Until a fortnight ago, it looked like Mitt Romney wanted to make the safest, least dramatic vice-presidential pick possible, a running mate who would be the unPalin – someone who would be a news story for the day but would not alter the shape of the campaign. Someone like Tim Pawlenty or Rob Portman.
Either this approach was a feint all along or something changed as the 2012 campaign descended into petty, slimy negativity and Romney began to slip slightly in the polls despite a terrible economy and unemployment rising to 8.3 percent.
Choosing Ryan is a bold and surprising – though by no means as outlandish as Sarah Palin in 2008 – choice. Vice-presidential running mates seldom have a major impact on the outcome of a presidential election. But this time, Ryan might a difference – here are 10 reasons why:
Romney and Ryan on board USS Wisconsin. Photo: AFP/Getty.
1. The image of Romney as a safety-first campaigner hoping to win the presidency by default as voters turfed out Barack Obama will now disappear. The Ryan pick indicates Romney is prepared to take a calculated risk and be decisive. He’s going big, rather than small. At a time when the US faces huge problems, that could be a major advantage.
2. Fears of the Republican base not turning out for Romney will now evaporate. In terms of unifying Establishment conservatives and grassroots activists, Ryan is a winner.
3. Ryan undoubtedly aspires to be president but at 42 he knows time is on his side. He quickly developed a good rapport with Romney – I saw the two of them together in Milwaukee, Wisconsin back in March when Romney clinched the nomination. There is every chance they’ll complement each other well and Ryan will be an assiduously loyal wing man.
4. Ryan, the House Budget chairman, will bring entitlement reform, debt and deficit cutting and tough but necessary fiscal choices to centre stage. For Romney to win, this election has to be about the economy – choosing Ryan helps ensure this will be the case.
5. Ryan, a personally affable and cordial politician with a young, photogenic family, will be hard to demonise. Obama will try to portray him as wanting to starve the elderly and slash government help for the vulnerable but Ryan’s character and earnestness will make this hard to pull off.
6. Ryan is a devout Catholic. This could help Romney in swing states like Florida and Pennsylvania. He also broadens the electoral battlefield for Romney by bringing the congressman’s native Wisconsin into play. Ryan’s humble background and Wisconsin roots will play well in the Mid-West, notably the crucial state of Ohio.
7. One of the prime roles of the vice-presidential running mate is that of attack dog and Ryan has shown he has the ability, intellect and facts at his fingertips to take on Obama’s big government, liberal mindset. Here’s the video evidence.
8. Ryan balances the ticket by bringing in youth and Washington experience. Certainly, both have potential downsides but the upsides are likely to be more significant.
9. Ryan wins respect across the political spectrum – even from Bill Clinton. Check out this fascinating exchange between Ryan and the former Democratic president. He is a substantive figure.
10. Vice President Joe Biden is one of the most notoriously long-winded and self-regarding figures in American politics. Ryan is ideally placed to cut through Biden’s bluff and bluster in the vice-presidential debate in Danville, Kentucky on October 11th.
There are undoubtedly potential pitfalls with Ryan. As a former congressional staffer and seven-term congressman who entered the House when he was 28, he is in many ways the consummate Washington insider.
Obama could use Ryan’s budget plans to frighten older voters in Florida. There will be some questions about whether a 42-year-old with no executive experience could be ready to be president should something happen to Romney.
But by choosing Representative Paul Ryan as the republican vice-presidential candidate, Romney could just have taken a step closer to the White House.
Either this approach was a feint all along or something changed as the 2012 campaign descended into petty, slimy negativity and Romney began to slip slightly in the polls despite a terrible economy and unemployment rising to 8.3 percent.
Choosing Ryan is a bold and surprising – though by no means as outlandish as Sarah Palin in 2008 – choice. Vice-presidential running mates seldom have a major impact on the outcome of a presidential election. But this time, Ryan might a difference – here are 10 reasons why:
Romney and Ryan on board USS Wisconsin. Photo: AFP/Getty.
1. The image of Romney as a safety-first campaigner hoping to win the presidency by default as voters turfed out Barack Obama will now disappear. The Ryan pick indicates Romney is prepared to take a calculated risk and be decisive. He’s going big, rather than small. At a time when the US faces huge problems, that could be a major advantage.
2. Fears of the Republican base not turning out for Romney will now evaporate. In terms of unifying Establishment conservatives and grassroots activists, Ryan is a winner.
3. Ryan undoubtedly aspires to be president but at 42 he knows time is on his side. He quickly developed a good rapport with Romney – I saw the two of them together in Milwaukee, Wisconsin back in March when Romney clinched the nomination. There is every chance they’ll complement each other well and Ryan will be an assiduously loyal wing man.
4. Ryan, the House Budget chairman, will bring entitlement reform, debt and deficit cutting and tough but necessary fiscal choices to centre stage. For Romney to win, this election has to be about the economy – choosing Ryan helps ensure this will be the case.
5. Ryan, a personally affable and cordial politician with a young, photogenic family, will be hard to demonise. Obama will try to portray him as wanting to starve the elderly and slash government help for the vulnerable but Ryan’s character and earnestness will make this hard to pull off.
6. Ryan is a devout Catholic. This could help Romney in swing states like Florida and Pennsylvania. He also broadens the electoral battlefield for Romney by bringing the congressman’s native Wisconsin into play. Ryan’s humble background and Wisconsin roots will play well in the Mid-West, notably the crucial state of Ohio.
7. One of the prime roles of the vice-presidential running mate is that of attack dog and Ryan has shown he has the ability, intellect and facts at his fingertips to take on Obama’s big government, liberal mindset. Here’s the video evidence.
8. Ryan balances the ticket by bringing in youth and Washington experience. Certainly, both have potential downsides but the upsides are likely to be more significant.
9. Ryan wins respect across the political spectrum – even from Bill Clinton. Check out this fascinating exchange between Ryan and the former Democratic president. He is a substantive figure.
10. Vice President Joe Biden is one of the most notoriously long-winded and self-regarding figures in American politics. Ryan is ideally placed to cut through Biden’s bluff and bluster in the vice-presidential debate in Danville, Kentucky on October 11th.
There are undoubtedly potential pitfalls with Ryan. As a former congressional staffer and seven-term congressman who entered the House when he was 28, he is in many ways the consummate Washington insider.
Obama could use Ryan’s budget plans to frighten older voters in Florida. There will be some questions about whether a 42-year-old with no executive experience could be ready to be president should something happen to Romney.
But by choosing Representative Paul Ryan as the republican vice-presidential candidate, Romney could just have taken a step closer to the White House.
