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PoliGAF 2012 Community Thread |OT2| This thread title is now under military control

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A

Amir0x

Banned
it crossed some people's minds. I just didn't think Romney, who is generally pretty reserved about everything, would want a VP candidate who is infinitely more dynamic then himself and will probably end up overshadowing Mitt at every twist and turn. But what it illustrates is he thinks he is losing this race, bad.
 
N

NathanMcMahon

Banned
I'm not that we'll versed on Paul Ryan. Does he have any charisma? Is he as milquetoast as Romney? I do know his policies are laughable, especially his budget, but I don't think I've ever seen a video of him. Just curious.

Edit:
Also, holy shit at a Mormon and Catholic ticket. I picture the evangelical right fucking fuming at this announcement.
 
W

watershed

Banned
I don't see how the Ryan pick can be called a game-changer. I see it as a wash, and lots of political commentators have been saying the same thing. Basically, he's more conservative than Romney, congratulations. The same would be true if he picked Portman or Pawlenty or anyone else. The only differentiators here are the Ryan budget (and the medicare issue that dems will seize on) and the fact that he's young.
 
T

The Librarian

Banned
bzAT8.png
 
T

ToxicAdam

Member
Actually, Paul Ryan looks like he could be a cousin of Evilore.


--- /// ---

Romney really had no choice on this one. He was the best choice he had at this point in time. The left media is going to love it because it will give them a opportunity to dig up every/all skeleton in Ryan's closet (no matter how trivial). Further damaging any national aspirations Ryan had.
 
L

Loudninja

Member
Team Romney’s Official Paul Ryan Bio
U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan is in his seventh term in Congress representing Wisconsin’s First Congressional District. He is Chairman of the House Budget Committee, where he has worked tirelessly leading the effort to reign in federal spending and increase accountability to taxpayers. He also serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, where he has focused on simplifying the tax code and making health care more affordable and accessible.
Click to expand...
In January 2010, Ryan gained attention nationwide after unveiling his “Roadmap for America’s Future,” a proposal to eliminate the federal deficit, reform the tax code, and preserve entitlements for future generations.
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http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/team-romneys-official-paul-ryan-bio
 
O

Opiate

Member
ToxicAdam said:
Actually, Paul Ryan looks like he could be a cousin of Evilore.


--- /// ---

Romney really had no choice on this one. He was the best choice he had at this point in time. The left media is going to love it because it will give them a opportunity to dig up every/all skeleton in Ryan's closet (no matter how trivial). Further damaging any national aspirations Ryan had.
Click to expand...

I think the biggest issue is that this simply compounds the biggest weakness that Romney already had.

You've mentioned several times, Adam, that you feel Romney was a particularly poor candidate for this specific moment in political history, where inequality concerns are rising and financial institutions (both public and especially private) are not held in high regard.

Picking the father of the Ryan plan as your running mate does not alleviate these deficits.
 
T

ToxicAdam

Member
Opiate said:
I think the biggest issue is that this simply compounds the biggest weakness that Romney already had.

You've mentioned several times, Adam, that you feel Romney was a particularly poor candidate for this specific moment in political history, where inequality concerns are rising and financial institutions (both public and especially private) are not held in high regard.

Picking the father of the Ryan plan as your running mate does not alleviate these deficits.
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Well at this point, Romney is losing the middle and there wasn't a Veep choice out there that was going to change that trend. So, it was probably more important to select a candidate that is going to bolster/energize his base. Since this election is going to be decided by turnout, in the end.

It isn't like Romney has hid from the Ryan plan during this election. He has always said he backs it, so there's really no political damage to come from that.

I guess the biggest backfire that could happen is that this Ryan pick could energize the Democrat base some more. But, I don't think Ryan is the same kind of polarizing figure that a Palin, Cheney or Gingrich is.
 
T

Tamanon

Banned
I'm not sure why he would go with a deficit hawk when he wants to talk about the economy. It's all just weird.

I guess this clears things out for a true mandate though if the public resoundingly supports one plan or the other.
 
M

Manmademan

Member
ToxicAdam said:
Well at this point, Romney is losing the middle and there wasn't a Veep choice out there that was going to change that trend. So, it was probably more important to select a candidate that is going to bolster/energize his base. Since this election is going to be decided by turnout, in the end.
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Ryan may very well energize certain segments of the conservative base (I don't think the evangelicals that loved palin are really going to care very much) but Ryan's budget plan last year as well as the social security privatization plan of 2005 are unfortunately VERY VERY easy targets for the Obama campaign to use to turn seniors their way.

In the end, having everyone over the age of 60 terrified social security and medicare are going to be eliminated is going to outweigh any gains you might get from energizing fiscal conservatives.
 
T

ToxicAdam

Member
It will be interesting to see how they will handle the Medicare thing. His advisers have said that he doesn't support that aspect of that plan, but Romney has never addressed it himself.

Tamanon said:
I'm not sure why he would go with a deficit hawk when he wants to talk about the economy. It's all just weird.
Click to expand...

This is the same campaign that believes that tax cuts is going to lead to more revenue and historic economic growth (12 millions jobs!). I'd say it falls right in line with their magical thinking.
 
M

Manmademan

Member
ToxicAdam said:
It will be interesting to see how they will handle the Medicare thing. His advisers have said that he doesn't support that aspect of that plan, but Romney has never addressed it himself.
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That aspect of the plan was practically the cornerstone. Eliminating or severely reducing the federal government's health care expenditure by eliminating medicare and slashing medicaid by billions was pretty much the entire point- without it the budget isn't balanced- well, that and ludicrous assumptions of 4 percent unemployment by 2015, and 2.8 percent by 2021 or so.

And that's before you get into the details of "Ryan wanted to privatize social security" 3 years before the markets imploded and wiped out everyone's 401K. The more you get into talking policy points re: ryan, the worse it is. He's the textbook example of an anti-government ideologue whose ideas sound great in theory and a disaster in practice.
 
S

scorcho

testicles on a cold fall morning
anything that results in further scrutiny on Paul's farcical budgets and the odd respect the beltway media treats them with is A-OK in my book.

it's as if the unrelenting streak of anti-intellectualism within the GOP has run so deep that just the mere appearance of thoughtfulness deserves effusive praise from beltway reporters. Paul's their magical unicorn.
 
T

TacticalFox88

Banned
Manmademan said:
That aspect of the plan was practically the cornerstone. Eliminating or severely reducing the federal government's health care expenditure by eliminating medicare and slashing medicaid by billions was pretty much the entire point- without it the budget isn't balanced- well, that and ludicrous assumptions of 4 percent unemployment by 2015, and 2.8 percent by 2021 or so.

And that's before you get into the details of "Ryan wanted to privatize social security" 3 years before the markets imploded and wiped out everyone's 401K. The more you get into talking policy points re: ryan, the worse it is. He's the textbook example of an anti-government ideologue whose ideas sound great in theory and a disaster in practice.
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Sounds great in theory? How does any of that plan even sound remotely good, even on a theoretical level?
 
A

Aaron Strife

Banned
But Paul Ryan is a very serious person!

When people see that he's willing to gut Medicare to balance the budget, which is the issue that everyone cares about at all times, they'll come to Romney in droves
 
W

watershed

Banned
scorcho said:
anything that results in further scrutiny on Paul's farcical budgets and the odd respect the beltway media treats them with is A-OK in my book.

it's as if the unrelenting streak of anti-intellectualism within the GOP has run so deep that just the mere appearance of thoughtfulness deserves effusive praise from beltway reporters. Paul's their magical unicorn.
Click to expand...

Its funny to me how "serious" has become the ultimate compliment in the Republican party. Ryan is a "serious" leader, thinker, etc. Its like the Republican party is admitting that its full of clowns.
 
M

Manmademan

Member
TacticalFox88 said:
Sounds great in theory? How does any of that plan even sound remotely good, even on a theoretical level?
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"let's reduce the deficit!" sounds great in theory. In practice his specific plan meant destroying social safety nets, while giving more tax breaks to the wealthy at everyone else's expense.

"let's allow citizens to invest their social security money as they see fit!" sounds nice in theory, in practice the specific plan was little more than a gigantic giveaway to wall street, and ignores how extremely volatile and corrupt the markets actually are.
 
B

Bulbo Urethral Baggins

Banned
This really is a smart pick by Romney. It puts the entire focus of this campaign on our struggling economy and Obama is nothing short of a complete failure on that issue. Even if you disagree with that, you're in the small minority.
Shit finally starts getting serious now. It's vision vs. vision instead of these stupid fucking side issues and bullshit about Romney giving cancer to women.

gcubed said:
Hey guys, what's going on?

PoliGaf wakes up too damn early.
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I couldn't sleep. My Republican heart was racing.
 
M

Manmademan

Member
gcubed said:
Hey guys, what's going on?

PoliGaf wakes up too damn early.
Click to expand...

aren't we in the same time zone? This isn't early, you supposed to be up cookin breakfast or sumpthin WOO-WOOOOOOO

This really is a smart pick by Romney. It puts the entire focus of this campaign on our struggling economy
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What? no it doesn't. It abandons the economy and jobs issue entirely and turns it back into the "deficit reduction vs. wealth inequality" argument that republicans shockingly managed to lose over a year ago.
 
T

The Librarian

Banned
Bulbo Urethral Baggins said:
This really is a smart pick by Romney. It puts the entire focus of this campaign on our struggling economy and Obama is nothing short of a complete failure on that issue. Even if you disagree with that, you're in the small minority.
Shit finally starts getting serious now. It's vision vs. vision instead of these stupid fucking side issues and bullshit about Romney giving cancer to women.
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Quite the opposite, actually. Picking Ryan has solidified this election as a choice rather than a referendum on the economy. Which is exactly what Obama wanted.
 
W

watershed

Banned
This has got to hurt Romney with one of the biggest voting blocks: senior citizens. Unless the ladies at the retirement home swoon over Ryan so much they forget about medicare spending.
 
B

Bulbo Urethral Baggins

Banned
scorcho said:
But Romney's campaign has always sold his private sector pedigree as the tool to bring this economy around.

Is Ryan supposed to add super duper focus to that?
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You can put it that way.

Part of Ryan's soon-to-be given speech is up if you want to read. Here's an excerpt (damn that's a strange word):
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/excerpts-ryans-speech_649757.html?nopager=1

No one disputes President Obama inherited a difficult situation. And, in his first 2 years, with his party in complete control of Washington, he passed nearly every item on his agenda. But that didn’t make things better.

In fact, we find ourselves in a nation facing debt, doubt and despair.

This is the worst economic recovery in 70 years.

Unemployment has been above 8 percent for more than three years, the longest run since the Great Depression. Families are hurting.

We have the largest deficits and the biggest federal government since WW II.

Nearly 1 out of 6 Americans are in poverty--the worst rate in a generation. Moms and dads are struggling to make ends meet.

Household incomes have dropped by more than $4,000 over the past four years.

Whatever the explanations, whatever the excuses, this is a record of failure.

The commitment Mitt Romney and I make to you is this:

We won't duck the tough issues...we will lead!

We won't blame others...we will take responsibility!

We won't replace our founding principles...we will reapply them!

We will honor you, our fellow citizens, by giving you the right and opportunity to make the choice:

What kind of country do we want to have?

What kind of people do we want to be?

We can turn this thing around. Real solutions can be delivered. But, it will take leadership. And the courage to tell you the truth.
Click to expand...
 
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