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?

Paul Ryan
(Image credit: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

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.

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