Curmudgeon's Corner

Ryan or Rubio or ?

Posted by Al Campbell on Aug. 9, 2012

U.S., Political, People Making A Difference, Economy, Healthcare

Will Romney pick Paul Ryan or will he go in another direction?  I have no idea which way Romney will go, but he could do a lot worse than Ryan.  Republicans have a roster of what I choose to think of as aggravating apologists from which to pick a VP candidate.  In Paul Ryan, Republicans have a person who I believe is one of the top three or four people in terms of intelligence, comfort in front of a camera, comfort in a debate on the issues and a genuinely likeable person when off camera.  On second thought, Ryan is the top candidate with these attributes.

That having been said, there are a number of things that go into the selection of a VP candidate.  Joe Biden sort of belies the fact that a lot of time and thought go into these picks.  Others will be quick to add Sarah Palin to that select group, as well.  I would counter by saying that the Palin selection was probably the least of McCain’s problems.  He ran among the most lackluster of campaigns and he didn’t run that very well.

One of the things that supposedly count big-time is that the VP cannot be a person who outshines the top dog in the race.  Too often, the VP selection is made based on virtually everything but the thought that this person could step into the Oval Office and assume the Presidency.  The process is aimed at finding someone who can bring votes to the party, who might hail from a critical state, and who brings no baggage with him or her that would become problematic for the party.

Ryan has been deemed to be ‘out there’ with his ideas to the point that there certainly is much that the Democratic Party could use to try to scare people.  If he is picked, the ‘grandmother being shoved over the cliff’ ads will resurface.  Vice Presidential debates would be very interesting given the total control of Ryan versus the lack of control by Biden.  I still see the look on the face of President Obama during a meeting of Democrats and Republicans in Maryland when he watched as Paul Ryan carefully destroyed the control of the President and his position in a few minutes that were captured on camera.  That kind of nimble mind coupled with an array of facts at his command speak well of Ryan’s ability on the campaign trail.

I believe Paul Ryan would add immeasurably to the Romney quest for the Whitehouse, and I believe he would bring a new definition of how VPs can best serve the country.  That would be seeing the VP in significant roles communicating ideas and working with Congress and communicating to the people rather than be relegated to attending funerals and making third and fourth tier speeches after the text of the speech was vetted by the Whitehouse.

Admittedly, this pick would be a bold move by candidate Romney, but it would also give ample indication that this would be a Whitehouse consisting of people who had been successful over periods of time in high-stress environments.  Ryan brings a lot more advantages with him than he does disadvantages.  He would be a great addition to the Republican team.