Paul Ryan

[techs]

Did he help or hurt Romney?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Helped. Romney was an amorphous mass of flip-floppery until Ryan gave his campaign some concrete ideas. Even though Romney tried to weasel his way around how much we would or would not adhere to any of those ideas.

With a time machine, a McCain - Ryan ticket in 2008 might have beaten Obama.

Using the time machine twice to fetch a less compromised McCain from around 2001 would have gotten my vote.

 

[techs]

Helped. Romney was an amorphous mass of flip-floppery until Ryan gave his campaign some concrete ideas. Even though Romney tried to weasel his way around how much we would or would not adhere to any of those ideas.

With a time machine, a McCain - Ryan ticket in 2008 might have beaten Obama.

Using the time machine twice to fetch a less compromised McCain from around 2001 would have gotten my vote.

Interesting take. I saw at as an example of the Republican bubble. They picked him as the idea guy who could debate policy. However, his policies were so disliked and disproven that Romney had to run away from them and they had to shut Ryan up. Congressional candidates didn't want to talk about Medicare vouchers or his economic plan which was essentially tax cuts for the rich which would bring in more revenue, an idea that the Republicans were running away from hard. The very idea that they thought his plan would appeal to a majority of Americans was an example of the Republican bubble.

I thought he lost as many votes as he gained. But most importantly Romneys whole "strategy" was to appear to be all things to all people and just run against Obamas record. Ryan made Romneys program an issue and just made Romney look like a liar as he changed his plans on an almost hourly basis.

I also think Ryan killed any chance he had in 2016

 

[Lemon law]

As far as I am concerned Paul Ryan is a 23.99 carat phony. Until the election of 11/2008, Paul Ryan was just one more pie in sky nut, but after 11/2008 Paul Ryan became the GOP's majority house go to guy to write the Federal budget in fiscal years 2011, and 2012.

Paul Ryans GOLDEN CHANCE to take a meat axe to the Federal budget and all Paul Ryan managed to do is to propose a budget that cut no more than 50 billion off the Federal budget while refusing to any taxes to the very Rich.

Which only begs the question, who is the bigger nut and 23.99 carat phony. Romney or Ryan?

 

[Anarchist420]

The election was already pre-decided. Remember that the man who counts the votes was in the white house, not the Hitler wannabe.

 

[Anarchist420]

Using the time machine twice to fetch a less compromised McCain from around 2001 would have gotten my vote.

McCain isn't McCain if he's not compromised and most people are like that which is part of why it's dumb to centralize power into a single Executive.

Our damn luck, Dr. Paul gets catapulted to the Executive Power of the United States in 2017 so that a few businesses can get even bigger and then watch how the rank and file neocons and modern liberals say "I told you so".

 

[lotus503]

I think he was brought in to fire up the base. Issue is they muzzled him when they made the pivot to the center.

 

[jackschmittusa]

I think he was bad for Romney. His stances on both social and economic issues were radical right. He had no appeal beyond those that were already committed to vote for Romney and may have scared off others.

 

[Screech]

One of the funnier parts of the campaign to me was when everyone at the RNC was saying how great ryan's speech was going to be because he would tell us the truth, say what needs to be said, say it how it is, blah blah blah, and proceeded to lie out of his ass to the american people for an hour.

That said I think he was much much better than palin (yeah not setting the bar very high...)

 

[HomerJS]

helped in primary
hurt in general

 

[Lemon law]

helped in primary
hurt in general

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A rather dubious contention IMHO, given the fact that Romney had already won the 2012 GOP primaries before he ever named Ryan as his VP pick.

 

[Thump553]

Definately hurt Ryan's future chances. Exposed him as a typical political flack instead of the idealogue he purports to me. "It would take me too long to explain the numbers to you"-classic.