Paul Ryan For VP

From USA Today:

"Romney taps Ryan as his running mate"

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney made the long-awaited announcement Saturday that he has chosen Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate, emphasizing Ryan's Midwestern roots and values. "Paul Ryan works in Washington, but his beliefs remain firmly rooted in Janesville, Wis.," Romney said in a reference to Ryan's home in the critical swing state. With a retired battleship — the USS Wisconsin— as their backdrop, Romney and Ryan shook hands and embraced after Romney mistakenly introduced the congressman as "the next president of the United States." Romney then corrected himself as Ryan stepped to the microphones. Ryan, 42, is best known as the chairman of the House Budget Committee and author of a dramatic plan to overhaul Medicare, the government-run health insurance program for senior citizens. And while Romney said Ryan is well-respected, even by Democrats, and doesn't "demonize" his opponents, Ryan hit partisan notes in his speech. "Following four years of failed leadership, the hopes of our country, which have inspired the world, are growing dim. They need someone to revive them. Governor Romney is the man for this moment. And he and I share one commitment: We will restore the dreams and greatness of this country," Ryan said. "President Obama, and too many like him in Washington, have refused to make difficult decisions because they are more worried about their next election than they are about the next generation." Ryan also touched on a favorite GOP campaign theme. "I'm proud to stand with a man who understands what it takes to foster job creation in our economy, someone who knows from experience, that if you have a small business — you did build that," he said, a line followed by a cheer from the crowd. The line echoed a theme from Romney ads and speeches attacking Obama for saying about business owners: "You didn't build that." Democrats say Obama was taken out of context — he was discussing the infrastructure such as roads and technology that support those businesses. Ryan, who began his work in politics when he was 22, cited his history in Washington as a strength. "I believe that my record of getting things done in Congress will be a very helpful complement to Governor Romney's executive and private sector success outside of Washington. I have worked closely with Republicans as well as Democrats to advance an agenda of economic growth, fiscal discipline and job creation." With Ryan as his running mate, Romney appears ready to have a national conversation about federal spending and the growth of entitlements with one of the GOP's leading budget authorities at his side. Ryan, a House member since 1999, has proposed to dramatically change both Medicare and Medicaid, the programs that have been a hallmark of the nation's compact to provide health care to senior citizens and the poor.The Ryan plan would restructure Medicare for future beneficiaries to allow those 55 and younger to opt out of the system and purchase private insurance with a federal subsidy.

^ I think Paul Ryan is a good choice for Mitt Romney. I really enjoy reading all the comments about Ryan on Facebook and other sites. People are going crazy and saying that Ryan will end a bunch of programs, etc if he's made Vice-President. All those people who believe that need to go back to high school American Government class where they will learn that VPs have no real political or social influence while the President is alive. They are only there to step-in if a President dies, resigns or can't physically full-fill his/her duties. In the few cases that the VP has had to step in (ie Truman when FDR died, Johnson after JFK was killed and Ford when Nixon resigned) they have later admitted that they were "kept out of the loop" of policies and programs and only learned about then once they were sworn into office.  I didn't/don't care that Biden was/is Obama's VP. I care that Obama is spending billions of dollars a day to "balance the budget" and forcing everyone to get medical insurance or else. People can not like someone, but they should focus on those that will/have the power to enact change (ie the President) and not those that are there to cut ribbons at openings. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-08-11/romney-paul-ryan-running-mate/56959466/1