

"At the end of his senior year [of high school], he was elected Biggest Brown-Noser. (“At least I didn’t have a mullet,” he said.)"

"In a 2005 speech to a group of [Ayn] Rand devotees called the Atlas Society, Ryan said that Rand was required reading for his office staff and interns."

“Jack Kemp is what sucked me into public policy, public service, and politics,” Ryan said.

"Ryan recommended ending Medicare, the government health-insurance program for retirees, and replacing it with a system of direct payments to seniors, who could then buy private insurance. (The change would not affect current beneficiaries or the next decade of new ones.)"

"Ryan is frequently talked about as a future leader of the House Republicans and even as a long shot to be Romney’s running mate. He surely would take either job, but he seems better suited to continuing what he’s been doing since 2008: remaking the Republican Party in his image."

[onejayhawk]

Ryan was one of UVa's finalists, partly for his conservative credentials. http://www.centerforpolitics.org/cry...e-to-top-list/

Wisconsin is also a battleground state, but leaning Obama. It does not seem to be a likely factor unless their polling is different. http://www.centerforpolitics.org/cry...80201-map1.png

That being said, a midwesterner will play well in Ohio, Iowa and Michigan. Florida is essential. If they lose Florida, they lose. After that, the key states are Virginia and Ohio. Romney may have a leg up in Virginia, but Ohio is a tough slog. If he gets both, likely Iowa falls in line and he could steal Michigan or Wisconsin, which would put him over the top.

J

[Erik]

Florida is essential. If they lose Florida, they lose.

I can't imagine Mr. "End Medicare" going over too well there.

[Judge Jude]

"I can't imagine Mr. "End Medicare" going over too well there."

That will be all about marketing. Every senior in Florida would be long dead before Ryan's plan kicked in, I'm pretty sure, but that's not what the Obama commercials will say.

not sure what Ryan's revamped plan says, though.

[Erik]

"I can't imagine Mr. "End Medicare" going over too well there."

That will be all about marketing. Every senior in Florida would be long dead before Ryan's plan kicked in, I'm pretty sure, but that's not what the Obama commercials will say.

Indeed. And "hey, don't worry about it because YOU'LL BE DEAD BY THEN" isn't exactly the best defense.

[Lucky]

They are making the Ryan announcement right now. I'm surprised it wasn't Pawlenty.

[Moonlight J]

so odd

voted for auto bailout
hated Romneycare, even at the state level
takes Florida out of play for the most part
does much less to inspire Hispanic vote than Rubio selection

This was like a Rex Grossman pass into double-coverage. The ball is in the air now - let's see how it will work out.

[cardboardbox]

That pick doesn't excite me one bit. What does he bring to the table?

Your excitement depends what you want on the table. He's one of the few politicians that isnt a pandering idiot and also one of the only pols that will talk about the bankruptcy path we are headed down. So if you want to get serious about the issues, he's a great pick. On the other hand, his honesty about the mess we are in and the way to get out of it makes him an easy target for the usual lies. As much as like Ryan, I'm not crazy about the pick. I guess I'm jaded, but getting serious about the issues is not how someone gets elected for president anymore, if it ever was.

[cardboardbox]

I can't imagine Mr. "End Medicare" going over too well there.

The Obama lying machine will kick into overdrive now, but it should be noted that Ryan's plan doesnt affect anyone over 55 (or 54, cant remember).

[cardboardbox]

so odd

voted for auto bailout
hated Romneycare, even at the state level
takes Florida out of play for the most part
does much less to inspire Hispanic vote than Rubio selection

This was like a Rex Grossman pass into double-coverage. The ball is in the air now - let's see how it will work out.

I would have preferred Rubio a bit, but Rubio is loved much more out of FL than within so I'm not sure he would have delivered FL. I think I saw his approval rating was in the mid 50s?

I wish Christie had been the pick.

Ryan makes FL harder simply because of the lies obama and his surrogates will throw at Ryan.

[Moonlight J]

Hmm, that opinion of Rubio doesn't match with what I see here in the state. My conservative friends in my social circle LOVE Rubio while only a couple of them are Ryan fans (because they're also Atlas Shrugged worshipers).

Ryan makes FL harder because you can't win Florida with a weak presence in the Hispanic market, period.

funny thing about how state approval rating and impact (from Silver earlier this week)

[cardboardbox]

Ryan is the thinking voter's favorite which is why he's not a great pick imo... there arent many thinking voters in this country.

In the primaries, Romney was strong in FL, maybe he's counting on that continued strength while getting some help in the midwest from Ryan.