Paul Ryan Picked for Vice President

All you need to know about Paul Ryan:

1. He used to drive the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile as a summer job. That's the kind of awesome that cuts across party lines. It doesn't get more American than that. Someone who can handle the responsibility of the Weinermobile can handle being Vice-President.


2. He's a hunter, and he doesn't even need a gun to kill deer. Paul Ryan kills deer with a bow, but some people have alleged that he unfairly draws the deer in with his dreamy good looks.

In all seriousness, Paul Ryan should at least get the Presidential campaign back to a debate of serious ideas instead of fussing about people's car elevators, people's tax returns, people eating dogs, people strapping dogs to the roof of their car. He's not here to waste time talking about contraception, gay marriage, or any of the other stupid culture issues. Ryan's here to talk about numbers. Math.

You want to talk about the federal budget? You want to talk about specifics? Paul Ryan is the only guy in Washington DC who has actually proposed a budget with specifics. There are plenty of folks out there who are quick to criticize, but it's pretty rare to find a politician who will put themselves out there, because there are so many people ready to tear you down.

I'm sure there are some people who think the Ryan pick was a disaster for Romney, but this guy isn't Sarah Palin. He's capable of effectively delivering the message of conservatism, he does it with a smile, and he's smart.

All across the country, actuaries are going weak in the knees.

Rep. Ryan on The President's Leadership

Not exactly thrilled.

“[Obama] has made it harder to establish trust, which will make it harder to find compromise,” Ryan says. “As much as he wants to come off as a leader, every time he talks about Republicans holding out to save fat-cat corporate-jet loopholes — which he knows is false — or leaks alleged spending cuts to the press, he reduces his leadership. He knows how that damages his credibility up here. Yet he continues to spin.”

[HT: Drew M. at Ace's site]

I'm not hopeful about much of anything happening. Both sides seem to feel that compromising on their core principles is more of a loss than not. When my legal cases end up in this position, we have a trial. When DC ends up in this position, we get a bunch of noise - but we don't get anything done.