# Veep announcement \[Romney picks Paul Ryan\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 11, 2012, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157 "2012-08-11T03:40:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/61 "2012-08-11T08:17:29Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > The reason that Obama was the first Congressman elected President since JFK… I think you left out the word “sitting” between “first” and “Congressman”. Forgive me for the nitpick but it took a minute to understand what you meant. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/62 "2012-08-11T08:18:31Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > While I agree this doesn’t look like the best choice I have to say there is no way this is as bad a pick as Palin. As much as I disagree with him, Paul Ryan is undoubtedly a well spoken, bright guy. I’d say it’s not as incompetent a pick as Palin, but it’s just as bad. Ryan can string together a sentence just fine, so he’s way ahead there. The content of the sentence tends to alienate a great deal of the electorate, though. In that, Palin’s incoherence was a plus. Palin’s greatest strength was that she was relatively unknown, and could create a persona to sell. Yes, she blew it. Being fairly well known, Ryan does not even have that luxury. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/63 "2012-08-11T08:44:53Z")
Yet Ryan’s numbers are positive, and 38% still don’t have an opinion: [http://pollingreport.com/r2.htm#Ryan](http://pollingreport.com/r2.htm#Ryan) So Ryan does get an opportunity to sell himself and his ideas. For those who know about them so far, more like him than not. Now liking the guy is different from liking his policies, but if anyone can sell Medicare cuts to the public at large, it’s Ryan. and he can rightly make the point that the Democrats have already cut Medicare by $500 billion. Now I know, the fact check sites don’t agree with that claim. But if we were talking about any other federal spending, or if Republicans made these cuts, it would be called cuts, full stop. Cutting the rate of planned growth is regarded as a cut, so I don’t know why fact check sites are suddenly going all mealy-mouthed about what a cut in spending is. So Ryan shouldn’t be afraid to put it out there and let the public judge for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/64 "2012-08-11T12:05:08Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > This, however, is easy to spin: they just say that it’s a matter for the State governments, not the Federal Government, and point to what Romney did. Except that Romney is avoiding the issue of Romneycare, or at least he’s trying to, and any attempt to start campaigning on that issue can be spun as yet another flip-flop. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/65 "2012-08-11T12:32:50Z")
And Ryan’s been confirmed as Romney’s choice. > **[Republican Romney names Paul Ryan as running mate](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19224423)** > > US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney names fiscal conservative Paul Ryan as his running mate in November's election. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/66 "2012-08-11T12:39:30Z")
has mr romney seen mr. ryan in action? really!?! in the past 2 years who is really in charge of the congress? mr ryan or mr boehner? who has walked out of budget talks? more than once? my way or no way? oy! ---
**Author:** ![Mekhazzio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b38774/32.png) [@Mekhazzio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mekhazzio)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/67 "2012-08-11T12:44:53Z")
When running on the theme of the economy being the central issue, it seems rather odd to choose someone whose only notoriety is for a wildly impractical budget that was dead on arrival. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/68 "2012-08-11T12:54:31Z")
I’ve said before that I loved the fact that Romney was the Republican candidate. I said that they may as well have put Rich Uncle Pennybags from Monopoly forward as their candidate. I love this selection for VP even better. Now you have Rich Uncle Pennybags being backed by a guy who wants to push seniors over the cliff! Beautiful! ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/69 "2012-08-11T13:05:25Z")
Romney-Ryan: Scum and Scummier. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/70 "2012-08-11T13:15:53Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > I’ve said before that I loved the fact that Romney was the Republican candidate. I said that they may as well have put Rich Uncle Pennybags from Monopoly forward as their candidate. > > I love this selection for VP even better. Now you have Rich Uncle Pennybags being backed by a guy who wants to push seniors over the cliff! Beautiful! Seniors will vote Romney/Ryan 3 to 1, easily. Don’t celebrate just yet. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/71 "2012-08-11T13:28:00Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Seniors will vote Romney/Ryan 3 to 1, easily. Don’t celebrate just yet. Really? I think polling had it at something like 46% Romney - 44% Obama among seniors _prior_ to his naming Congressman Voucher as his VP. You’re telling me that the architect of a plan to voucherize Medicare and privatize social security will make seniors flock to Romney? Or are you just pulling stuff from your butt? ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/72 "2012-08-11T13:30:22Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Yet Ryan’s numbers are positive, and 38% still don’t have an opinion: > > [Political Figures: R (2)](http://pollingreport.com/r2.htm#Ryan) > > So Ryan does get an opportunity to sell himself and his ideas. For those who know about them so far, more like him than not. That’s the key. Can Team Romney define Ryan before Obama does? It didn’t work out for Romney, who’s negatives have spiked under the barrage of ads - and they didn’t even have the Ryan Budget to work with. As to Florida, I don’t think it’ll hurt that much. Folks currently on Medicare aren’t affected too much. It’s the “near old” that have to worry - raising the eligibility age to 67 is not popular at all. ETA: Other pulls have the “no opinion” number as high as 50% ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/73 "2012-08-11T13:30:39Z")
Romney just said, “welcome the next PRESIDENT of the United States, Paul Ryan” ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/74 "2012-08-11T13:32:21Z")
Another note - we really have no idea what kind of campaigner Ryan is - he’s never run for anything state-wide, has he? He comes off kinda goofy on Sunday Morning shows, the only mode I’ve ever seen him in. So far his “acceptance” speech is rather bland - but maybe he can do stemwinders as well. Has anybody seen him in a debate? ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/75 "2012-08-11T13:41:02Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Another note - we really have no idea what kind of campaigner Ryan is - he’s never run for anything state-wide, has he? He comes off kinda goofy on Sunday Morning shows, the only mode I’ve ever seen him in. So far his “acceptance” speech is rather bland - but maybe he can do stemwinders as well. Has anybody seen him in a debate? He comes off generally as a nice, but fairly naive, boring, somewhat wonkish White guy. To some, that signals stability, fairness, and seriousness. To others, it’s boring, detached, myopic, and parochial. He’s not a funny or charismatic guy, but he does seem fairly nice. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/76 "2012-08-11T13:48:44Z")
That’s some serious widow’s peak he’s got going! Reminds me of Eddie Munster. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/77 "2012-08-11T13:49:55Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Am I invisible here? 😃 The hell was that? Hey, who’s there?! Hello? Hello?? …weird… Anyway, my admittedly limited perception of Paul Ryan is that on his worst day he comes across as much more committed to his ideas for the country than Romney does in his dreams. Agree or disagree with his policies, he’s a complete reversal from Palin. I’m not sure it’s a great idea for Romney, however, to be overshadowed by his running mate. Oh, about polling. Surely their campaign must do internal polling along the lines of “would VP candidate X make you more or less likely to vote for Romney”, no? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/78 "2012-08-11T13:59:42Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > That’s some serious widow’s peak he’s got going! Reminds me of Eddie Munster. He reminds everyone of Eddie Munster. It’s been all over the Internet for years. Personally, I think he looks like he can just about count to potato. Please, Ryan, explain to everyone why Social Security benefits were okay for you but not for the rest of us. Or why someone born in 1957 should get the current program but someone born in 1958 should be screwed. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/79 "2012-08-11T14:18:28Z")
My gut has been telling me since last year that no potential GOP candidate can beat Obama in 2012, but I’ve been greatly worried about the possibility of a GOP Senate and House for the 113th Congress. I think this Veep pick goes a long way to assuage my concerns. Romney started out trying to make 2012 a referendum on President Obama, and has failed to accomplish this. Obama’s team has been fairly successfully staging the election as a choice between the competing visions of President Obama and Candidate Romney. Now Romney has possibly turned the race back into a referendum, but not as he intended.\*\* I think there’s a pretty good chance **adaher** was correct in at least one of his blanket pronouncements above; the Ryan pick is going to turn the election into a discussion about fiscal policy in general, and entitlements in particular. It’s my gut feeling\* that sort of focus does more to pull votes away from the down ballot GOP candidates than it does to motivate the Republican base to the top of the ticket. \*I guess we’ll see if my “gut” is just wishful thinking in a few months. ETA: \*\*I meant to say that the referendum is now about Republican fiscal policy instead of Obama’s performance. Exemplified by the 8 GW Bush years and by the Ryan budget… ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157/80 "2012-08-11T14:22:27Z")
Does this move get Ryan out of Congress for the next term, or is he going to pull a Lieberman and run for both offices at once? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veep-announcement-romney-picks-paul-ryan/631157.md?page=5)