It’s on!
Mitt Romney unveiled a bold veep pick yesterday in Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, a conservative firebrand who brings into focus the fierce ideological war between Republicans and Democrats.
“Paul Ryan is a leader,” Romney declared as he introduced his vice-presidential running mate in front of the battleship USS Wisconsin, which is docked at a naval museum in Norfolk, Va. “I did not make a mistake with this guy.”
Romney’s made-for-TV announcement sharpens the GOP campaign’s differences with President Obama and the Democrats on economic and fiscal policy.
Ryan, the Republican numbers guy, is the author of a bold budget plan that sought to transform Medicare and cut the budget for Medicaid, in all slicing spending by $5.3 trillion over a decade.
“The contrast could not be more clear, and the choice could not be more clear,” Ryan said to a crowd of 8,000 at a stop later in Manassas, calling the election “a choice of two futures.”
At each of the events yesterday, Romney and Ryan were swarmed by enthusiastic supporters, eager to the shake hands with the newly christened GOP power duo.
“This is clearly a change in strategy for the Romney campaign,” said Washington, DC-based GOP strategist David Winston.
“This creates a campaign similar to 1980,” Winston said, invoking the famous battle between Jimmy Carter and Republican idol Ronald Reagan.
Romney, 65, stressed that Ryan, 42, possessed youthful energy, Catholic faith and steadfast conservative convictions.
“He understands the fiscal challenges facing America: our exploding deficits and crushing debt — and the fiscal catastrophe that awaits us if we don’t change course,” Romney said.
Romney promised the ticket would offer Americans “bold, specific and achievable” solutions, including a plan to “create 12 million new jobs and bring better take-home pay to middle-class families.”
The seven-term congressman wasted no time in blasting Obama.
“Regrettably, President Obama has become part of the problem . . . and Mitt Romney is the solution,” Ryan said to cheers from the crowd.
At the campaign event in Manassas, a line of more than 1,000 enthusiastic supporters lined up for blocks hoping to see the candidates.
Ryan’s candidacy thrilled many in the crowd.
“It just made us happy. He’s a good conservative,” said Randy Crysel, 52, who serves in the military.
“The current deficit is going to kill the country,” his wife, Joan, chimed in. “We need someone in there who knows what to do.”
Delegates will rubber-stamp the Romney-Ryan ticket at the Republican convention that starts Aug. 27 in Tampa, Fla. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will be nominated for a second term at the Democratic convention in Charlotte, NC, the next week.
Ryan was always high on Romney’s shortlist, which was said to include Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, ex-Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.
Romney made the offer to Ryan on Aug. 5.
“He always liked Ryan,” a Romney source said. “From very early on, Mitt had made the decision he was going to make a bold pick, so Pawlenty and Portman were not going to be the ones.”
During yesterday’s announcement, Romney mistakenly introduced Ryan as “the next president of the United States.”
Romney returned to the podium to acknowledge his flub.
“Every now and then, I’m known to make a mistake,” he said. “I can tell you this, he is going to be the next vice president of the United States.”
Paul Ryan’s words…
Excerpts from Ryan’s speech at his introduction yesterday:
“My dad died when I was young. I still remember a couple of things he would say that have really stuck with me. My dad would say that every generation of Americans leaves their children better off. That’s the American legacy. Sadly, for the first time in our history, we are on a path which will undo that legacy . . .
“President Obama, and too many like him in Washington, have refused to make difficult decisions because they are more worried about their next election than they are about the next generation . . .
“I hear some people say that this is just ‘the new normal.’ High unemployment, declining incomes and crushing debt is NOT a new normal. It’s the result of misguided policies.
“I’m proud to stand with a man who understands what it takes to foster job creation in our economy, someone who knows from experience, that if you have a small business — you DID build that.
“We Americans look at one another’s success with pride, not resentment, because we know, as more Americans work hard, take risks and succeed, more people will prosper, our communities will benefit, and individual lives will be improved and uplifted . . .
“America is more than just a place . . . it’s an idea. It’s the only country founded on an idea. Our rights come from nature and God, not government. We promise equal opportunity, not equal outcomes.
“This idea is founded on the principles of liberty, freedom, free enterprise, self-determination and government by consent of the governed.
“This idea is under assault. So, we have a critical decision to make as a nation. We are on an unsustainable path that is robbing America of our freedom and security. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
…and his actions
Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity” aims to wipe out the federal debt by 2063 through cuts to Medicare and Medicaid as well as tax cuts:
TAXES
* Cuts the corporate tax rate and top individual tax rates from 35 percent to 25 percent.
* Creates one low tax rate of 10 percent for Americans filing jointly with income under $100,000.
MEDICARE
n Privatizes Medicare, starting in 2023, which would exempt anyone age 55 and over. Under the plan, seniors get government vouchers worth about $8,000 to go toward the cost of a private insurer of their choice. If a senior picks a plan more expensive than the check, they pay the difference. If cheaper, he keeps the change.
n Raises the eligibility for Medicaid from age 65 to 67 by 2034.
MEDICAID
* Returns federal share of Medicaid payments to state control through block grants by 2013.
* Cuts Medicaid spending by $750 billion over the next decade.
HEALTH CARE AND SOCIAL SECURITY
* Repeals ObamaCare.
* Leaves Social Security and defense untouched.
OTHER CUTS
* Imposes a five-year salary freeze for government workers.
* Cuts the federal work force by 10 percent over three years through attrition.
* Reduces federal spending at home by $5.8 trillion over the next 10 years.