The Clean And Articulate Paul Ryan

Just for fun I thought it would be interesting to write a piece describing Paul Ryan as if I was Joe Biden describing candidate Barack Obama in 2008. I'm not sure what the outcome of this exercise will be or if there will even be one. The obvious elephant in the room in comparing the two is race, but if you throw that out I think this could still be interesting. By now most republicans are probably offended by the notion that Ryan could be compared to Obama. So be it, this republican version of Joe Biden is not out to make friends.

"Mr. Biden, what do you think about candidate Ryan?" Anonymous reporter asks.

"Well, I tell ya. This guy is the first, you know, clean and articulate guy they've produced out of Wisconsin." Biden responds.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know, its the farm land up there. Good God fearing people, but bless their hearts when it comes to policy."

Without the injection of race was the above scenario as offensive? I would say no. The quote in 2008 did do something though. It brought an underlying issue about the campaign to light. For all we know this could have been staged. Would you take a guy as your V.P. if he said anything close to this? Wait, it has been done. Reagan took Bush after the "voodoo economics" quote. Does getting the elephant out of the room clear uncomfortable sentiment in voters? I think it does.

Now that I have established a direction in this piece, lets put it to practice. The elephants in the room for Mitt Romney are his wealth, tax returns and Bain Capital. When those on the right tried to play Biden they were thoroughly hushed. Newt Gingrich was basically called a traitor. Some agreed though, saying that it was a part of the vetting process. I agree as well, but the way this should have been approached should have been different. It should be handled in the tabloid gotcha moment way. Sorry, but that is the only way to get people's attention these days.

So to put a little spin on what Joe Biden did in 2008 I will present something the Romney campaign could do now. The biggest issue the Romney campaign should be worried about is the label of being rich and out of touch. The democrats are doing a great job on this one. To approach this issue I would go to the old "didn't know the mic was on" routine. One Paul Ryan could be visiting with a small business owner when he gets the question.

"I don't trust Mitt Romney because he is rich." Joe the business owner says.

"Ya know what Joe, I thought the same thing too. I mean who makes 20 million a year off of investments." Ryan shockingly responds.

"What?"

"That's what I thought before I got to know the real Mitt Romney." Ryan follows up.

This exchange would be played on every news/entertainment program for the rest of the campaign cycle. It would also get the point across to voters on the fence. The message would be that the GOP understands your concerns and that's why we have good old Paul Ryan there to make sure Romney doesn't get out of line. While a political campaign would never admit to doing something like this, it happens. It's part of the game. This is also how elections are won.

Some R & R For The Republicans

This time around there was not a "game changer" pick or a maverick. What you got was a young conservative who seems to be clean an articulate. While I do not believe this choice changes things in Ohio or Florida, it should solidify the GOP's position in the House and help them make a run at the Senate. For the first time in recent history the president ticket will have a private citizen on the top and a congressman in the VP position. This will force Romney to accept positions and legislation that Paul Ryan has proposed. For the future of the party this is a good thing. It will be interesting to see how it affects the presidential election. With labor day coming up it will be the last break before the final stretch of the campaign, and over the next two and a half months things will intensify time ten. That being said, with the selection of Ryan conservatives can rest easy and relax their ticket is now balanced.

Where's the Veep?

OK Mitt, you've had enough time to decide on your running mate. We both know that if you wait until the week before the convention it's going to be anti-climactic and whomever you pick will let down your base. How about for histories sake you just come out and make the announcement tomorrow? Or the day after. No fan fare, no staged event where the families are waving to a massive crowd. How about just announcing who will be your partner and just getting down to business? Better yet, why not announce your choice at a small business that has been affected by Obama's time in office or one that will benefit from your plan once you get their. Talk about a stark contrast that you can draw with the president. A small town event like this would make history; or at least make you go down in history based on the reaction you get. The presidency is about taking chances and so far the Romney campaign has been to shy. With the VP choice being the next major headline grabber that Romney can control he needs to get it right. Easier said than done one might say. Well, with records amounts of cash coming in and a riled up base, Romney should be excepted to hit a home run.

Not a gold medal moment for Mitt Romney

The Romney campaign should have had a better game plan for dealing with the British press. While the game plan should have been to smile and shake hands, devolved into a failed attempt to pump up his own Olympic record. His stance of not politically attacking the president while on foreign soil is a smart one and has helped him save face, but having the foreign press on your back will not help you beat a sitting president. Part of the job of a presidential candidate is to act presidential. In this case Romney has failed. I am also not sure he can fully talk about his role in the 2002 Winter Olympics now. Instead he will now have to deflect any talk of the Olympics because it will bring follow up questions about his statement. This is the type of mistake that a political newcomer makes and not a veteran like Romney. So much for using the Olympics to his advantage. Romney will be lucky to get a participation ribbon in November if he keeps this up.

What does Obama do after the Bain attacks?

Well, round one has been won by the president. The Bain attacks have been effective and have unnerved Mitt Romney.While Bain will be a part of his stump speech for the rest of the summer, Obama needs a second act. The narrative that they are trying to build is that Romney is rich, out of touch and he will outsource jobs. This caricature makes Romney look like a mixture of the Ebenezer Scrooge and Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. While painting this type of picture will get attention and rally your base, it still doesn't offer a plan for America. The old one-two punch I would suggest would be a plan to bring jobs back to America by offering major tax breaks. Maybe they can work in the theme like "From India to Indiana"? A two prong attack like this would have Romney reeling. It will be interesting to see what Romney does to counter these attacks since he has done little so far. No Mitt, you can't just call the president Un-American or say he will raise taxes. You need to find a little more substance and create your own picture of the president. I think a Jimmy Carter analogy might work some or you might want to go shining city upon a hill. Either way, Romney needs to do more or this won't be close. No matter how much money he raises.

Where are the fireworks?

At this point in the 2008 election we were already months into 527 ad's and Jeremiah Wright. I'm not saying that negative attacks are good for public discourse, but they do make things interesting. They can also prove that the other side has no facts to use and they only want to muddy the waters. Looking at the polls things appear to be close, so maybe playing it safe is the right thing to do until you need to go negative. Another thing to think about is that fireworks don't always have to be negative. Where's the beef? It's the economy stupid! Catch phrases like that define campaigns and go down in history. This is a message for the PR people in the Romney and Obama camps. Make this election interesting.

Chief Justice Roberts is just getting started

Those who were surprised, pleased or disagreed with Chief Justice Roberts ruling need to realize that he is still at the beginning of his career. In other words, this is not the last time you will be shocked or overjoyed. Taking a look back at his predecessor Chief Justice William Rehnquist you will see how many important decisions can be made over a career. With a career on the bench that spanned from Roe v. Wade to Bush v. Gore, Rehnquist was right in the middle of historic national debates? Does the healthcare ruling set the tone for the Roberts court? Will it be the lone time that he sides with liberal policy? These are all questions that remain to be answered over the next few decades. One thing that seems to be clear at this point is that his motives do not seem to be personal. Which in itself should comfort all Americans, even if you disagree with his ruling.