Romney chooses Ryan!

There are lots of interesting things about Romney's pick of Paul Ryan this morning. The one that immediately comes to mind is Romney's choice to do it on Saturday morning, the slowest news coverage time of the week. I hope this means that Romney has given up on ever getting fair coverage from the media.

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post knows both men well. Here is some of what she wrote: "Romney is above all else a problem-solver, a doer and a fixer. Ryan, likewise, is a policy maven who has since 2007 been trying to advance budget, tax and health-care reforms, moving the Republican Party to become the champion of market-based reform. Ryan is a smart man, certainly the smartest in Congress, with an eye for detail and a facility with numbers. Romney prizes brains, precision and the ability to wield numbers. Ryan uses a scalpel, not a sledge hammer in skewering his opposition; Romney likewise uses piles of data to slay his competitors (as he did in the Florida and Arizona GOP primary debates). Ryan is personally and professionally disciplined, a straight arrow with a gee-whiz brand of optimism. Romney is as well."

One more thing from Rubin: "That debate with Joe Biden will be a knee-slapper!"

Roger Simon at PJ Media writes,  "Through nominating Ryan, Romney has signaled that his campaign is going to be about the economy, the economy, and, yes, you guessed it, the economy (with healthcare thrown in as an aspect of the economy). It is not going to be about immigration, marriage, the legalization of marijuana, whether candidates cause cancer, who has a dog on his car, or even who was born where. It’s going to be about the one thing America is obsessed with, the one thing that if we don’t correct nothing else is possible…. Okay, I won’t say it again, but you certainly know.

"Of course none of that means that Romney/Ryan will win anymore than it would Romney/Whoever. We are in a high-stakes game now in which democracy and ideas go out the window in favor of vicious attacks orchestrated by David Axelrod, et al. The Chicago crew will do anything possible to push the discussion away from the economy with as many distractions as possible. The compliant media can be trusted to be their more-than-willing executioners in this endeavor.

It will take a great deal of skill and hard work for Romney to keep the election focused on the issues. So far he has not been completely successful. But in this regard, putting Ryan by his side seems a particularly smart move. This guy usually has something to say and, for a politician, something remarkably substantive. The fight has been joined."

Read more from Rubin here:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/ryan-is-the-one/2012/08/11/30f3998c-e371-11e1-a25e-15067bb31849_blog.html
Read more from Simon here: http://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2012/08/10/romneys-gutsy-choice/