Ryan's future: In Romney White House or US House?
Photo
In this June 2, 2012 photo, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., right, speaks with Wis. Rep. Dave Craig, left, and Rep. Robin Vos at a rally held by the Racine Tea Party PAC in Gorney Park in Caledonia, near Racine, Wis.There are plenty of reasons for Mitt Romney to pop the question to Paul Ryan: The whip smart congressman is from a swing state, stands as his party’s leading voice on the nation’s budget and is the rare member of the GOP establishment who is also beloved by the tea party.
JANESVILLE — There are plenty of reasons for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to choose Rep. Paul Ryan as a running mate.
The whip-smart Wisconsin congressman is from a battleground state. He's the GOP's leading voice on the nation's budget and is the rare member of the Republican establishment who's loved by the tea party.
"If that bridge ever came, I would consider crossing it," Ryan told The Associated Press in an interview this month. He added: "I really don't have tremendous political ambition. I have policy ambition."
Yes, that's the typical humble-speak of someone who's a potential vice presidential candidate. But it's also true that Ryan has let political opportunities pass before, choosing to focus on taming what he calls a "big, dysfunctional government" beset by unsustainable spending.
Those who know Ryan say that means that while Romney ponders whether to ask, Ryan is deciding whether accepting a political promotion is the best way to achieve his "policy ambition."
"He does have more force and authority than he would have in the vice presidency. I think he clearly knows that," said Vin Weber, a former Minnesota congressman and Ryan's supervisor when the two were at a Washington think tank in the 1990s. "So the question becomes, Would that be worth sacrificing to put yourself clearly in line to be the nominee after Romney?"
Romney planned to appear with Ryan on Monday during a visit to a fabric mill in the congressman's hometown of Janesville, a blue-collar city along the Rock River still coping with the mothballing of a GM assembly plant a few years ago.
The ascent has been swift for Ryan, who was voted prom king and the "Biggest Brown-Noser" of his 1988 high school class before leaving for college in Ohio. He maintained his ties to home through summer internships for Republican Sen. Robert Kasten, who later hired Ryan full time. The former senator remembers him as "bright and inquisitive and very consumed" with complex tax policy.
Ryan went on to flourish at a conservative policy institute founded by Republican Jack Kemp. A congressman, a member of the George H.W. Bush administration and GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole's running mate in 1996, Kemp championed tax cuts as the primary tool for promoting economic growth. Ryan considers Kemp, who died in 2009, his mentor.
By 28, Ryan was back in Janesville winning election to Congress. At 42, he is among the breed of congressmen who sleep in the office rather than put down roots in Washington.
Heavy with both factories and farms, Ryan's district in southern Wisconsin is typically carried by Democratic presidential candidates. His opponents note that part of his success lies in the overtures he makes across the aisle, from party-bucking votes against weakening prevailing wage laws to simpler gestures, like his recent attendance at a wake for the father of a local Democratic stalwart.
Prone to speaking in bar graphs as he warns of "a gathering storm" of debt that will challenge America's way of life, Ryan has also mastered the ability to hang a smile on ideas that generations of politicians have found treacherous.
He casts his push to scale back food stamps and other welfare assistance as empowerment for the downtrodden now lulled into complacency. Opening Medicare to more private competition, he argues, is about preventing an all-out program collapse that would devastate future retirees.
"He's a master politician," said former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Joe Wineke. "I don't have a mean thought in my body about Paul. I just fundamentally disagree with his policies. He puts on a good face for some pretty awful policies."
The global economic crisis and the rise of the tea party, with its focused attention on government spending and debt, have made Ryan's budget plans something of a GOP litmus test. In March, Romney was quick to praise Ryan's latest proposal to slice trillions from the federal budget. Ryan reciprocated soon after with an endorsement of Romney's White House bid.
Picking Ryan as his running mate would be read as a full embrace of his budget ideas. But that assumes Ryan would return Romney's interest.
During President George W. Bush's second term, Ryan pulled his name from consideration for the White House budget director post. He says he didn't think there was the will, particularly in Congress, to address the structural budget changes he believes are needed to avert a crippling debt crisis.
"There were no followers," he said.
More recently, Ryan resisted a call to chase an open Senate seat in Wisconsin. "I didn't want to walk away from the conversation I started and the fight I'm in," he said. By remaining in the House, Ryan can keep an intense focus as budget chairman on his signature issue — something he might not be able to do in a Romney administration.
There's no guarantee that Republicans will retain House control in November or that even with Romney in the White House, Ryan could help accomplish an overhaul of venerable but politically sensitive programs such as Medicare and Social Security.
It's a gamble either way.
"I think I'm in a really big spot right now," he said.
Jun 18, 2012 at 9:32 a.m.
Suggest removal
Can't argue with an expert.
Jun 17, 2012 at 11:46 p.m.
Suggest removal
LOL yada, david shuster and the turks, glad to see your information is coming from such credible sources; rejects from msnbc.
Jun 17, 2012 at 11:28 p.m.
Suggest removal
Bishop Morlino likes Con. Ryan and feels he is a great example of a Catholic....good enough for me on the Catholic issue......
Jun 17, 2012 at 5:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
Why is it for all of Paul Ryan's supposed deep concern over budget gaps and deficits, that concern isn’t sufficient enough to induce him to give up anything — anything at all — that his financial backers want.
Jun 17, 2012 at 4:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
yada
I addressed the comment to you, since I assume you were referring to me with the name calling.
Jun 17, 2012 at 4:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
youkillme
Hardly "off topic", when the topic is regarding the election for the presidency.
yada
Why do the "young turks" on the site you linked look like the potus.....angry and petulant?
Jun 17, 2012 at 4:05 p.m.
Suggest removal
wislady
Jun 17, 2012 at 8:22 a.m.
yada
Who should we trust, regarding the military?
I will make it easy for you....
Barack Hussein Obama, or Col. Allen West.
Wislady, certainly my money is on Col. Allen West of course.
Jun 17, 2012 at 4:03 p.m.
Suggest removal
yada, please refrain from the tired same old same old. It's that far left mental blog pastes that people in Wisconsin tuned out. It's old, it's rheteric and it's a losing message.
You sound like mouse who to her credit has remained silent. Unless you are her.
Jun 17, 2012 at 3:20 p.m.
Suggest removal
Wacko-Lady - Regarding trust...maybe we can get another ReTHUGlican in office so we can have more Gulf wars.
**Scott Walker** Great report on why SCOTT WALKER IS A TARGET OF THE INVESTIGATION.
Keep in mind that Walker asked to be cleared 5 or 6 weeks before the recall election, but they WOULD NOT CLEAR HIM.
http://current.com/shows/the-young-turks...
Very very soon...it will happen.
Jun 17, 2012 at 1:29 p.m.
Suggest removal
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
Is there a buzzer?
"Repent, Harlequin!"
;-)
Jun 17, 2012 at 1 p.m.
Suggest removal
I realize that by asking for Ryan's local and legislative accomplishments from supporters in his own hometown, LOL - I risk having this thread die on the vine. But it's worth it.
Jun 17, 2012 at 12:47 p.m.
Suggest removal
Leave it up to wislady to comment about Obama in a Ryan article. The "professor" acknowledges that if republicans had their way, inequality would be even greater than it is now and a Romney presidency would be a severe blow to America. But those costs pale in comparison to an Obama second term because Obama "failed to advance the progressive cause." Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? The last thing we need in a President is one who pushes their own ideology, or their professors ideology on America, whatever it is. Obama comes out in this like a rock star. Harvard professor Roberto Unger should have his professorship stripped away.
Thank you Wislady, but stay on topic. Please write about Ryan's local and legislative accomplishments and his ideology.
Jun 17, 2012 at 12:17 p.m.
Suggest removal
Sorry....double post on link...
Jun 17, 2012 at 12:17 p.m.
Suggest removal
What is Paul Ryan's local vision? More platitudes? More Ayn Rand? More Lies? What we got from Ryan were shuttered factories and fourteen years of absolutely nothing. Feel free to list his local and legislative accomplishments. In the meantime, Mister "free market" became a millionaire on the government dole.
Jun 17, 2012 at 12:16 p.m.
Suggest removal
Unger strike: Obama’s former professor says he ‘must not’ win in 2012
“He has subordinated the broadening of economic and educational opportunity to the important but secondary issue of access to healthcare. … He has evoked a politics of hand-holding. … His policy is financial confidence and food stamps.”
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/06/17/unger-...
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/06/17/unger-...
Jun 17, 2012 at 12:07 p.m.
Suggest removal
Destroy the middle class and the poorest of us and turn WI into Arkansas. Cuts to the bone and feed the rich. Bad ideas.
Jun 17, 2012 at 11:57 a.m.
Suggest removal
progressive6 Jun 17, 2012 at 11:31 a.m.RE: your link. So you are offering someone else's opinion as yours?
Jun 17, 2012 at 11:53 a.m.
Suggest removal
Wine and Ayn Rand. What else is there to Paul Ryan? Ryan is bad news for America.
Jun 17, 2012 at 11:31 a.m.
Suggest removal
Third eye, read this link: http://www.journaltribune.com/articles/2...
Jun 17, 2012 at 11:25 a.m.
Suggest removal
You should trust Mitt Romney?
;-)
Jun 17, 2012 at 9:55 a.m.
Suggest removal
It's amazing that every mention of Paul Ryan brings out the Ayn Rand/bottle of wine crowd. Lately they have added this councel of Bishops thing. None of these stories have context nor traction outside of the far left loony bin.
Jun 17, 2012 at 9:29 a.m.
Suggest removal
Paul Ryan is an embarrassment to Janesville. His whole belief on how to change America is based upon a Russian born Communist named Ayn Rand.
Jun 17, 2012 at 8:22 a.m.
Suggest removal
yada
Who should we trust, regarding the military?
I will make it easy for you....
Barack Hussein Obama, or Col. Allen West.
Jun 17, 2012 at 7:08 a.m.
Suggest removal
Anything new yadadadadadadadadada? Or is that all you can do, echo others old words and meaningless points. At least the meaning of mouse is still around LOL.
Jun 17, 2012 at 7 a.m.
Suggest removal
"UNHOLY CUTS: THE BISHOPS DECRY RYAN BUDGET"
http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-cohn/10...
Jun 17, 2012 at 6:42 a.m.
Suggest removal
"Paul Ryan thinks U.S. Military is lying to Congress"
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/paul-ry...
Jun 17, 2012 at 6:37 a.m.
Suggest removal
I use to support Ryan - NOT - amymore! A VP bid would not be a mistake...it would be a JOKE. His comments regarding the U.S. military budget come from someone that has never served one minute of time in the military, but feels he understands & and knows more than all those in military leadership. I thought his comment - "So what we get from the Pentagon is more of a budget driven strategy, not a strategy driven budget" is comical doubletalk and deserves to be featured on Comedy Central. His overall budget plan will hurt those in need, but the wealthy will come out big time winners with Ryan.
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-04...
The Catholic church continues with concerns over his budget and how it hurts the those in need. I think Ryan is quite surprised that his own church does not support his agenda.
"PAUL RYAN; HELPING THE POOR, BY HURTING THEM"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/p...
"CATHOLIC BISHOPS SAY RYAN BUDGET FAILS MORAL TEST"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18...
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.