On Paul Ryan and The Vice Presidency

Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of Paul Ryan. He has the right ideas and the skill to make those ideas reality. Plus according to my wife he is just plain good looking. With all that being said, I am not happy with his selection as Mitt Romney's running mate. Let me explain.

First: The nation needs a Paul Ryan in the job that he had. It has been too long since we had a strong a knowledgeable person in the position of House Budget Committee Chairman. Paul Ryan brought a level of skill that has not been seen for decades to that job.

Second: A loss may be career ending for him. This pick reminds me of nothing more than the 1996 pick by Bob Dole of a young Jack Kemp. Kemp was thought to be the right wing golden child at the time. An up and comer that would likely be President one day. I have no idea what he has been doing since '96. But ask yourself this: when was the last time you heard his name mentioned by anyone?

Third: Paul Ryan is the boogieman. The Democrats have been running against Paul Ryan for quite some time now. Who can forget the ad in which Paul Ryan is shown throwing grandma off a cliff? (If you can't remember it the spokespeople on the Sunday news shows reminded you as much as possible by using the phrase "Pushing us over a cliff" at least 17 different times by my count.)  For nearly 2 years the Democrats have blamed everything that has gone wrong on the "Ryan Budget". Now they get to do that on an even larger stage.

Fourth: The left has learned that it can lie about anything and the lies about Paul Ryan are close to being believed as fact. As this clever commercial points out Some people believe EVERYTHING they see on the Internet and TV. And many of those people vote. So right now in the eyes of many people you have Barack Obama courageously trying to save your Grandma from a tax dodging, money grubbing. murderer and his trusty sidekick "Over the Cliff-Man" Those kind of negatives are going to be hard to over-come.

I really do want the Romney-Ryan ticket to succeed. I do want someone as good or better to take Ryan's place in the house. I do not want another Dole-Kemp failure, and that is where I am afraid we are heading.