So, Republican nominee (presumptive nominee) Mitt Romney has chosen Paul Ryan, Republican financial guru and Representative from Wisconsin, to be his running mate. I don’t understand.
In the past, a vice presidential candidate was chosen because they were able to bring something to the table that nominee didn’t have. For example, Dick Cheney was the experienced politician who knew the ins and outs of Washington DC. George W. Bush was relatively young and inexperienced; therefore, Dick Cheney made sense to complete the ticket. One of the big knocks on President Barack Obama was that he didn’t have foreign-policy experience. VP Joe Biden had been in the Senate for over two decades and had extensive experience in foreign policy. He made sense. Paul Ryan simply doesn’t make sense.
Mitt Romney has been telling the American people that he should be president because he was a successful businessman who understands the economy. He’s a money guy. This is his selling card. Paul Ryan has had seven terms in the House. He has become the financial guru for the House Republicans. He’s come up with their last two budgets. So, is it logical that if one financial guru is good, two must be better? Really?
When you look at the demographics, the Republicans are in some trouble. This is the whole reason for the voter ID laws, to decrease the number of people (undesirable people, from the Republican point of view) eligible to vote. One would figure the Republican Party would somehow have to reach out to minorities. With Barack Obama in the White House, they have basically written off Blacks. Therefore, they had to appeal to Latinos. I don’t see how Paul Ryan’s going to appeal to Latinos.
Then, of course, there is another large constituency to court – women. Republicans, as a rule, have done everything in their power to alienate all women. So, one would figure that Republicans would do something to try to win over the hearts and minds of at least some women. I don’t see how Paul Ryan does this all.
What does Paul Ryan bring to the table? What group does he solidify? To me, the answer is obvious. Ann Coulter almost had a meltdown on the set of Hannity just the other day. If she represents the conscience of the Republican Party, then the Republican Party is not all that happy with Mitt Romney. So, Mitt Romney had to choose someone who would tell the Republican Party that he’s conservative enough. This is exactly like Mitt Romney going to the NAACP and talking to the conservative base because he didn’t talk to the audience of NAACP members. He continues to try to convince the Republican base that he is one of them. This pick was to try to solidify the Republican base. I also find it interesting that he made the announcement before the convention. Now, the convention has only one purpose, to solidify the base.
