Mitt Romney Chooses Paul Ryan As Election Running Mate

[DP25]

And another thing, he really is not very bright, Obama of course (Romney has made 250 million and in case you never tried to make even 1 million, it's not very easy).

Romney's father was a multimillionaire, governor of one of the most important states in the country, and once ran for president. Mitt isn't some guy who made 250 million starting from nothing. This is the reason he seems so baffling out of touch with normal people. He's going to get clobbered in the election.

[Ulysses G.]

Actually, Mitt Romney did make 250 million starting from nothing. He gave his entire inheritance to charity and started from nothing. He is a successful businessman who knows how to make a profit, unlike the guy in the White House right now who thinks that the government gets the credit for people building their own small businesses. Obama is the one who is out of touch.

[Ulysses G.]

Electorally this was also a very poor strategic pick if they expect to win (which they don't). Romney won't win Ryan's home state of Wisconsin and he has basically conceded Florida now.

According to Jingthing and some wacky left-winger on an internet blog - two unbiased, sources indeed!

Edited August 12, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[Jingthing]

Electorally this was also a very poor strategic pick if they expect to win (which they don't). Romney won't win Ryan's home state of Wisconsin and he has basically conceded Florida now.

According to Jingthing and some wacky left-winger on an internet blog - two unbiased, sources indeed!

Don't be silly. Wisconsin is an Obama state. Florida was a contest, but now that he picked the Medicare and Social Security slayer, the republicans can kiss it goodbye. Rubio would have won Fla for them but otherwise he would have been an even worse pick than Ryan.

[Jingthing]

Actually, Mitt Romney did make 250 million starting from nothing. He gave his entire inheritance to charity and started from nothing. He is a successful businessman who knows how to make a profit, unlike the guy in the White House right now who thinks that the government gets the credit for people building their own small businesses. Obama is the one who is out of touch.

He is not a self made man. He's connected to the one percent of the one percent. That class just BREATHES and the money comes out. The USA is now has the most income inequality of any developed country on earth. And these wild right wingers want to make it even worse. Romney's tax rate, now 13 percent. After a Ryan budget, one percent. And they have the nerve to represent themselves as defenders of morality. Edited August 12, 2012 by Jingthing

[DP25]

Actually, Mitt Romney did make 250 million starting from nothing. He gave his entire inheritance to charity and started from nothing. He is a successful businessman who knows how to make a profit, unlike the guy in the White House right now who thinks that the government gets the credit for people building their own small businesses. Obama is the one who is out of touch.

Romney's father didn't die until 1995, not like it happened when Mitt was a teenager and he flipped burgers in college. Mitt was already a multimillionaire and had spent millions of dollars from his own fortune running for the senate by the time his father died. And the money wasn't donated to some random charity for poor people, it was donated to the George Romney Institute of Public Management at the Marriot School of Business at BYU, which Mitt joined the board of, which would help his business interests even further. Mitt's fortune is built on the fortune and political power and connections that were built by his father. He is from the elite of the elite.

[Jingthing]

Right wingers want to sell the myth that anyone who works hard in America can become massively wealthy. It happens. But it happens more in OTHER countries these days. They try to get the masses to vote as if they are rich or are going to be rich. It's a scam.

Back to Ryan. Romney HAD said he was going to pick a VP with executive experience and ready to be president. Ryan has NO executive experience, no foreign policy experience, and most definitely is not ready to be president. He's basically a budget WONK. I think this pick will not wear well. (Which pleases me of course.)

Edited August 12, 2012 by Jingthing

[cdnvic]

Not going to warn again to stay on topic. Next time I delete posts I'm taking someone's posting rights with it.

If you can't have a somewhat intelligent discussion on VP picks, just don't post.

[Jingthing]

A lot is going to be made about Ryan's Ayn Rand cultism.

And a lot should be made about it.

Romney has no coherent positions (he's the classic chameleon) so he has outsourced the brains/hard policy part of his ticket to Ryan. This is somewhat unusual. So Romney has in effect endorsed this morally questionable Ayn Rand ideology:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/the-icemen-cometh-romney-ryan-and-the-future-of-compassion-in-america/2012/08/12/bedd9f48-e4a9-11e1-8f62-58260e3940a0_blog.html?hpid=z2

The virtue of selfishness, however, is becoming more and more permissible. Much will be made of the influence of atheist philosopher Ayn Rand on Ryan. Ever since Ryan put out his draconian budget proposal that slashes essential programs for the poor and gives big tax breaks to the rich, Ryan’s attachment to the works of Ayn Rand has been highlighted. Jonathan Chait, in the pages of Newsweek, referred to Ryan as a “Rand nut,” and called out Ryan for launching a “war on the weak.”

[Ulysses G.]

Good try, but Ryan is a devout Christian. I very much doubt that making silly accusations that Ryan is a Ayn Rand "cultist" will stick. This is nothing but typical left-wing smoke and mirrors. Ryan remains an excellent choice for VP and his vast experience dealing with congress and expertise in economics will be invaluable when it comes to saving the USA before it is too late. .

This year, with his political profile rising, Ryan stressed not only that he had differences with Rand’s atheism—a point he had made as far back as 2003—but went so far as to denounce her whole system of beliefs, describing his early attraction to her writing as little more than a youthful dalliance. He admitted that he had “enjoyed her novels,” but, as Mak notes, he stressed that, “I reject her philosophy. It’s an atheist philosophy. It reduces human interactions down to mere contracts and it is antithetical to my worldview. If somebody is going to try to paste a person’s view on epistemology to me, then give me Thomas Aquinas.”

Read more http://www.newyorker...l#ixzz23NVMdlkP

Edited August 12, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[mca]

Pray tell us exactly what his connection was to Tony Rezko, Bill Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn, Jeremiah Wright, Rod Blagojevich, Frank Marshall Davis...to name only a few people from his past.

They were all in Kool and the Gang together?

[KKvampire]

Wow. I normally don't get involved in all this, but you guys who like Obama, what on earth are you thinking, or is just that you are not from America. Ryan is brilliant in many ways and has the balls to tell the truth. Really, if you really want to boil it down, every new tax, every new program, every dime taken from tax payers and give to non taxpayers (50% by the way), the answer is "we cannot afford it because our country is bankrupt and if not for the luxury of having the worlds reserve currency we would be be bankrupt with no more T Bill IOU's to China, ect.

Obama has exceeded in 3 years what Bush piled up in 8 years in debt (Bush about 4.7 T, Obama over 5 T). We currently borrow 40 cents of every Fed dollar spent. It is bound to end badly. Underprivileged ? There are no underprivileged in America you morons, they're in America ! The best place to make money in the world. If your not up to the task, your still in almost the best place. I hear the UK is the best for being on the dole. People are risking their lives every day to get into America and I don't mean only Mexicans.

And those who think Obama could possibly win? I'm from FL and I am here to tell you, it's going to be a double digit win for Romney. Almost no white people will vote for Obama this time and we are still little over 50%. Sorry for the diatribe but the notion that Obama is anything other than a low class train wreck is nuts. A tax and spend and vote for me socialist in my view.

And another thing, he really is not very bright, Obama of course (Romney has made 250 million and in case you never tried to make even 1 million, it's not very easy). I have listened closely to the words that come out of his mouth. At almost every turn he is struggling to come up with a rational argument for anything. Ryan has more brains in his pinking finger that you know who. You can flame me up all you like but I know a lot about what goes and where the money goes.

A Repug rant . You watch Florida Pal,

[Ulysses G.]

These republicans are just too risky.

You've got to be joking, Obama has been the biggest foreign policy disaster since Carter. Now thanks to his endorsement of the so called Arab spring we have Islamist control over much of the middle east, not to mention it's infiltration of the U.S government. We are effectively negotiating terms of our own surrender to the Taliban whilst leaving Iraq torn by sectarian strife and with a pro-Iranian government.

Ryan could do no worse if he actually tried, which worryingly is what Obama seems to have conciously done.

I have no idea whether Ryan would improve or damage the Republicans chances compared to a more centrist candidate, but such is the devastation Obama has left in his wake that middle of the road policies would be akin to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. A rapid and radical reversal of the last 4 years is the only hope for saving the U.S from collapse.

Paul Ryan is the only one who has come up with a realistic plan to balance the budget. The other party are kicking the can down the road once again even though we are on the edge of disaster. Of course the plan is not perfect. The two houses need to get together and work out the kinks, but the democrats will not even address it. At the very least, Paul Ryan deserves credit for coming up with a plan to balance the budget when his opponents are studiously ignoring this very important issue .

Edited August 13, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[Baloo22]

....

Electorally this was also a very poor strategic pick if they expect to win (which they don't). Romney won't win Ryan's home state of Wisconsin and he has basically conceded Florida now.

... Don't be silly. Wisconsin is an Obama state.

You certainly are operating on industrial strength denial! Wisconsin is an Obama state ????

Reality is that the selection of Paul Ryan will enhance the probability of the Romney/Ryan team winning in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is an Obama state??? Sure. That's why the people of Wisconsin elected a conservative Republican, Scott Walker, for Governor in 2010. The conservative Republican received 52% of the vote with his closest opponent, Democrat Tom Barrett, garnering 46%. Then, the

Democrats in their legislature abandoned their responsibilities and ran out of the state, like little spoiled brats, to avoid voting on legislation they

did not like. They earned the moniker "FleeBaggers" for their juvenile antics. In the end, their tantrums didn't work very well for them.

The Wisconsin Democrats and their big-government, big-spending allies tried a "recall" election to remove the conservative Republican Governor. That election recently occured when Wisconsin voters confirmed their choice of the conservative Republican for their Governor. On June 5, 2012, Walker won the recall election 53% to 46% against the Democrat Tom Barrett. So the people of Wisconsin again confirmed their choice of a conservative Republican for their Governor (Chief Executive).

[harryfrompattaya]

Sure save America by throwing the poor, minorities, unemployed, and sick off the cliff by giving additional welfare for the rich and corporations! This Ryan poster boy, Ayn Rand cult follower, is one of the most cold hearted politicians in American history. Great day for Obama supporters.

You are right I heard the Republicans are going to send the poor white that are sick and old back to Europe as Europe needs white people.

Many rich minorities in my family vote Republican and we are glad the poor whites move to Thailand I known you are all rich even the ones complaining about the electric rates

[spidermike007]

Thank you Romney for picking Ryan as it increases the chances he will lose:

They are running against a man who presided over the worst recovery in U.S. history, 42 consecutive months of 8-plus percent unemployment, declining economic growth and all achieved at a price of an additional $5 trillion of accumulated debt. Fat chance that the failure-in-chief will be reelected.

Yea, all due to his predasessor.

No. You are flat wrong. Some of it was due to W., but alot of it was just due to a fabulous lack of imagination, creativity, experience, and initiative. Compared to the man he lead us to believe, when many of us were fooled, and voted for him the first time, he is a pale shadow, and an empty suit. He has stunned many of us, by following through with so few of his promises. It is almost as if he completely sold out the first 30 days in office. I could name 100 areas where he dropped the ball. I believe the ONLY possibility of the US economy recovering, is to remove this incompetent man from office.

[Jingthing]

....

Electorally this was also a very poor strategic pick if they expect to win (which they don't). Romney won't win Ryan's home state of Wisconsin and he has basically conceded Florida now.

... Don't be silly. Wisconsin is an Obama state.

You certainly are operating on industrial strength denial! Wisconsin is an Obama state ????

Reality is that the selection of Paul Ryan will enhance the probability of the Romney/Ryan team winning in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is an Obama state??? Sure. That's why the people of Wisconsin elected a conservative Republican, Scott Walker, for Governor in 2010. The conservative Republican received 52% of the vote with his closest opponent, Democrat Tom Barrett, garnering 46%. Then, the

Democrats in their legislature abandoned their responsibilities and ran out of the state, like little spoiled brats, to avoid voting on legislation they

did not like. They earned the moniker "FleeBaggers" for their juvenile antics. In the end, their tantrums didn't work very well for them.

The Wisconsin Democrats and their big-government, big-spending allies tried a "recall" election to remove the conservative Republican Governor. That election recently occured when Wisconsin voters confirmed their choice of the conservative Republican for their Governor. On June 5, 2012, Walker won the recall election 53% to 46% against the Democrat Tom Barrett. So the people of Wisconsin again confirmed their choice of a conservative Republican for their Governor (Chief Executive).

You're a bit confused. Talking presidential politics here. Obama won Wisconsin easily in 2008. Obama is well ahead in polls in Wisconsin for 2012. Obama won Ryan's district in 2008. Obama will not only win Wisconsin in 2012 but he will also again win Ryan's district. What I am saying is that picking Ryan won't even swing Ryan's home state of Wisconsin. VP picks simply aren't that important, electorally speaking. Romney is the man running but now he will be defined by the divisive radical right wing pro-rich budget politics of Ryan.

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed. Once again, this topic is about Romney's choice for VP and not about Obama.

[koheesti]

He is considered brilliant, is an expert on economics, has been reelected to congress numerous times and is liked by almost everybody on both sides of the aisle

Not anymore. Once on the ticket, the opposition will do nothing but demonize him. Remember back to 2008, centrist McCain had been a darling of the New York Times for years but once he won the nomination, they attacked him, including printing a totally unsubstantiated false rumor about him having an affair. Same will be true today with Ryan. If he is liked or respected by anybody on the other side of the aisle you won't be able to find that person for the next few months at least.

[koheesti]

I hadn't paid much attention to Ryan before he become the VP pick so I decided to read all 5 pages (100+ posts) to get a better idea who he is. I thought it a good idea because I wouldn't get a one-sided opinion, I would get the good and the bad.

Well, what stands out is that Ryan supporters have posted videos of Ryan intelligently confronting Geitner and Obama with clear facts about our economic situation. Someone also posted an op-ed written by Ryan. On the other side, the anti-Ryan crowd has offered nothing at all of substance, just criticisms of Romney & Bush or one-liners. I think it would be useful if some of those against Ryan could post video of him looking like an idiot. I'm sure as bad as he is YouTube must be full of them.

[coma]

Not much of a development actually. Romney has little chance of winning the election. He has shown during his recent O/S tour that he is nothing but a bumbling idiot and has little or no understanding of what it is that the everyday American wants and needs. Even choosing Ryan as his running mate won't save him.

Obama by a proverbial mile.

[Ulysses G.]

He is considered brilliant, is an expert on economics, has been reelected to congress numerous times and is liked by almost everybody on both sides of the aisle

Not anymore. Once on the ticket, the opposition will do nothing but demonize him.

Very true, I should have said WAS liked by almost everybody on both sides of the aisle until he got the nomination. The truth will be ignored by most democrats and the liberal media from now on as they have done with Romney. They have distorted the record of a good and honorable man, a successful, honest man - into a "felon" a "tax cheat", a "bumbling idiot" and a "murderer", all because his opponent can not run on his pathetic record. Hope and change, what a Big Lie.

Edited August 13, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[JimmyTheMook]

I thought Obama already beat Romney , or was that the last time Mitt stepped up and got slammed down ?

Edited August 13, 2012 by JimmyTheMook

[Ulysses G.]

That was before the worst recovery in U.S. history, 42 consecutive months of 8-plus percent unemployment, declining economic growth and all achieved at a price of an additional $5 trillion of accumulated debt. That was before political advertisements that are complete fabrications. That was before Ryan came up with the only credible plan that exists to save the economy. Things have "changed" all right, but for the worse.

Edited August 13, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[SouthernMan3]

Thank you Romney for picking Ryan as it increases the chances he will lose:

They are running against a man who presided over the worst recovery in U.S. history, 42 consecutive months of 8-plus percent unemployment, declining economic growth and all achieved at a price of an additional $5 trillion of accumulated debt. Fat chance that the failure-in-chief will be reelected.

Yea, all due to his predasessor.

No. You are flat wrong. Some of it was due to W., but alot of it was just due to a fabulous lack of imagination, creativity, experience, and initiative. Compared to the man he lead us to believe, when many of us were fooled, and voted for him the first time, he is a pale shadow, and an empty suit. He has stunned many of us, by following through with so few of his promises. It is almost as if he completely sold out the first 30 days in office. I could name 100 areas where he dropped the ball. I believe the ONLY possibility of the US economy recovering, is to remove this incompetent man from office.

I see your points.

But do you really think that Romney would be better ?

[Ulysses G.]

He won't be worse. That is for sure.

[SouthernMan3]

Thank you Romney for picking Ryan as it increases the chances he will lose:

They are running against a man who presided over the worst recovery in U.S. history, 42 consecutive months of 8-plus percent unemployment, declining economic growth and all achieved at a price of an additional $5 trillion of accumulated debt. Fat chance that the failure-in-chief will be reelected.

Yea, all due to his predasessor.

No. You are flat wrong. Some of it was due to W., but alot of it was just due to a fabulous lack of imagination, creativity, experience, and initiative. Compared to the man he lead us to believe, when many of us were fooled, and voted for him the first time, he is a pale shadow, and an empty suit. He has stunned many of us, by following through with so few of his promises. It is almost as if he completely sold out the first 30 days in office. I could name 100 areas where he dropped the ball. I believe the ONLY possibility of the US economy recovering, is to remove this incompetent man from office.

I see your points.

But do you really think that Romney would be better ?

Also, I am not flat wrong.

A lot of sh*t was left over from George W., Dick and their types.

Give the guy another chance.

Jeez, America gave George W. another chance and his father too.

At least Obama is cooler then the alternative.

With this you must agree (I hope).

Or there's really no point in continuing this conversation.

[SouthernMan3]

Pray tell us exactly what his connection was to Tony Rezko, Bill Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn, Jeremiah Wright, Rod Blagojevich, Frank Marshall Davis...to name only a few people from his past.

They were all in Kool and the Gang together?

LMAO

[Ulysses G.]

At least Obama is cooler then the alternative.

Not really. The only politician that I ever thought was cool was Robert Kennedy and maybe Jerry Brown when he was dating Linda Ronstadt.

[Jingthing]

This Paul Ryan is quite fit!

Not my type but I have now figured out one reason they picked him was to attract more of the women's vote which they are BADLY losing. Sorry if that sounds sexist but everything counts.

In reality though, it will backfire when women learn the ugly truth about just how radically right wing Ryan is on women's issues. For example, and I hope there is an attack ad about this, Ryan is for denying ALL abortion even for women who have been ... RAPED! Disgusting. This team must be stopped.