Romney's veep pick: Was Paul Ryan a smart choice?
By adding the House budget wonk to his ticket, Romney quickly injected new energy into his presidential campaign. But will the move pay off in the long run?
Rep. Paul Ryan charged into his first solo day of campaigning as Mitt Romney's running mate on Monday, hitting President Obama hard on the issue of welfare reform. Conservatives have applauded Romney's pick, saying it has fired up the GOP base and proven Romney's commitment to fiscal responsibility. (Average Americans weren't so thrilled; according to a USA Today/Gallup poll, 42 percent see Ryan as a "fair" or "poor" choice, while only 39 percent think he is an "excellent" or "pretty good" pick — the lowest rating of a veep selection since Dan Quayle in 1988.) Democrats immediately launched an offensive painting Romney-Ryan as "dangerous" to senior citizens who depend on Medicare, which Ryan has proposed replacing with a system offering people vouchers to buy private health insurance. Democrats also hammered Ryan for his opposition to abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and gun control. Will Ryan drum up votes for Romney... or Obama?
This was unquestionably a smart pick: Mitt Romney has "picked a running mate who could make him president," says Peter Morici at Newsday. Paul Ryan's experience on Capitol Hill "complements Romney's private sector experience wonderfully." Ryan's plan for Medicare will save it, not kill it. "If Romney delivers a compelling message on the economy and jobs and Ryan convinces seniors the ticket has answers to runaway Medicare spending that do not threaten them, the GOP candidates should be able to snag Florida, Iowa, Colorado, and North Carolina," which could add up to the difference between victory and defeat.
"Paul Ryan, smart choice by a savvy executive"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Romney really shot himself in the foot: The conventional wisdom is that choosing Ryan was a shrewd move, says Alec MacGillis at The New Republic, because it will divert attention from Romney's Bain Capital years and his undisclosed tax returns. The trouble with that argument is that Ryan's budget plan, which would eliminate taxes on interest, capital gains, and dividends, would mean that "Romney would pay zero taxes" on his $20 million in annual income. "I'm pretty sure" Team Obama can get mileage out of that.
"Why Ryan mMakes Romney's tax problem even worse"
It all depends on who wins the spin war: The fight to define Ryan is on, say Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake at The Washington Post. Between now and the end of their respective conventions, Republicans will pitch Ryan as a reformer with a plan to let seniors "keep their current Medicare" while giving "younger people more choices," while Democrats will paint him as the guy trying to dismantle the social safety net. Was the Ryan pick a "savvy strategy" or a "fizzled failure"? That depends on which definition sticks.
"The 25-day fight to define Paul Ryan"
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Read more political coverage at The Week's 2012 Election Center.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Baltimore bridge disaster: Who is going to pay and how?
Today's Big Question Politicians, legal experts, and the insurance industry are all grappling with the financial fallout of America's worst infrastructure tragedy in years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Melting polar ice is messing with global timekeeping
Speed Read Ice loss caused by climate change is slowing the Earth's rotation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Stick guitar
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Xi-Biden meeting: what's in it for both leaders?
Today's Big Question Two superpowers seek to stabilise relations amid global turmoil but core issues of security, trade and Taiwan remain
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published