Romney Picks Paul Ryan As VP

It’s official – Mitt Romney has announced Wisconsin Congressman and budgetary guru Paul Ryan as his running mate, announcing the pick via push notification through a specialized app. I’ll be liveblogging the official announcement as it unfolds.

9:08 am The more childish the MSNBC set gets, the more you know that your arguments are right.
 
9:07 am Looking at the instant reactions from the left on Twitter, it shows that picking Ryan was the right choice.
 
9:00 am Based on the MSNBC reaction, it looks like the left is worried.
 
8:59 am The Obama campaign wants this to be a values election – but the Romney campaign wants that too.
 
8:57 am Now the talking head at MSNBC is saying that Ryan undercuts Romney’s message on the economy. Again, really?
 
8:56 am Watching MSNBC is like looking through the window into the alternate universe from Fringe…
 
8:55 am Yup, MSNBC is talking about foreign policy. Talk about grasping at straws here.
 
8:54 am And Rachel Maddow is attacking Paul Ryan for not having served in the military. Really?
 
8:53 am Switching to MSNBC to see how the far left is reacting.
 
8:53 am In four years it’s gone from hope and change to fear and defending the broken status quo.
 
8:52 am Obama has to go on the attack to win – but doing that destroys his 2008 mystique.
 
8:51 am Obama won in 2008 because he said he would be better than a typical politician. Now he’s just another political hack.
 
8:51 am Romney and Ryan are offering substantive critiques of this administration. Obama is making wild accusations.
 
8:50 am It shows just how childish they are in this campaign.
 
8:49 am I love how the left is making fun of Romney for introducing Paul Ryan as President instead of VP.
 
8:47 am The electoral math would have favored Portman or Rubio. But Romney made the right choice with Ryan.
 
8:47 am Ryan’s speech shows why he’s a rising star with the GOP.
 
8:45 am What the GOP needs badly is new blood and someone who can bring conservative principles to the undecided. Ryan does both.
 
8:44 am Ryan is hitting all the points he needs to hit. Smart and substantive.
 
8:43 am Our rights come from nature and God, not government. – Exactly right, and why America is exceptional.
 
8:42 am Ryan draws an optimistic contrast to the record of the last four years. That is what Romney must do to win.
 
8:40 am It is clear that Romney is not going to run away from his Bain record. And he shouldn’t. He saved thousands of jobs.
 
8:40 am So far Ryan is very impressive. But the real test will be when he goes one-to-one against Biden.
 
8:38 am Ryan is going against the new normal – this is a powerful line against the way the last four years have unfolded.
 
8:37 am But Ryan’s critique of Obama is smart and substantive. That’s what voters need to hear in this race.
 
8:37 am Whatever the excuses, this is a record of failure. Ryan’s playing the traditional attack-dog role.
 
8:36 am Debt, doubt, and despair – how Ryan characterizes Obama’s first term in office. Quite accurate.
 
8:35 am The CW was that Romney would not pick someone who could outshine him. The CW was wrong.
 
8:34 am And already the Obama campaign is taking their potshots at Paul Ryan: http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/08/obama-camp-takes-first-shot-at-ryan-131750.html
 
8:33 am One thing for sure: Paul Ryan will not be thrown off his game in interviews like Sarah Palin was.
 
8:33 am Will this put Wisconsin in play? I would be skeptical, but Ryan represents a swing district.
 
8:31 am Ryan is a great public speaker. He has a natural sense of cadence, a key skill for a politician.
 
8:30 am Romney had announced that Ryan would be President rather than Vice President. I’d be OK with that… in 2020.
 
8:30 am “Every now and then I’m known to make a mistake” – nice moment for Romney.
 
8:28 am A note on optics: having a candidate descend stairs to get to the lectern is inviting disaster…
 
8:28 am Ryan is now taking the lectern. Air Force One is playing in the background again. Still love that music…
 
8:27 am Lots of talk about the middle class in Romney’s speech – contrasting against Obama’s narrative that Romney doesn’t care about the middle class.
 
8:26 am Getting America back to work is going to be a frequent theme for the Romney/Ryan campaign in this cycle.
 
8:23 am “He doesn’t demonize his opponents.” – In contrast to our current President, who does.
 
8:23 am Romney is talking about Ryan’s personal narrative – which is something Romney needs to do more for himself.
 
8:22 am Mitt Romney resembles the Platonic form of an American politician. Which in some ways works against him.
 
8:20 am The music announcing Romney is the theme to Air Force One. Absolutely inspired choice.
 
8:20 am McDonnell’s speech is very spirited, but going on a bit too long. He is announcing Romney now.
 
8:19 am So, how long before @BarackObama and his campaign accuses Paul Ryan of giving someone cancer? I say no more than a week.
 
8:12 am Even though the Ryan pick is based on the economy, holding the event there reminds voters of American strength.
 
8:11 am The optics of holding the announcement on the USS Wisconsin are very interesting.
 
8:10 am Bob McDonnell is introducing the candidates. McDonnell is the governor of Virginia and a rising GOP star.
 
8:03 am It is interesting that Romney didn’t go with Rob Portman, who would have helped Romney in the key swing state of Ohio.
 
8:01 am It will be very interesting to see the polls on how @PaulRyanVP effects the race. Ryan is not well known now.
 
7:58 am It is interesting that the Ryan pick was more about reinforcing Romney on the economy than filling in foreign policy chops.
 
7:53 am Fox News is replaying Rep. Ryan at the ObamaCare meetings. It shows how good he can be challenging the President.
 
7:51 am George Allen is speaking at the event – he’s locked in a close race for the Senate in Virginia.
 
7:49 am As a policy nerd, picking @PaulRyanVP seems like a very smart move.
 
7:48 am Obama’s most effective attack lines were that Romney had no plan, and that he was just repeating Bush. That attack is much harder to make with Ryan as #VP.
 
7:44 am The pick of Paul Ryan could not be more different than the pick of Sarah Palin in 2008, but the effect on the base will likely be the same.
 
7:44 am Romney and Ryan seem very well matched, which is crucial for having a coherent campaign team.
 
7:43 am Excerpts of Ryan’s speech can be found here – http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/excerpts-ryans-speech_649757.html
 
7:42 am Paul Ryan will speak shortly – excerpts are already appearing online.
 
7:39 am Despite the claims that Paul Ryan’s budget plan is radioactive, a Greenburg/Carville poll showed it polling at 52% in swing districts.
 
7:36 am @PaulRyanVP already has 7,000 followers, and the announcement was made in the early morning on a weekend…
 
7:35 am Already, Paul Ryan has an official Twitter account for his VP position – @PaulRyanVP
 
7:32 am The official announcement is taking place at the USS Wisconsin, docked in the key swing state of Virginia.