Obama paints Rep. Ryan as the GOP face for 2012

McClatchy ^ | April 24, 2011 | Steven Thomma

[re_tail20]

Eager to start campaigning for re-election next year, President Barack Obama isn’t waiting for the Republican Party to nominate a rival. He's running against Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

Obama professes to like Ryan, the 41-year-old chairman of the House Budget Committee. But in increasingly personal and pointed terms, Obama is attacking Ryan as the face of a Republican Party that he says would use the government's debt crisis to turn America in a radical new direction.

He's doing it for two key reasons. Obama wants to shift the public focus away from own contribution to the nation's skyrocketing debt — which hurt Democrats in the 2010 congressional elections — and onto the Republican Party's proposed solutions. And he wants to frame the election as a choice between two very different visions of America: The Republican one he calls a dark place for the poor and middle class, and the other his own view of a friendly, more utopian place.

Obama, his top advisers and fellow Democrats believe that Ryan handed them a gift when he proposed a budget plan that would cut taxes by $2 trillion over 10 years and also cut federal spending by $6.2 trillion, cuts which include possibly wrenching changes in the popular Medicare program.

Some Republicans think, however, that Obama already is overplaying his hand. His attacks on Ryan may make it harder for him to strike a bargain with congressional Republicans, and could alienate voters focused on the enormous debt problem. And he also could turn off independents who chafe at partisan warfare.

Either way, it’s Obama versus Ryan for the foreseeable future.

"This is the beginning of a year-and-a-half argument about how to save the country's economy," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Polling Institute at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

[re_tail20]

Obama will quickly find out that the American people will not find Paul Ryan as scary as they found Newt Gingrich.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Ryan is much cuter.

[johniegrad]

He may want to frame the election as Obama against Ryan but you would never in a million years see Obama DEBATE Ryan.

[bigbob]

I can live with that. Ryan has a brain.

[samtheman]

One thing we know for sure: as evil as Obama is, he’s also plenty stupid.

I expect this latest gambit will backfire on him.

[tsowellfan]

The democrats are starting to blame all the problems with America on the GOP Congress which only moved in 3 months ago.

[re_tail20]

There’s also the reduced and changed media establishment. Dem and Lib attacks are much easier to rebut and counterattack.

[Baseballguy]

Obama is now going down the John Kerry path.

This is what I say this is what I did.

Americans will see the videos of his 2008 campaign and see what he did as president. Pretty easy to show facts.

[olezip]

But in increasingly personal and pointed terms, Obama is attacking Ryan as the face of a Republican Party that he says would use the government's debt crisis to turn America in a radical new direction.

Since when is fiscal responsibility "a radical new direction?" How long can a person, organization, or government simply increase the spending limit on their "credit cards?" IMO this country is facing a debt crisis like none of us has ever seen!

Democrats are good at spending your money; increasing taxes, and, if that is not enough, just borrowing more money; and if that is not enough, just mindlessly printing more money. Insane policy and behavior for normal Americans, that is, those who actually work to earn a living!

[Redleg Duke]

The problem is that every gambit that fails is due to the racism of the American voter.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Obama professes to like Ryan, the 41-year-old chairman of the House Budget Committee. But in increasingly personal and pointed terms, Obama is attacking Ryan as the face of a Republican Party that he says would use the government's debt crisis to turn America in a radical new direction.

I suppose 'spending only what you earn' IS pretty radical, Barack. < /s>

[andy58-in-nh]

"Obama is attacking Ryan as the face of a Republican Party that he says would use the government's debt crisis to turn America in a radical new direction."

It would be a "radical new direction", for Washington. It's called: Responsibility.

[Col Frank Slade]

Zero has to demonize someone to deflect blame.

Considering poll after poll show vast majorities view the country on the wrong path to economic ruin, I think Ryan is on the winning side of this one.

Smart, articulate, and has his facts down cold. (Ryan..that is..)

[kabar]

Ryan wins in a walk if that is what Obama wants to do.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

Great News!

Obama’s demonizing Ryan will alienate the “asleep at the wheel” Moderate voters too, the ones he’s currently trying to court at the Cost of his far left base.

Enjoy the Show folks. Zero’s defeating himself in 2012 by proving yet again how dumb he really is.

[kabar]

GOP Congress? When did we gain control of the Senate?

[andy58-in-nh]

A debate between Paul Ryan and Barack Obama, particularly one over financial matters, would be like watching a Russian chess master paired with Lindsay Lohan.

[txrangerette]

I heard there’s some guy with a website from which you can download a sticker that you can place anywhere you have to pump gas. It has Obama’s face and his quote saying, “Under my plan, energy prices would necessarily skyrocket”, alongside a graph that shows the price of gas since Obama took office. The slogan on the sticker says: “Promise made, promise kept”. This is what they should do in ads against both Obama and Dems in Congress.

[tsowellfan]

GOP Congress?

The House