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Obama and Ryan have tangled repeatedly
When Mitt Romney taps Rep. Paul Ryan to be his running mate on Saturday, he is picking someone who has already tangled toe-to-toe with President Obama on several occasions, and is prepared for the bruising battle ahead.
Indeed, Mr. Obama has built up plenty of bad blood with Mr. Ryan, calling him the architect of “social Darwinism” earlier this year, stemming from the Wisconsin Republican’s budget plan.
Last year, liberal activists produced a campaign video equating Mr. Ryan’s budget plans to pushing an old lady in a wheelchair off a cliff. And Mr. Obama pointedly blasted Mr. Ryan in a closed-door meeting with donors in Chicago, saying he’s “the same guy that voted for two wars that were unpaid for, voted for the Bush tax cuts that were unpaid for, voted for the prescription drug bill that cost as much as my health care bill — but wasn’t paid for. So it’s not on the level. And we’ve got to keep on, you know, keep on shining a light on that.”
But Mr. Ryan has shown he’s not shy about firing back at the president, bringing both budget numbers and sharp rhetoric to the fight.
“Rather than building bridges, he’s poisoning wells,” the usually mild-mannered Mr. Ryan said. “Exploiting people’s emotions of fear, envy and anxiety is not hope; it’s not change. It’s partisanship. We don’t need partisanship. We don’t need demagoguery. We need solutions. And we don’t need to keep punting to other people to make tough decisions.”
Mr. Ryan’s first go-around with Mr. Obama came even before he becameBudget Committee chairman. He was one of the Republicans invited to the White House for the 2010 summit on health care, and in six minutes sliced apart the math behind Democrats’ plans, arguing they didn’t meet the president’s own goals of cost-cutting.
Republicans feel the Ryan pick gives them an edge.
“Obama thinks he is smart and in command of the facts. Ryan actually is,” said Mike McKenna, a GOP strategist.
In tapping Mr. Ryan, Mr. Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has turned the election from a referendum on Mr. Obama’s economic record into a choice between two dramatically divergent views of the government’s spending and taxes.
It also instantly elevates this year’s election beyond the name-calling and accusations of recent weeks, and gives both sides something substantive to debate.
Mr. Ryan has written two budgets, both of them passed by the House but never acted on by the Senate, that would have kept tax rates low while deeply slashing spending, including making major changes to entitlement programs.
The latest plan, which Mr. Ryan dubbed the “Path to Prosperity,” proposed turning Medicare into a voucher-like program for seniors, and overhauled Medicaid, turning the federal-state health program for the poor into a block grant to the states, similar to welfare.
Steve
August 12th, 2012
They have tangled repeatedly over the budget issues but Ryan won’t be doing that as VP which is largely sitting in the corner incase the President dies. If he was that good with budget issues (aside from the fact that the all the cutting in his proposed budget is spending he helped incur) why would take him out of that position? Now the Ryan budget will be the cinter piece of the campaign and the Dems and the Media will control the topic now and not be able to control budget actions after the election. Dumb move, bad choice. I’ll vote for them but I will have to hold my nose to do it!
Corona
August 12th, 2012
Do you think Cheney just sat around while Bush was President? I don’t think Ryan will just sit around either. He’ll have access to all cabinet members and Congress and the Senate.
Xavier
August 12th, 2012
1] Predictions are hard to make, especially about the future.
2] The tangling between Barry and Ryan will occur pre-election, on the airwaves. Ryan’s not afraid of Barry, but the inverse is true.
3] Getting Barry angry and forcing him to speak from the gut is his weak point. Ryan may well be able to elicit another “You didn’t build that”.
4] Ryan’s budget may not be Romney’s budget. Moreover, Ryan may be forced to adjust his budget positions now that he’s trying to garner votes.
5] Don’t underestimate the PR team Romney has put together.
6] Ryan will utterly destroy Biden in the debates and then attack Barry. It’s going to be a thing of beauty.
7] The tradition of keeping the VP at arm’s length from the Presidency may be about to change. Ryan’s certainly the youngest and most aggressive VP candidate that I can remember. Romney would be foolish to not use this asset – and Romney’s not foolish.
reddecaesari
August 12th, 2012
like ryan said, there is a choice.
continue on this path or not.
many are ok with getting the scraps off the table now even though their progeny won’t.
mr. ryan is exactly what we need to help americans and their dream.
barry and biden would throw you dinner rolls while they eat at the table. they are un-american.
66chevelle
August 12th, 2012
I will take the “Social Darwinist” over the Socialist Dawa any day of the week.
I Luv Bacon
August 12th, 2012
I cannot recall any other time in history where a President has had his panties in such a wad.
serfer62
August 12th, 2012
Steve…are you sure you have the right blog?
Xavier..1) Yogi said that.
Ryan will have lots of influence in congress with the added bonus of POTUS candidate in 2020 as added weight.
With 2 economists on top specializing in business & congress expect great things.
Nuetrilze Boehner & McConnel.
68f250
August 13th, 2012
VP breaks a tie in the Senate. Better it favor the conservative side.