Paul Ryan's not-so-bold campaign imprint
Barb ShellyOne of the topics that came up during a live chat the Star editorial page staff participated in today on KansasCity.com is the somewhat surprising low profile of Paul Ryan in this campaign.
The GOP vice presidential nominee rarely campaigns with Romney, and he doesn’t seem to be front and center on the issues the way you’d expect from a much-advertised policy wonk.
The Ryan pick seems at best neutral for the Romney campaign. The conservative base loves his ideas on fundamentally changing entitlements, but more middle-of-the-road voters find those ideas intimidating. The one time Ryan really fired up a crowd — in his speech at the Republican National Convention — he faced backlash over inaccuracies and falsehoods. And every time the guy does an interview, he gets asked about the math behind his budget numbers, which don’t seem to add up.
Senior citizens haven’t warmed up to Ryan in a big way, maybe because of his youth (he’s 42) and more likely because of his proposed Medicare changes, especially in his first budget. On the other hand, Ryan doesn’t have a lot of appeal for college students and 20-something voters. He’s super conservative on issues like gay marriage, and that sets him apart from the newest generation of voters.
No doubt Ryan will be a leading contender for 2016 if Romney loses tomorrow (or whenever we get the votes added up.) But if Romney wanted a game changer this year, the Ryan pick wasn’t it.
George Hunsucker
Northland
6 months, 2 weeks agoGreat parody ms. shelly, as is usual when you write about conservatives….
Yup, no impact, just medicare, social security and medicaid. Certainly low-profile compared to big joe who has “never been happy a day as vp”, is it ms. shelly???
You libs are a hoot….. keep up the funnies. Oh, that’s right, Wed. there will be tears in your blog posts….
Mark Hastert
6 months, 2 weeks agoTwo points: Ryan is keeping his distance from what may be a loser. He’s referred to Romney as “the stench”
Ryan’s positions are a drag on the Romney campaign. Remember that Romney was way behind until he shook the etch-a-sketch in the first debate and put some distance between himself and the extremists so enamored with Ryan.
Steven Fetter
66223
6 months, 2 weeks agoTwo points: Obama’s VP isn’t even sure who is currently President. He also referred to Obama as “clean and articulent”.
Biden’s gaffes (nobody knows his positions) would be a major drag on the Obama campaign if covered by the press. Fortunately for Obama/Biden, he has gotten a pass and had conveyed the title of a wise sage from this administration’s admirers.
By the way, how can somebody be labeled “super conservative on issues like gay marriage” when their views are shared by the majority of Americans?
George Hunsucker
Northland
6 months, 2 weeks agodoesn’t surprise me Matt….
Mark Hastert
6 months, 2 weeks agoIt’s my sincere hope that Ryan will soon be relegated to the back waters of all losing VP candidates. You’re likely to see tomorrow just how strong “the stench” is….In the mean time his radical views on women and economics are very likely to be rejected.