Shortly  after 9 a.m. today,  presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt  Romney announced he had chosen Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan to be his  running mate this fall as the GOP attempts to unseat President Barack  Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

With the choice made, Romney's campaign has put out the following information concerning the pick of Ryan.

Top Line Message: Why Paul Ryan

     · First and foremost, Mitt Romney chose Paul Ryan because he meets the  threshold test of being able to step in as Commander in Chief should he  need to assume the responsibility.

     · Second, we all know that jobs and the economy is the number one issue  to voters, and Paul Ryan understands the need for pro-growth economic  policies and that massive debt is a drag on job creation. He brings  energy and ideas of how to reform spending and bring about a balanced  budget.

    · Paul Ryan  possesses detailed knowledge of the federal budget. Under President  Obama we have a record national debt, an unprecedented credit rating  downgrade, and an utter failure to save entitlement programs for future  generations.

    · The  Romney-Ryan ticket will continue to put forward idea after idea on how  to grow the economy and get spending under control. We are happy to  compare our understanding and knowledge with President Obama’s failed  record on jobs and financial control any day. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan  have proven records of solving problems, compared to this  Administration's failed record.

Response to President Obama’s Attacks:

    ·  We all know that President Obama will continue to run a fear and smear  campaign. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan bring new ideas about creating jobs  and controlling the budget.

     · President Obama’s campaign has accused Mitt Romney of committing  crimes and killing people, and now they are making false charges against  Paul Ryan. They have lost all credibility.

Questions and Answers About The Romney/Ryan Ticket:

    1) Does this mean Mitt Romney is adopting the Paul Ryan plan?

     · Gov. Romney applauds Paul Ryan for going in the right direction with  his budget, and as president he will be putting together his own plan  for cutting the deficit and putting the budget on a path to balance.

     · Romney’s administration will go through the budget line by line and  ask two questions: Can we afford it? And, if not, should we borrow money  from China to pay for it?

     · Mitt Romney will start with the easiest cut of all: Obamacare, a  trillion-dollar entitlement we don’t want and can’t afford.

     · Mitt Romney also laid out commonsense reforms that will make good on  our promises to today’s seniors and save Social Security and Medicare  for future generations.

     2) Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have different views on some policy areas –  like Medicare spending, entitlement reform, labor, etc. – do you think  those differences are going to hurt or help?

     · Of course they aren’t going to have the same view on every issue. But  they both share the view that this election is a choice about two  fundamentally different paths for this country. President Obama has  taken America down a path of debt and decline. Romney and Ryan believe  in a path for America that leads to more jobs, less debt and smaller  government. So, while you might find an issue or two where they might  not agree, they are in complete agreement on the direction that they  want to lead America


    3) Do you worry that Paul Ryan’s controversial Medicare plan will hurt the campaign with independents?

     · No. President Obama is the one who should be worried, because he has  cut $700 BILLION from Medicare to pay for Obamacare, and put in place a  panel of Washington bureaucrats to make decisions about what kind of  care seniors will receive under Medicare. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have  a bipartisan plan to strengthen Medicare by giving future seniors the  choice between traditional Medicare and a variety of private plans. They  are committed to ensuring that Medicare remains strong, not just for  today’s seniors, but for tomorrow’s seniors as well.


    4) Paul Ryan doesn’t have military experience. Does that hurt?

     · The ticket is no different that Obama and Biden. Mitt Romney and Paul  Ryan both respect members of our military who sacrifice so much to  defend our freedoms.

    ·  They share the view that America's leadership position in the world is  based on a robust national defense, strengthened relationships with our  allies and a philosophy of peace through strength.

Message Points: Mitt Romney’s Plan for a Stronger Middle Class

    ·  The recent recession is not the first time that America has suffered  from a bad economy, but policy decisions made by President Obama made  the situation worse.

    ·  After three and a half years of struggling in the Obama economy,  middle-class families need more jobs and more take-home pay. Mitt  Romney’s “Plan for a Stronger Middle Class” will help restore America as  the best place in the world to find a job, start a business, or hire a  worker.

    · In his first  term as president, Mitt Romney’s plan will lead to a recovery that  creates 12 million jobs and grows the economy on average by 4% per year.

     · His plan will work toward energy independence, ensure middle-class  Americans have the skills to succeed, pursue trade that works for  America, cut the deficit, and champion small business.

As President, Mitt Romney Will:

   · Encourage job creation, once again making America the best place in the world to start a business, invest capital, and grow

     · Increase domestic energy production and eliminate job-killing  regulations, so that energy will be both affordable and more reliable

    · Give every family access to a great school, quality teachers, and affordable, effective higher-education options

    · Open new markets for American goods and services and strengthen free enterprise around the world

    · Eliminate barriers to job creation by reforming the tax code and lowering individual rates across the board

     · Repeal and replace Obamacare – a $1 trillion federal takeover of  health care that will stifle hiring and increase premiums – with real  reforms that control costs and improve care

     · Immediately cut spending and root out inefficiencies, making  government smaller, simpler, and smarter – and less costly for taxpayers

President Obama’s Failed Economic Policies Have Devastated Small Businesses And Middle-Class Communities.

    · 23 million Americans are struggling for work and we’ve endured 41 straight months of unemployment above 8 percent.

     · For those lucky enough to have jobs, the median income has fallen by  $4,300 since he took office, and wages have declined in the past year.

    · The average price per gallon of gas is nearly twice as high as it was when President Obama took office.

    · Family health care premiums have increased by $2,393.

    · Half of recent graduates can’t find jobs that match their skill sets.

     · America has suffered through four trillion-dollar deficits as  President Obama broke his promise to cut the deficit in half by the end  of his first term.

Under President Obama, Deficit Spending Is Out Of Control:

    ·  President Obama promised he would “go through the federal budget line  by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we  do need work better and cost less, because we cannot meet 21st-century  challenges with a 20th-century bureaucracy.”

    · President Obama has added more than $5 trillion to the national debt.

     · The real cost of Obamacare is still unknown, and the president’s own  budget projects that total indebtedness will rise to $25.9 trillion by  the end of 2022.

    · Each  American household’s share of government debt and unfunded liabilities  has reached $520,000 under this president, a debt that will be passed on  to our children and grandchildren.

Governor Romney Has A Plan For Reducing The Deficit:

    · Lower federal spending to 20 percent of GDP within four years’ time – down from the 24.3 percent today.

    · Roll back discretionary spending levels to where Barack Obama found them in 2009.

    · Halt the expansion of government and repeal Obamacare.

    · Reform Medicare and Social Security.

    · Eliminate redundant federal programs and wasteful bureaucracy.

MITT ROMNEY & PAUL RYAN: AMERICA’S COMEBACK TEAM

    Boston,  MA – Mitt Romney today announced Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan as  his Vice Presidential running mate. Below is Congressman Ryan’s  biography:

    U.S. Rep.  Paul Ryan is in his seventh term in Congress representing Wisconsin’s  First Congressional District. He is Chairman of the House Budget  Committee, where he has worked tirelessly leading the effort to reign in  federal spending and increase accountability to taxpayers. He also  serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, where he has focused on  simplifying the tax code and making health care more affordable and  accessible.

    In January  2010, Ryan gained attention nationwide after unveiling his “Roadmap for  America’s Future,” a proposal to eliminate the federal deficit, reform  the tax code, and preserve entitlements for future generations.

     Representative Ryan was born in Janesville, Wisconsin on January 29,  1970. A fifth-generation Wisconsin native, Ryan was the youngest of four  children born to Paul Ryan Sr., who worked as an attorney, and Betty, a  stay-at-home mom.

    In  April 2000, Ryan proposed to Janna Little, a native Oklahoman, at one of  his favorite fishing spots, Big St. Germain Lake in Wisconsin. Later  that year, the two were married in Oklahoma City.

     The Ryans reside in Janesville with their three children, Liza, Charlie  and Sam. The family are parishioners at St. John Vianney Catholic  Church.

    Upon entering  Congress in January of 1999, Ryan was the youngest member of the  freshmen class at the age of 28. Prior to running for Congress, Ryan  served as an aide to Republican Senators Robert Kasten Jr. and Sam  Brownback, former U.S. Rep. and Vice Presidential Candidate Jack Kemp,  and as a speechwriter for Education Secretary William Bennett.

     Ryan is a graduate of Joseph A. Craig High School in Janesville and  earned degrees in economics and political science from Miami University  in Ohio. He is an avid outdoorsman and is a member is of his local  archery association, the Janesville Bowmen.

From the Cornfield, for better or worse, this is the GOP ticket for 2012.

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