6 curious facts about Paul Ryan
Many Americans recognize Mitt Romney's veep pick as the GOP's leading budget wonk, but what else do we know about this arguably non-boring white guy?
![The youthful vice presidential pick drove the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile in college.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xXL77gqNbTnq4T8a7CNTiS-415-80.jpg)
Mitt Romney's selection of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his running mate has shaken up the presidential race. Ryan is famous — or infamous, depending on your political stripe — for his House GOP budget proposal, which sought to slash taxes and spending, and redefine Medicare. But beyond Ryan's shameless wonkiness, most Americans know little about the seven-term Republican congressman from Wisconsin. Here, six rather unpredictable facts about the GOP's vice presidential candidate:
1. He had the best college job ever
Ryan worked for hot-dog maker Oscar Meyer in college, says Jamie Weinstein at The Daily Caller, earning an opportunity some people covet more than the vice presidency. Yes... Paul Ryan got to drive the Weinermobile.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
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.
2. Ryan stood out — in good ways and bad — in high school
Paul Ryan was voted prom king in high school, says Matthew DeLuca at The Daily Beast, but the young man with the Eddie Munster-like widow's peak wasn't universally admired. Ryan's 1988 year book notes that in his senior year he was voted "Biggest Brown-Noser."
3. He's a fitness obsessive
Ryan's father had a heart attack and died at age 55, when Ryan was just 16. His grandfather and great-grandfather also succumbed to heart failure in their late 50s. That history is one reason, says Eliza Shapiro at The Daily Beast, that "Ryan is very serious about personal fitness." He leads a group of congressmen who routinely perform the notably intense P90X home workout. He reportedly boasts a body-fat ratio of 6 percent, making him one of the buffest candidates for top office ever.
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
4. Ryan is an avid bow-hunter
Presidential candidates often pick veeps who shore up weaknesses in their resumes, says James Rainey at the Los Angeles Times. So it makes sense that Romney, who caught grief for unconvincingly claiming to be a lifelong "varmint" hunter, would want Ryan by his side. The Wisconsin congressman is an accomplished bow-hunter: His Facebook page even shows him "in full cammo and muddied boots — proudly posing with a big, hearty buck deer." Such blood-thirst should give the Romney ticket instant cred in the world of "big-boy hunting."
5. And he catches catfish with his bare hands
For several years now, Ryan has been into fishing without bait... or even a rod, says Peggy Fikac at the Houston Chronicle. The sport, called "noodling," involves finding a hole where a giant catfish is hiding, reaching in, and dragging out the beast by its gills. For Ryan, it's not just a pastime, it's a political metaphor. "I want to say something to you Texans — because you understand freedom," Ryan has said. "You now legally recognize a man's right to catch a catfish with his own bare hands."
6. Ryan started his career writing speeches for Jack Kemp
If Ryan, with his friendly demeanor and enthusiasm for cutting tax rates for entrepreneurs, reminds you of Jack Kemp, there's a good reason, says Albert Hunt at Bloomberg News. Ryan once worked for Kemp, who was Bob Dole's vice presidential candidate in 1996, as a speech writer. "Ryan has often cited Kemp as one of his mentors," says Byron York at the Washington Examiner. But Romney's veep will be a better, more focused candidate than the late Kemp, a self-proclaimed "bleeding heart conservative" who was notoriously undisciplined on the campaign trail.
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.
-
Paloma recipe: the cocktail of the summer
The Week Recommends This refreshing drink balances the fresh and fizzy taste of grapefruit soda with a subtle flavour of smooth tequila
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Mushroom edibles are tripping up users
the explainer The psychedelics can sometimes have questionable components
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Prisons are simply not prepared for extreme heat
Under the radar Inmates are at severe risk of heat-related illness
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, 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