GOP pros fret over Paul Ryan (GOP operatives strike again like 2008)

Politico ^ | Tuesday August 14, 2012

[Bigtigermike]

“I think it’s a very bold choice. And an exciting and interesting pick. It’s going to elevate the campaign into a debate over big ideas. It means Romney-Ryan can run on principles and provide some real direction and vision for the Republican Party. And probably lose. Maybe big,” said former President George W. Bush senior adviser Mark McKinnon.

Joked another: “The most popular phrase in Washington right now is: ‘I love Paul Ryan, but …’”

And the more pessimistic strategists don’t even feign good cheer: They think the Ryan pick is a disaster for the GOP. Many of these people don’t care that much about Romney — they always felt he faced an improbable path to victory — but are worried that Ryan’s vocal views about overhauling Medicare will be a millstone for other GOP candidates in critical House and Senate races.

The most cutting criticism of Ryan, shared only by a handful of strategists, is that Ryan isn’t ready to be president — or doesn’t come across as ready. A youthful man who looks even younger than his 42 years, Ryan could end up labeled as Sarah Palin with a PowerPoint presentation, several operatives said.

“He just doesn’t seem like he can step into the job on Day One,” said the strategist, who professed himself a Ryan fan.

“This is the day the music died,” one Republican operative involved in 2012 races said after the rollout. The operative said that every House candidate now is racing to get ahead of this issue.

[muawiyah]

We're talking about the same Romney who ran millions of bucks worth of essentially unsourced negative ads against Conservative candidates, right? And earlier, 4 years ago, released his closest staff people to go work for McCain where their first job was to trash Sarah?

This is the same Romney ~ he's NUTS.

[1010RD]

Anonymous handwringing from petty-gossips is SOP for Politico. All their articles sound like Axelrod press releases.

So far Ryan’s made the press talk incessantly about Obama cutting $716 billion from Medicare. C’est horrible!

I love the anonymous slouch who worries that Ryan’s not ready to be President. Like Biden is or Obama was?

[StAnDeliver]

"Even then that won't stop them ~ to do that he needs to abandon the race and leave it to the Convention."

You need to exhale.

Or don't.

[leprechaun9]

This is the typical reaction from the pimps of the election industry. If they don't like the decision (or choice), they they must try to destroy the candidate.

However, if the person doing the assault was chosen or hired, then it would have been a good and wise choice!

[Gene Eric]

FOAD, Politico. Your bullshit ain’t selling.

[samtheman]

These naysayers should be dared to sit down across a table from Ryan and engage in a Lincoln-Douglas style debate on any pertinent political issue. Not only would these idiots walk away dragging their spleens, they'd be feeling rightly chastised.

God-d***ed establishment types offer no solutions. Romney made a strong, bold choice here. Live with it, RINOS!

Well said.

[samtheman]

Gutless Mr. RomneyCARE is behind this

So you are saying that Romney appointed Ryan and then orchestrated a campaign of smear attacks against Ryan?

[samtheman]

Political consultants are the bane of the GOP. They are mainly concerned with cashing their paychecks and keeping the respect of their friends in the liberal establishment.

Yup.

[samtheman]

How many of you believe that now House members are having to get ahead of the Ryan budget .... WHEN THE HOUSE ALREADY PASSED THE RYAN BUDGET!!! Stop believing every stupid liberal hit piece.

Many of the comments on this thread are worthy of the MSM and the morons who listen to the MSM. Shame on you, you FReepers who are for falling for this liberal propaganda hit piece (the original posted article).

[samtheman]

To: muawiyah
BTW, never wanted you silenced. You are lying.
Just challenged. And you won't accept the challenge.
You just want to post here..and not have any skin in the game. You won't back up your posts...with anything of substance.
Fair enough....you are on record.
71 posted on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 5:36:00 PM by Osage Orange

I don't know if he "tried to silence you" or not, muawiyah... not really sure how he would do that since it's not his site. But he is calling you on a really crazy theory you have there -- that Romney is the source of his own critics. I'm calling you on that too, and I guarantee you I'm not trying to silence you. I think you're being stupid in this case, but I'm not trying to silence you.

[muawiyah]

Romney has his ways ~ they are well known ~ the question was where the criticism was coming from and folks were proposing this guy and that gal and others.

I simply proposed the obvious source ~ to wit, the guy who employs people who do that as a matter of course, and with his blessing.

Of course he'd be cutting off his nose to spite his face, but the guy presumably wanted to win the Presidential election ~ else why run for the office ~ yet the first people he POd were the folks who do all the ground work for the Republican party.

That's cutting off your nose to spite your face. I suppose you might do that once by accident, but doing it again and again is not out of the question.

Now, tossing it back to you, tell me why Romney is a rational man and not a nut case.

[samtheman]

You say: Romney is purposely undercutting his own VP choice, a choice he made just days ago.

I say: What a ridiculous proposition.

You say: Prove Romney is a rational man.

So you followed a ridiculous proposition with a ridiculous demand. I don’t even know what you mean by “rational man”. That’s open to reams and reams of explanation.

I don’t have to prove anything.

You say what you want; I say what I want.

How about that?

You say Romney is the one spreading rumors that Ryan is a poor choice.

I say your theory is beyond ridiculous.

And that’s all I’m going to say about that. I have no desire to get in long pointless arguments with you or Diogenes or some of the others. I know you feel very, very strongly that Romney is as bad as Obama.

You have a right to that opinion. I’ve said that a thousand times and I say it here again.

I just don’t want lurkers to think everyone agrees with you.

I don’t agree with you.

I strongly disagree with you.

I supported Gingrich in the primaries but now we are in the general election and I am not going along with crazy theories like you and Diogenes are proposing, that Romney is the one behind these rumors that Ryan is unelectable.

[muawiyah]

You can strongly disagree with anything you want. Someone wanted to know who's responsible, and I proposed a guy who has been closely associated with such activity.

Yes, you'd have to believe him to have some serious psycho/social problems to behave that way, but really, the dude has some very serious psychological and social problems!

He's as crazy as Obama!

[muawiyah]

BTW, we are not yet to the general election. That's in November.

Keep some perspective ~ the convention hasn't even met, and who knows where those four crazed Presidential assassins are lurking that Homeland Security and Justice Department let out of prison just in time for this year's events.

[samtheman]

Ok. I understand that you feel strongly about all this and I respect that.

I personally don’t think Romney is out to sabotage Ryan, but of course I can’t prove it.

As far as where we are in the election cycle, if you want to stand on technicalities and say the convention hasn’t met yet, fine. You’re right. It hasn’t.

For me, the general election has already begun. I think there are others here in FR who think the same thing.

[muawiyah]

Well, technically, the campaign began 5 years ago when we first began voting down Romney in Republican straw polls and the like.

In some quarters (actually all quarters) the man is no more popular now than he was then.

Obama, though, has really screwed up, hence the question of why are Republicans running their weakest candidate against Obama.

[muawiyah]

Regarding my post at #94, with the shooting at Family Research Council today ~ it's pretty obvious the Obama Regime is already launching its deranged killers at Conservative targets, so let me ask again, why did the Obama Regime turn those four practiced Presidential Candidate and Presidential assassins loose?

Are they after Romney, or Ryan, or whoever might stand up in their place?

[samtheman]

You’re right. Five years voting against Romney and then we get him anyway. Pretty sad.

But there it is. We should have spent more of that five years with a bitter unity effort including building a Tea Party Convention to choose a single candidate to run against the establishment R single candidate.