If there’s one man in America born for the job of debunking Obama’s myths and lies, it’s Paul Ryan.
As a political pundit, I have to admit my initial reaction to Romney's choice of Paul Ryan for V.P. was surprise. Ryan won’t gain Romney Latino votes, or expand Romney’s base. And, quite frankly, he’s not the most exciting guy in the room. Ryan is a policy wonk extraordinaire and boy genius. But those are not ideal attributes for giving rousing speeches. Not surprisingly, my first choice for the job was Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
But, after a day of thought, my opinion has changed 180 degrees. Romney made a brilliant move - he found himself a Stealth Weapon. Someone that proves that Obama is a phony. Someone who proves that Obama is not the smartest guy in the room. My advice- from one former Vice Presidential nominee to another- is to capitalize on Paul Ryan's unique brainpower and talents by turning Ryan into "Obama's Shadow." More on that later.
First, Romney made a bold move by not taking the easy road with a Pawlenty or Portman ("old white guys" just like him). He picked the architect of the GOP Congressional budget plan- the ONLY plan by any politician that at least attempts to slow the growth of spending (although I believe Ryan should have gone even further). Picking Paul Ryan embraces cutting government spending as the centerpiece of Romney’s campaign. He’s not hiding from controversy, or what Obama’s socialist cabal calls “radical ideas.” Romney is going for it. To be blunt, I didn’t think he had it in him. Bravo.
The image Team Romney has created is simple and stark- vote Romney/Ryan to at least try to control the size of government, cut spending and debt, reform entitlement programs to save them for future generations, and encourage small business to create jobs…
Or stick with Obama/Biden and choose pure insanity - embrace even more spending, more debt, bigger government, and keep demonizing and punishing the small business owners that create the jobs and actually pay for all government programs. Keep telling them "the private sector is doing fine" while you raise their taxes and ruin their businesses, and keep demoralizing them by telling them “You didn’t build that.” Voting for Obama is like killing the goose that laid the golden egg.
Romney has laid down the gauntlet. Like the heroic firemen running into the burning World Trade Center, Romney ran towards the tough choices, controversy, and claims by liberals that “women, children and elderly will starve.” Romney doubled down. Again, I just didn't know he had it in him.
Romney’s choice of Ryan also shows that his strategists made the decision that this election will be won in the “Heartland of America” with Midwestern values. The Midwest has been ignored for decades. Midwesterners are starving for attention. This is a brilliant move. Romney has drawn a line in the sand. This is a battle cry for every Midwestern, Catholic/Christian, suburban, hunter, fisher, NASCAR/NFL lover (especially if you love the Green Bay Packers), "married with kids" American voter. There aint no foolin’ around here.
Romney will win this election by out-raising and out-spending Obama to bring out record numbers of those disillusioned by Obama’s lies and divisiveness- white, middle class, Catholic/Christian, suburban, married, and those voters who regardless of race, religion, or location, believe in those values that have made America the greatest nation on earth. Ryan makes it clear that if you vote for Romney, you won't get something for nothing, money doesn't grow on trees, and the way to solve a debt crisis is not with more spending and debt.
Romney is gambling that the battle will be won in the Midwest- Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa (with Pennsylvania thrown in for good measure). Can Romney sweep those states? Ask Governor Scott Walker, who passed major union reforms in Wisconsin and later won his recall by a landslide. Congressman Paul Ryan has won by landslides year after year in a pro-union, heavily Democratic, Wisconsin Congressional district. Ryan knows how to win over moderate, independent, married with children voters who hunt, fish, and go to church on Sundays.
But most importantly, as a former Vice Presidential candidate myself, I have advice for how Romney can put Paul Ryan's brainpower and policy wonk talents to use. Earlier today I watched Congressman Ryan on YouTube debating and making mince-meat of both President Obama and DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz on the topic of Obamacare. This guy is seriously smart. As in “boy genius” smart. So here’s my advice…
Turn policy genius Paul Ryan into “Obama’s Shadow.” Send Ryan to criss-cross the nation to shadow Obama's every move. Wherever Obama speaks, Ryan follows- in the same town, only hours or a day later. Ryan’s job is to intelligently rebut everything Obama says. To call Obama on his lies and fraudulent math. To expose Obama for the phony he is. To show by comparison that Obama is only a good talker, but he’s not as smart as advertised. Ryan is the real deal- he actually is the smartest guy in the room. Put him side by side with Obama to prove it.
Ryan will make damn sure Obama never again gets away with lies, misstatements, "cooked books," or bribery to win votes. Ryan will expose Obama as a phony- in the same town, and on the same local evening news. Ryan proves that Obama is full of hot air. Ryan unmasks him and proves that Obama's math is fraudulent. Ryan turns Obama into "the emperor with no clothes."
This is Paul Ryan’s role of a lifetime. He is the brightest policy wonk in America. Unleash him to use his intelligence and mastery of facts to hound Obama and debunk Obama's tall tales. If there’s one man in America perfect for the job of debunking Obama’s economic lies, it’s Ryan. If there is one man perfect for framing in detail how Obama's ideas have damaged the U.S. economy and killed jobs, it's Ryan. If there is one man who can paint the devastating picture of what happens to our children and grandchildren if we follow Obama's plan for another 4 years, it's Ryan. YouTube the video of Ryan schooling Obama about the lies and math fraud of Obamacare. Ryan clearly knows more about Obamacare than Obama does. My educated guess is that Ryan knows more about every issue than Obama does.
Paul Ryan is Obama’s Shadow…and the real smartest guy in the room.