Posted on 03/26/2012 8:21:52 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Some Republicans have spent the last week wringing their hands over the new budget proposal from House Budget chair Paul Ryan. Others have suggested that Ryan's solid credentials and straightforward manner on spending make him an obvious choice as running mate for the eventual Republican presidential nominee. Fox's Chris Wallace asked Ryan the question on yesterday’s Fox News Sunday, and Ryan didn’t exactly rule out the idea:
“Well, I’m already the point guy for doing it in the House,” Ryan said. “I just don’t know the answer to your question, Chris. It is not a bridge I have even come close to crossing. It is a decision that somebody else makes a long time from now. And, quite honestly, I am focused on doing my job in Congress, which I think is important, which is to give the country and alternative choice of two futures on how we save and strengthen America, how we save the American dream from what I think is this path the president has put us on to debt and decline. So, I can’t answer that question. I haven’t given enough thought to that.”
But Ryan didn’t close the door completely to the possibility, saying he would “consider” it.
“I would have to consider it, but it’s not something I am even thinking about right now because I think our job in Congress is pretty important,” Ryan said. “And what we believe we owe the country is if we don’t like the direction the president is taking us, which we don’t — we owe them a specific sharp contrast and a different path they can select in November and doing this in Congress is really important. That’s why I think I have a real good job right now.”
Ryan doesn’t count himself out of the Veepstakes with this answer, of course, and he shouldn’t be out of the running. (Marco Rubio was more categorical in his demurrals.) Ryan has considerably more experience in Congress than Rubio, having served since 1999, although he has only been chair of the Budget Committee for fourteen months. Both have considerable political skills, and few in the GOP can match Ryan’s level of seriousness on budget issues as well as his skill in explaining them. Ryan’s patient, non-combative style would mesh well with a presidential nominee without running the risk of overshadowing him.
However, Ryan lacks executive experience, and as a member of the House has a smaller constituency than a Senator or a Governor. Ryan might or might not carry Wisconsin for a national ticket, and it’s unlikely that his influence would go much farther than his House district. For a clean-up-Washington ticket and a clear contrast between the two former Senators on the opposing ticket, the eventual Republican nominee will probably want a governor — and considering the two at the front of the GOP race at the moment, it’s more likely they’ll need a Southern governor at that.
Besides, Ryan does have an important job in this session, and taking the Budget chair out of the House in August just as the budget votes start getting scheduled in Congress will mean sidelining our best talent for that effort.
What I wouldn’t give to see Ryan debate VP Plugs
Boob bait for Bubbas.
Gotta get those foolish conservatives in the base to line-up beghind Mr. Etch-a-Sketch.
Maybe Ryan should actually accomplish something positive before we make him out to be the hero.
So far Republicans only have Obama on the ropes on one issue, gas prices, and that fell into their lap. As I recall the 2011 Ryan plan created lots of backtracking by Republicans including Ryan, not a sign of strength.
When I see Obama sweat on this the way Republicans did last year on it I will be impressed.
Maybe I am in the minority, but I do not want Ryan on the ticket. I want him as the chairman of the budget committee in the House, where he is working with a Republican President and Senate to shrink the federal reach.
Wisconsin Paul Ryan for Veep ping
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
Paul Ryan has one other qualification that trumps the highly qualified Marco Rubio: Ryan is a NBC! And yes! I think that Ryan could carry Wisconsin.
And that's a good place too.
Boob bait for the Bubbas is right!!! YOU are right on.
We are watching once again the courtship of the Bubbas by the Establishment with nothing more than new faces on their wretched oatmeal! Wish the Bubbas could see that.
Ryan can be respected for brains, but if we are interested in finding our own brains OUTSIDE of the already entrenched Establishment, that would be far smarter.
It is not as though Ryan is the last man standing with brains on the math. In fact, nothing he has offered solves anything more than “path setting”, if you will.
We will fall for anyone or anything at this point and are in danger because of it.
Dump the Establishment. Sorry, but Ryan and Rubio are in their clinches solidly. There is no rebellion in either of these men, but continuation with the go along to get along, business as usual, and for-thee-but-not-for-me crowd.
Who does Ryan think he is to all but invite himself onto the ticket, if not pure Establishment?
One more purchase of the Bubba vote.
Amen. He's already where he can do the best good right now.
re: post #5:
Yes - Ryan’s much more effective there.
Veep is not for the movers and the shakers.
You are being cautious....good!
So am I. We will get the usual “jump on the Ryan Bandwagon”
FReepers.
It’s amazing to me how certain conservatives are drooling over someone whose plan by his own admission doesn’t balance the budget until 2040. I mean is that really waht we want to say to the country/ That the best we can do is 2040?
Things are so bad that those that get the “Means Well” awards are crowned our heroes, kind of like the R primary.
heheheheh...cautious ???...hehehehbwAHAHAHHAHAH...
i sunk that ship looooooong ago when i demanded that MY *representative* MUST do more than pay lip service [hint greengrinch] to balancing the books...
i said take a friggin meataxe to it, let the chips fall where they may, and shrink it back to size...
more lip service in 'saying' theyre going to do it 'on day one' w/o a plan to carry thru post bi-partisan stonewalling doesnt cut it...neither does a 5, 10 or 40 yr plan to fix it later, after the taxes are jacked and collected...
These pols tell us whatever they think we want to HEAR,then go do whatever the hell they please...time & time & time again!!
...and I differ a bit on that opinion too.
It's not that I want them to try to go all the way with a losing game plan, and then just put Pelosi back in the Speakership similar to 2009 and 2010. That won't help at all.
Ryan got the panic attacks when that commercial came out showing Ryan throwing Grannie off the cliff, and he held a Townhall meeting-on it and gangs over 50 screamed at him over medicare, probably the same ones that screamed at Obama for raiding Medicare for Obama-care. So in response they made that deal with Obama to remove the possibility of a shutdown until after the election day, then they still got their butts kicked on FICA once again not knowing what they were doing.
I want them to actually beat Dems, to make Obama scared of the issue not look scared themselves and claim they meant will, much like gas prices are doing now. If they pitch something that is very unpopular there is no way Obama will sign it.
i know, you would rather use a filet knife and win the tactical victories in the political and PR sense...i just want to nuke it all, as its the only way to be sure...
one of us will get satisfaction in the short term, and both will be allies in the long haul...8^}
Well, right now, we have nothing but cowards, save for one or two. We need to clean house!.......and Senate too : )
I’ve liked Ryan for quite sometime now. What you say doesn’t change my mind.
A great example is Obama-care. Pelosi spent her first two years as Speaker (2007 to 2008) destroying Republicans to win again big in 2008. Then in 2009 to 2010 they had no choice but to pass “Health Reform or Bust” as their base would not accept nothing at that point. Then they passed Obama-care in 2010 knowing that it would be held against them in the mid-term elections, so they put the guns to heads and pressured their members to take suicide votes to get it passed.
It remains to be seen which side will benefit from that crappy bill and Dems suicide votes. Libs want single payer and it seems like removing the easy parts of it will move us toward that.
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