Mitt Romney's vice presidential pick: Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan
At an early morning event in Virginia, Romney introduces Paul Ryan as his running mate, in what is seen as a risky but bold move that could shake up the presidential campaign
The video: In Norfolk, Va., on Saturday morning, just over two weeks before the Republican National Convention, presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney announced his running mate, introducing Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), in a slip of the tongue, as the "next president of the United States." (Watch Romney speak below.) With the U.S.S. Wisconsin, a "hulking battleship," as his backdrop, Romney quickly corrected himself, saying, "Every now and then I'm known to make a mistake." He went on to tout seven-term congressman Ryan, 42, as "an intellectual leader of the Republican party" and an individual whose character everyone can "respect." Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman — whose controversial budget plan calls for slashing spending by $5 trillion over a decade, while cutting taxes and slowly replacing Medicare — said he was "thrilled to be a part of America's comeback team." Immediately launching into an attack against President Obama's "failed leadership," Ryan said that "the hopes of our country... are growing dim, and they need someone to revive them."
The reaction: The Obama campaign pounced on the Ryan announcement, arguing that Romney's choice shows his commitment to "budget-busting tax cuts" for the wealthy and "greater burdens" on the middle class and seniors. But to conservatives, Ryan is seen as "a fiscally conservative crusader," says Jonathan Lemire at the New York Daily News, "and his selection could be viewed as an olive branch to the party's right-wing — including the Tea Party — who never fully warmed up to Romney," even if it does little to "silence the calls that [Romney] is an elitist." Ryan will undoubtedly "bring reluctant conservatives into the fold," says Rachael Larimore at Slate. What's most promising about Ryan is that while his "voting record definitely makes him a social conservative," he also "acts like he has no time for social issues because the economy is a more pressing matter." It was quite a relief "to watch him get through his speech without any nod to 'family values.'" Ryan is a "stunning, terrible choice," says Michael Tomasky at The Daily Beast, that shows that Romney will be running an "ultraconservative campaign" and is "owned by the right wing." And since Ryan has actual ideas, the policy-challenged Romney will be overshadowed by him. In a sense, Romney just became the "ticket's No. 2." Watch Romney introduce Ryan:
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.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
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
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, 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