By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
By now, most, if not all of us, are aware that Mitt Romney has selected Congressman Paul Ryan to be his running mate in the fall presidential election. The Janesville Republican is the current chairman of the House Budget Committee but, more notably, he is the principal architect of the draconian Ryan budget plan.
The road to the White House will be a difficult (and convoluted) undertaking for both Mr. Romney and President Obama. But, the selection of Paul Ryan is a political calculation that is intended to give the GOP a viable pathway to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Romney camp is counting on Paul Ryan filling two critical concerns. First, they need him to explain the cornerstone of their economic vision for America – the Ryan Budget. Ryan’s nefarious plan has the audacity to be called “Path to Prosperity” by Republican operatives. But, in reality, it would be nothing more than the latest permutation of the trickle-down economics of the Reagan era.
Moreover, this ill-fated plan would give enormous tax cuts to the wealthy while slashing funding for programs like Medicaid, Medicare and food stamps, all under the convenient guise of reducing the national debt.
Ryan’s selection also addresses another serious obstacle for Team Romney. It bolster his less than enthusiastic standing with far-right Conservatives — many of which still view him as a “closet-moderate” at best.
Most would agree that this will be a highly competitive and politically nasty presidential campaign. Paul Ryan was brought in to articulate the Republican economic blueprint for the 21st Century. The question now becomes: Can he also deliver Wisconsin for Mitt Romney?