Why Ryan? I don't understand.

[vaberella]

Santorum or even Gingrich are a better pick than Ryan. Ryan is known as the SS killer. The man was shunned by much of the seniors and put the GOP in a hot mess when he came out with his shitty plan. Why would Ryan of all of the GOP group be picked as Veep? I can't seem to wrap my head around it. I mean it might be false, since there is an hour and 10 minutes left. But for real. I can't wrap my head around this.

Pawlenty is an excellent choice. But Santorum would have been fine. Ryan is the worst. I've just come to accept that these GOP Presidential candidates have the curse of not vetting their Veeps. Sadly, Ryan's information is accessible through google.

[underpants]

1. The RW loves him and he doesn't outshine Mitt

the problem is that he is a career inside DC guy and he has no political acumen - he is a budget policy/ numbers wonk and bad at that too

[1-Old-Man]

2. Romney is afraid he can't take the Tea-bagger vote, this gives it to him

[pampango]

24. Therefore, mitt by think he can move to the center after the convention without

alienating the far-right which really does not trust him.

[sendero]

3. I have a theory.

... ( which I realize will be considered as total tinfoil by most people here )

I think the GOP has decided to throw this game. I think they know the tax return stuff is not going away, and they know because rMoney told them that he simply cannot release the returns.

They see what this has done to his polling in a short period of time and they just don't think rmoney has much of a chance. So, they are going to focus on Congress and focus on 2016. In 2016, Obama will have had 8 years to fix the economy and unless it is largely improved (which I highly doubt is possible regardless who is president) they will sail anyone they want into the presidency.

That is what I believe.

[SDjack]

9. After four years of ObamaCare, Rethugs will have a difficult time running with a

pledge to rip it out by its roots.

[greatauntoftriplets]

11. He's lost a good share of the senior or senior-to-be vote...

with his radical stance on Medicare.

[sendero]

13. That is a good point..

... but I don't think repealing Obamacare is as important to them as they let on. It's just red meat for their stupider base.

Obamacare is big business, it's hard to see what a Republican wouldn't like about it.

[handmade34]

26. me too, maybe

not

[cali]

4. he's a star in all wings of the repub party

the tea party loves him and so does the establishment.

He's a lousy pick for Romney- a desperation pick. Frankly, Rubio would have been more formidable. Santorum or Gingrich? even worse.

[Skidmore]

5. The Ghost of Ron Paul pursues Romney endlessly.

Paulians have been stacking various state delegations to the convention.

[jehop61]

6. It looks like

they're compounding this poor choice by announcing it all on a military ship! Great, a draft dodger and a never served little dude ala Geo. W. Bush and the "mission accomplished" fiasco.

[Motown_Johnny]

8. "Distraction Accomplished" is going to be photo shopped all over this announcement.

[vaberella]

15. Why on a military ship? Push more defense spending agenda? n/t

[Motown_Johnny]

7. To change the conversation from Rmoney's taxes. Even the Ryan budget

is preferable to them than that. At least they can debate the budget and the voters who want to believe in it will believe what they want to believe. With the taxes even the voters who want to believe in Rmoney can't. There is no way to tell them what they want to hear when all you can say is "No, I won't release my tax returns".

[JDPriestly]

14. That's a fail for Republicans

because the Ryan budget is about the Romney tax dodging. The Ryan budget is intended to compensate for the tax dodging of the 1%.

Ryan is a gift to Obama.

However, I suspect that Obama may agree with Ryan's plan to cut Social Security and Medicare -- and that both Obama and Ryan have a big surprise when it comes to that issue.

Nobody in the middle class wants cuts to Social Security or Medicare. Nobody who knows anything about the way those programs help seniors and how young people would suffer if they had to support their own aging parents without those programs.

[vaberella]

17. That's false. Obama WOULD NEVER agree nor did he ever consider cutting SS or Medicare.

This was a meme that people were pushing on this site but never the case. Obama did say that all budgets will be getting funding cuts because of the economy but he was never cutting SS or medicare.

[JDPriestly]

22. That remains to be seen.

He appointed the members of the Catfood Commission which included numerous opponents of Social Security and Medicare including Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles. There is now gossip claiming that Obama may appoint Erskine Bowles to succeed Geithner at the Treasury. Erskine Bowles is no friend of Social Security or Medicare.

The Secretary of the Treasury is responsible for taking care of the Social Security Trust Fund.

Geithner, by the way, was chosen for the NY Fed by a committee headed by Pete Peterson -- the archenemy of Social Security.

So Obama has a questionable history when it comes to his claims about supporting Social Security.

We need to ask him to clarify just what his plans are for Social Security. He talks about changing it to save it. Just how would he change it. We need to know the specifics and hold him to it.

More American lives and more of the security in terms of domestic tranquility are in the balance when it comes to Social Security and Medicare than when it comes to places like Libya, Iran, Afghanistan, etc.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

29. Right. He "WOULD NEVER agree nor did he ever consider cutting SS or Medicare"

any more than he would consider creating a cat-food commission with members in favor of cutting Social Security benefits.

It's just a coincidence that 14 members happened to do so or indicating that they would be open to doing so: Erskine Bowles (Chair), Alan Simpson (R-WY-ret, Co-Chair), Alice Rivlin, John Spratt (D-SC), Dick Durbin (D-IL, who critized "bleeding-heart liberals" for not immediately seeing how proposed cuts would "restore fiscal balance&quot , Paul Ryan (R-WI), Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Kent Conrad (D-ND), David M Cote, Dave Camp (R-MI), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Max Baucus (D-MT).

[vaberella]

36. Once again. He would never agree to cutting SS or Medicare.

Especially since he's using that tactic in his adverts, and even other Dems in red states in order to clinch the win in November. Don't speculation---spread the facts please.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

37. Once again, you're RIGHT. "He would never agree to cutting SS or Medicare"

any more than he would consider creating a cat-food commission with members in favor of cutting Social Security benefits.

Once again, it's just a coincidence that 14 members happened to do so or indicating that they would be open to doing so: Erskine Bowles (Chair), Alan Simpson (R-WY-ret, Co-Chair), Alice Rivlin, John Spratt (D-SC), Dick Durbin (D-IL, who criticized "bleeding-heart liberals" for not immediately seeing how proposed cuts would "restore fiscal balance&quot , Paul Ryan (R-WI), Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Kent Conrad (D-ND), David M Cote, Dave Camp (R-MI), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Max Baucus (D-MT).

His tactic was brilliant. As you say, if I can borrow what was said, "he's using that tactic in his adverts, and even other Dems in red states in order to clinch the win in November."

[greatauntoftriplets]

10. He's more conservative than Rmoney.

My opinion?

[WinkyDink]

12. Going all-in.

[RedSpartan]

16. Quite frankly, I bet a lot of people don't want the job. His options are limited.

[tanyev]

18. He's awfully purty.

That worked great for them four years ago.

[Honeycombe8]

19. Because his specialty is ECONOMICS. His credentials are impressive (look up his bio).

He's also good looking, liked in his party, respected, and a darling of the right. He's an up and comer, as they say.

He's articulate, educated, an excellent communicator (unlike Romney), and is an expert in economics, health care, and taxes.

He is also the only Republican who came up with an actual conservative budget plan that includes reform, which the conservatives love.

He's also young, so hopefully there will be appeal to the younger crowd (from their thinking).

He's been in Congress for years, so he's an experienced politician. He's proven himself on the national scale, being on TV a lot and such.

He also comes with that budget plan controversy, so immediately there will hopefully be (according to their thinking) a shift in Democratic attacks from Romney to Ryan.

Ruben's too inexperienced. Christie - I just knew it wouldn't be Christie, for a variety of reasons. Gingrich and Santorum don't get along with or like Romney, and vice versa. Gingrich is also too old. Plus both's strengths are in the social, not economic, areas.

[uponit7771]

20. Ryan doesn't have a prez future they can raise GOPer money with Ryan for congressional seats

[chelsea0011]

21. Mitt was told what to do, plain and simple

[Ruby the Liberal]

23. Panic.

This brings him the base (that he should have had by default, but couldn't win over) as well as takes the steam out of the Libertarian wing that is threatening a floor fight in Tampa over Ron Paul.

2008, we didn't know what a bubble brain Palin was when they brought her on scene. VERY likely there are anti-Ryan-budget ads already in the can for months now just waiting on the right moment (VP or not) to showcase the GOP economic ideals.

Its Christmas in August for the rest of us.

[madinmaryland]

25. Rmoney is trying to get the teabagger vote. nt

[Kalidurga]

27. Romney needed to find someone to balance the ticket...

Some say that Romney is a RINO. I think he needed to find someone even more heartless than he is. Paul Ryan would throw his own grandmother over a cliff to save a couple of bucks. Romney would put a nice comfy couch on the roof of his SUV for her.

[Raine]

28. The first goal is to hang onto your base (which he was losing) that's what Rmoney

had to do to avoid total humiliation.

[Canuckistanian]

30. Teabaggers already brand Mitt as a RINO

He seriously needed to upgrade his chances with the knuckledraggers.

[4 t 4]

32. The 2012 election is Obamas to lose , and he won't

this is a joke . 2016 Will be a republican!

[barbtries]

31. my theory

which is probably totally wrong, is that everyone else declined.

[wiggs]

33. Doubling down on trickle down. This is it. This is what they invested billions and billions

of dollars and 4 decades for: 1) the end of the New Deal 2) concentration of wealth and power into the hands of fewer and fewer, and 3) erosion of democracy to preserve the first two.

They weren't about to walk away from their long term, very expensive goals.

Citizens United, lobbying, voter ID laws and caging, consolidation of media, Fox, polarization/fear/hate/misinformation as campaign strategies....these are in full swing and have put us, the average American, in a very deep hole.

[Moonwalk]

34. Seems pretty logical to me: Young, Pretty, Teabagger vote, Libertarian vote (Ayn Rand fan)....

Catholic vote (steal it away from Biden?), anti-union vote, anti-abortion vote. Meaning he'll likely appeal to evangelicals.

Two handsome, conservative, heterosexual white men of "faith" out to battle that non-white socialist muslim union puppet who was voted in four years ago and save America from welfare queens, gays, abortionists, the EPA and health food nazis. Just what the Right-Wing ordered. And Ryan didn't run against Romney like some of the others, which means no sticky questions like "you said in your campaign 'X' about Romney, what do you think now?"

Seems the perfect VP for Romney.

[Dawson Leery]

35. Ryan is a hardliner.

Especially on social issues. Look up his record. He is anti-civil rights, anti-women's rights, anti-disabled rights.