Paul Ryan may be an excellent selection. He is bright, articulate and energetic. He appeals to conservatives, including the tea party, but has won by large margins in a swing district. So he may be able to appeal to some independents, particularly on the issue of the deficit. Wisconsin may be in play. But much of the importance of the selection is what it tells us about Romney and the state of his campaign.
Integrity dictates selecting a VP who would be ready on day one. Ryan has neither the business experience that Romney extols, nor the foreign policy experience the country craves. Perhaps Ryan can see Canada from his porch.
Boldness is often a sign of weakness. McCain would never have picked Palin if his campaign was going well. Ryan generates enthusiasm with the base. With the distaste so many conservatives have for the President, this should be superfluous. It is not. More importantly, the selection belies the central tenet of the Romney campaign.
For the Romney team this was to be a referendum on a failed presidency. Selecting Ryan is an acknowledgement that the Obama campaign has succeeded in making this a choice election. Romney wanted the campaign to be only about jobs and the economy. Ryan forces a doubling down on the Ryan budget, with Medicare restructuring and other potentially divisive issues.
Yet the talking point sent to key Republicans is classic Romney. “Gov. Romney applauds Paul Ryan for going in the right direction with
his budget, and as president he will
be putting together his own plan for cutting the deficit and putting the
budget on a path to balance." As always he wants to have it both ways.
With the recent conservative drumbeat, in selecting Ryan, Romney appears to be dancing to someone else's rhythm. He may yet have to pay the piper. Ryan is more popular with the base than Romney, and has eyes on being lead singer. He may not follow the Romney playlist. Still anything is better than another Romney rendition of "America the Beautiful."
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