Opinionline: Paul Ryan for VP an 'inspired choice'

John Tamny, on Forbes: "After weeks and months of rumors and speculation about whom Mitt Romney would pick as his Election 2012 vice presidential running mate, the suspense ended this morning with the announcement that Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan would fill the role. Media accounts will suggest that the Ryan pick had a bold, go-for-broke quality to it, but in truth Ryan was the safest selection of all. He was the safest because in an election all about the U.S. economy, Ryan is the most suited among the names floated to make a strong case for removing the barriers to economic growth erected by Republican (George W. Bush) and Democratic (Barack Obama) administrations over the last 12 years. Romney himself, though a smashing success as a businessman, has struggled to make a coherent economic argument; his 59 point economic plan all the evidence one needs that the GOP presidential nominee needs help tightening up what should be a very simple economic message. Paul Ryan could make the above arguments in his sleep, and for being able to, he was the only — and once again the safest — choice for Romney."

By Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

New running partners Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney on Saturday in Ashland, Va.

By Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

New running partners Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney on Saturday in Ashland, Va.

Fred Barnes, on The Weekly Standard: "Romney, the cautious candidate, wary of being specific, and counting on the bad economy to defeat President Obama— forget all that! The Romney who picked Ryan as his vice presidential running mate is an entirely different person. He's prepared to take the fight to Obama on the biggest bundle of issues — spending, debt, the deficit, taxes, entitlements, and the reversing of America's accelerating decline under Obama. Specifics? There will be plenty. … Romney understands that. Otherwise he wouldn't have chosen Ryan, whose budget is the plan Romney lacks. Sure, Democrats will attack it furiously, especially its reform of Medicare. But where's their plan? Obama doesn't have one; instead, he pretends the country isn't facing a fiscal and economic crisis."

Erick Erickson, on RedState: "Picking Ryan must be the beginning of a campaign shakeup, not the end. Consider that in all the polling in August, from Gallup to CNN to Fox News, Obama is ahead. … Part of it is Romney not having a lot of money to spend until officially accepting the Republican nomination. But a good part of it is Romney's team. Several of them have been touting themselves and how awesome they are instead of the candidate. … The Romney camp sent out a talking-points sheet claiming that while picking Ryan, Romney had his own budget plans. This is delusional and not credible spin. You pick Ryan, you defend his budget. It is that simple. That one bullet point sums up a summer of dysfunction. The Romney team seems to be believing its own spin, which can often lead to disaster. Team Romney-Ryan has the chance for a real reboot. But it is one they need to take it. While I am not yet worried, I am concerned by the consistent propensity of Team Romney to not capitalize on Obama's missteps and to trip over their own feet when they get ahead. Ryan is not enough. Romney does need to prune and fertilizer his campaign team."

Guy Benson, on Town Hall: "(In his speech introducing Ryan,) Romney emphasized that Obama has slashed more than half a trillion from the program (to fund a new and unpopular entitlement program), and that the Republican plan is geared toward saving and preserving Medicare and Social Security. Expect to hear this theme a lot. Ryan echoed it during his speech, telling the audience that the Romney/Ryan ticket will have the courage to tell voters the truth. This will be the heart of the 2012 campaign, in my opinion. Romney and Ryan will assess America's fiscal picture with clear-eyed realism, then make their very best pitch to the American public about why the status quo is utterly unsustainable. Unsustainable on growth, unsustainable on jobs, unsustainable on debt. They will present their solutions to the public, explain their reasoning and trust the people to make the right choice."

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Nick Gillespie, on Reason: "Commentators will line up quickly to praise or damn the Ryan selection, but it strikes me operationally as a smart choice, especially if Ryan plays the traditional attack-dog role that vice presidential candidates are supposed to. He is in a good, knowledgeable position to rebut claims that capitalism is always at fault. Then again, from a small-government libertarian perspective, he voted for Medicare Part D, No Child Left Behind, TARP, auto bailouts, and all the wars waged by George W. Bush. So even as he makes the 2012 election race more interesting and hotly contested, he underscores the fact that today's GOP is offering an echo of the Democratic Party, not a real alternative."

National Review, in an editorial: "Romney has made an inspired choice. Ryan will make an excellent running mate and, if elected, vice president. What is most gratifying about the decision is, however, what it says about Romney himself. Romney could have decided to run a vague and vacuous campaign based on the idea that the public would default to the out party in a bad economy. By selecting Ryan, he has ensured that the campaign will instead to a significant degree be about a conservative governing agenda. … The first question any vice presidential pick must answer is whether he is ready to become president should disaster strike. Fiscal disaster is striking. A mark of statesmanship is to face mathematical reality and make hard choices in its light. Romney has chosen a running mate who is more presidential than the incumbent."

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