The first time I saw Rep. Ryan was during the WH Summit with the GOP on Healthcare. Rep. Ryan made a impression on The One:
Posted on 08/08/2012 4:44:01 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
These days, you hear it everywhere — from Republican donors and veteran operatives, and at Capitol Hill watering holes. A few weeks ago, it was a wishful rumor floating in the Beltway ether. Now, sources close to the Romney campaign say it’s for real, that the taciturn former Massachusetts governor is quietly warming to the idea.
Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the budget king of the GOP, may be Mitt Romney’s veep.
“Ryan is very highly respected not only by the candidate, but by Romney’s policy shop,” says Tom Rath, a Romney adviser. “Beyond the political relationship, he has a good personal relationship with Romney, and he has been a strong and reliable surrogate since the primary.”
For months, Ryan has been considered a dark horse for the number-two spot. At age 42, he has accomplished much, such as winning seven straight congressional races and authoring his party’s blueprint for entitlement reform. But his lack of executive experience, and his criticism of the Bay State’s health-care program, made his chances look relatively remote.
Yet behind the scenes, Ryan’s stock has been steadily rising. Romney, a former Bain Capital consultant who relishes data and metrics, has clicked with the youthful Badger State wonk. They have campaigned together and speak frequently on the phone, comparing notes on policy and strategy. And earlier this year, with Ryan’s blessing, Romney hired three of Ryan’s Budget Committee advisers to help him in Boston.
“Romney has spoken out about how we can’t let ourselves evolve into an entitlement society, so you can see why Ryan is attracted to Romney,” says former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour. “You can also see why Romney likes Ryan: He’s bright, articulate, and courageous. He’s willing to tell the truth to the American people, and he understands entrepreneurship. He’s also from Wisconsin, which is an important state.”
In late June, National Review Online reported that the Romney campaign was seriously vetting Ryan — and that Ryan had shared paperwork detailing his financial and personal records with a handful of Romney’s Boston-based counselors.
Since then, sources say, Ryan has slowly floated to the top of Romney’s vice-presidential shortlist. In conversations with senior advisers and donors — at the campaign’s summer retreat in Park City, Utah, and at his lakefront home in New Hampshire — Romney has repeatedly expressed his admiration for the Wisconsin lawmaker.
“Having observed Romney and Ryan together at some events, it’s clear they have very good chemistry,” says Charlie Black, an outside adviser to the Romney campaign. “They are philosophically in tune, especially on economic and fiscal policy.”
The Romney-Ryan alliance actually began during the early days of the primary, months before Ryan formally endorsed. Romney was struggling against Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, and Ryan offered candid, private advice on numerous occasions, which Romney reportedly appreciated.
Speaking with NRO in late March, a week before Ryan endorsed him, Romney highlighted their political kinship. “We chat on a regular basis,” he said. And on policy, “we’re very much inclined in the same direction.”
Publicly, Ryan has consistently been a loyal soldier — championing Romney’s positions, especially to skeptical conservatives. “He doesn’t need to lay out new policies,” Ryan told NRO last week, when asked about Romney’s specificity. “It’s simply about getting up there and offering a vision, emphasizing the choice between two futures. It’s a counter-narrative, a myth of sorts, that [Romney] hasn’t been specific enough.”
Romney is a low-key, non-ideological nominee who has found Ryan’s support invaluable in maintaining friendly relations with the base. If he were tapped, Ryan would continue to generate conservative enthusiasm for the ticket, and he’d further reinforce Romney’s aura of number-crunching competency.
“We are big fans of Ryan,” says Sal Russo, a strategist for the Tea Party Express. “Ryan learned a lot from the great Jack Kemp,” the late fiscal hawk and the GOP’s 1996 vice-presidential nominee. “And anyone who shares Kemp’s ideas gets an A from me.”
Ryan worked as a speechwriter for Kemp and former Reagan cabinet member Bill Bennett before becoming a top Republican staffer to a couple of senators during the Clinton years. Born and raised into a large, Irish-Catholic family in Janesville, Wis., he returned there in 1998, after his stint as an aide, to run for the House.
Of course, a Ryan pick would come with some potential problems. National Journal recently dubbed him Romney’s “riskiest running mate,” owing to the Democrats’ eagerness to blast Ryan’s entitlement proposals. Conservative leaders also have some reservations about potentially sending one of the House’s leading reformers to the Naval Observatory.
“If I had my druthers, I would hope Romney would pick one of the other options,” says Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform and a Ryan supporter. “The most important thing in the first year of a Romney administration would be a U-turn on the road to serfdom, and the way to do that is by passing the Ryan budget, which requires a major mover not just at the White House, but in Congress. It’d be easier to do that with Ryan in the House, since he has walked through it already with every Republican.”
Romney, however, may want Ryan to walk through his plan with the country. It would be a bold pick, but if you have been reading the tea leaves, it wouldn’t be a surprise.
— Robert Costa is a political reporter for National Review.
I also like Paul Ryan.
;-)
I do too. I was hoping he would replace John Boehner.
I could live with that.
Paul Ryan would be a great pick. This election is about the economy, and people are now ready to listen to an alternative economic plan. No one can articulate that plan better than Paul Ryan.
Agree 100%
Though I think Ryan`s talents would be more utilized where he is, he`d be a great VP pick. Imagine him debating Biden The Slow, especially on economic issues... Heheheheh...
Best news I’ve heard yet about the Romney campaign.
My wife said awhile ago that the VP’s name would start with an “R”, because of the shadowed R’s in the Romney logo.
If you are going to fix DC, you are going to need the person who understands the budget monster.
That’s Paul Ryan.
I could live with him as the VP candidate.
“If I had my druthers, I would hope Romney would pick one of the other options,” says Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform and a Ryan supporter. “The most important thing in the first year of a Romney administration would be a U-turn on the road to serfdom, and the way to do that is by passing the Ryan budget, which requires a major mover not just at the White House, but in Congress. It’d be easier to do that with Ryan in the House, since he has walked through it already with every Republican.”
_________________________
The money quote.
Ryan would be nuts to take the VP. Only if Rommney wanted to de-fang him would he make him VP.
Ryan would be more effective in the cabinet or in Congress. He would give Conserviative economics a muscle.
No, no, no - take their Marco and leave our Paul in the House:)
I don’t know that this is necessarily true. My guess is that there are other good guys in Wisconsin who could take his place in Congress.
May our good Lord guide this decision. ;-)
Sarah Palin.
Big fan of Ryan, but under the current VP paradigm, I don’t see how he would be better used than where he already is.
Now if Ryan/Romney could somehow alter the role of VP, it could be a completely different ball game. Cheney managed to be a pretty influential force, although it was largely behind the scenes.
Being in the Executive branch, there’s an awful lot Ryan could do to shrink the government without Congress needing to be involved, which might be a way to make significant changes for the good.
I was one of the first persons who pushed for Sarah Palin during the pre-election time period of 2008. As much as I like her, I think we are better served having her continue to do what she is doing at the grass roots level at present.
I think you make a good point. Ryan knows where the bodies are buried in federal spending. Perhaps in the White House he could direct executive orders to cut a lot of things.
Ryan also isn’t phased by debating Obama, Katie Couric, etc. And he’ll put into play the state of Wisconsin, which Obama must have to win.
Young and energetic, the left really can’t touch him save for demagogic attacks on cutting spending.
He would be a damn sight better than the RINO milquetoasts Portman and Pawlenty.
Ryan is my choice, if the Romney VP has a prominent, meaningful, policy developing role.
I would hate to see a Ryan VP put in the traditional, background role of attending state funerals and opening shopping malls.
No thanks. Sarah is a far better advocate for the Tea Party at the grass roots level, where she will not serve as a lightning rod for the almost clinical level of hostility she draws from so many people. Paul Ryan would be a great choice: he’s both smart and articulate.
Yabut, it'd be great watching him preside over the RATs in the Senate.
Not if you follow FreeRepublic. It is about homosexuality. And a lot of people are falling for the diversion.
Rubio isn’t eligible.
Obama is deathly afraid of this one. He knows that any discussion with Ryan about economic facts quickly turns into a major embarrassment for Obama.
Dear Congressman Ryan:
Regarding the article in today’s National Review Online urging you to run for President of the United States, please give this serious consideration, sir. I am 73 years old, and I have never been so fearful for my country and my grandchildren and their collective future. In order to work our way out of the mess we are in, we need leadership that, rather than playing to the crowd, can understand and articulate the severity of our current situation, and the steps needed to correct our current course. I understand and even admire your hesitancy to leave your role in Congress. You have made, and continue to make, important contributions there, and the personal demands of the Presidency are fearful. But the nation now needs your gifts and skills on the larger stage.
I take the liberty of writing you not as one of your constituents but as one of your countrymen. In these very troubled days, we need our very best.
Thank you for your time, and for all your past work on our nation’s behalf.
Well, that didn't work out, but he could still play a key role as VP. He can frame the issues clearly, with humor and a smile, just the way the great RR could. He'd be a GREAT pick!
I agree Ryan is tempting, but I still support Palin.
Romney - Ryan......kinda rolls off the tongue............
I can see the Obozobots using this as an anti-Romney-Ryan campaign prop............DON'T BE RAILROADED BY THE WHITE GUYS!
Also, Ryan is not afraid of Obama at all, and read him the riot act about obamacare.
I think he would be a good pick. I don’t know how much RINO he has in him, but he knows the budget and articulates it well.
At least we would have one conservative on the ticket.
Pray for America
RE: I was hoping he would replace John Boehner.
Well if he becomes the VP, he’s probably going to be less than useful compared to where he is now. As VP, he’ll sorta be just waiting for the following things to happen:
1) Something serious (God forbid) happens to Mitt Romney
2) He needs to break a tie in Congress.
Otherwise, he’ll just be sitting there as a ceremonial figure... just saying.
Paul Ryan ping
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
I believe that the idea is that if Rep. Ryan is picked as the vice presidential nominee, his job will be to go out and aggressively explain budgetary matters in the countryside. I think the idea is to permit Gov. Romney to rise above the fray and look presidential while Rep. Ryan slams the anti-Christ regime for wishing to destroy Medicare through neglect, and the country through overspending.
Vice presidential candidates often play a surrogate role in campaigns. Ryan versus Biden would be the perfect match-up for each candidate. Rep. Ryan would appeal to those with brains. Biden would appeal to the scum and filth of the earth.
Not to take (anything) from your analysis. It is good.
However how does that change, if Hillary is the Dem’s VP nominee?
Just asking. Still prefer Sarah Palin.
If Gov. Romney wants to nail his victory shut, he should select Paul Ryan as his running mate and announce that VP Ryan will have a direct role in supervising the Office of Management and Budget in Romney’s first term.
This would be a check mate, winner for Romney/Ryan and for the country. This would cause an absolute meltdown for the Democrats.
Yes - plus Ryan will then be the GOP nominee in eight years. We could do (and have often done) a lot worse.
Thanks.
Certainly it changes things if they replace the gutter snipe Biden with Mrs. Clinton.
A match-up of Rep. Ryan against Biden truly borders on the immoral abuse of the mentally retarded. I can picture the vice presidential debates where Rep. Ryan calmly explains that to do nothing with Medicare is to destroy it, that the Obama regime's plan for Medicare is essentially to leave it unchanged in its essential form, and that therefore, the Obama/Biden plan is to destroy it. Or bankrupt the country to avoid doing so.
And then the slithering creature Biden will huff and puff and lie and bluster, foam at the mouth, tell folks that you have to be Indian to own a 7-11, go off on a tangent on why it's reasonable that the Secret Service is paying him $12,000 per year rent to guard him on his own property, and will look like the idiot he is.
But against Mrs. Clinton, in that she can actually read, write, and add and subtract without the use of fingers and toes, Rep. Ryan will have to work a little harder.
Nonetheless, she has a long record of “more of the same,” and I think that folks can be made to understand that “more of the same” isn't what's going to fix the American economy, health care, or anything.
Disclaimer: I'm not promoting Rep. Ryan above other potential candidates. I think Rep. Ryan is a great, great guy, and would be a great vice presidential candidate. But I think strong cases can be made for other candidates, too, and Rep. Ryan is not without possible weaknesses as a candidate. I'm merely repeating what I've heard from sources somewhat closer to the action than I am.
sitetest
Check this out:
How to Spot Romney’s Vice President Pick in Advance
http://techpresident.com/news/22680/how-spot-romneys-vice-president-pick-advance
Cantor.
Same general pedigree.
More squishy/establishment. Bonus, backhand to conservatives.
Virginia.
More to Romney’s style.
Debate moderators would tailor their questions to Biden’s supposed strengths or feed Biden the questions many weeks before the debate.
Paul Ryan would be great.
Ryan would be my pick.
Ryan has the combination of being an conservative econ wonk, he is comfortable communticating and is able to argue effectively, he is intellegent and he is effective. Rare for a congresscritter and needed either in the congress or in the Cabinet. He would be wasted as VP.
Well, that didn’t work out, but he could still play a key role as VP. He can frame the issues clearly, with humor and a smile, just the way the great RR could. He’d be a GREAT pick!
_______________________________
No he would be wasted as VP. With some high profile work saving the economy he could be a presidential contender down the road. The debates are minor points, performance abilities in the long term counts.
“No he would be wasted as VP.”
I disagree with that view in that I think Romney would be smart enough to use him as essentially a co-president, the way Cheney was. If Romney assigned Ryan the task of entitlement and tax reform, Ryan’s someone who could get it done. He’s already educated the House: as VP, he would have the ability to play a similar role in educating the Senate and rounding up votes there.
His only weakness, IMHO, is lack of executive experience. He’s no worse than Obama or Biden were in that regard, so it may be hard for Dems to exploit that as an issue. But as a general matter, Republicans should be nominating individuals who can step into the presidency on Day One if need be. That said, Ryan is SO strong on his other attributes—understanding the issues, being able to communicate clearly and forcefully etc., having a vision—that I could live with him as VP pick.
that I could live with him as VP pick.
________________________
I understand what you are saying, I just hope differently. I would not argue with the pick.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.