Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina on Ryan this morning:

[cali]

9:25 a.m. ET: President Barack Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina released the following statement as Romney was speaking Saturday, reacting to Romney's choice of Ryan as his running mate.

“In naming Congressman Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney has chosen a leader of the House Republicans who shares his commitment to the flawed theory that new budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthy, while placing greater burdens on the middle class and seniors, will somehow deliver a stronger economy. The architect of the radical Republican House budget, Ryan, like Romney, proposed an additional $250,000 tax cut for millionaires, and deep cuts in education from Head Start to college aid. His plan also would end Medicare as we know it by turning it into a voucher system, shifting thousands of dollars in health care costs to seniors. As a member of Congress, Ryan rubber-stamped the reckless Bush economic policies that exploded our deficit and crashed our economy. Now the Romney-Ryan ticket would take us back by repeating the same, catastrophic mistakes.”

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/11/live-blog-mitt-romneys-v-p-announcement/

[frazzled]

1. Ripe for the picking

I'm still a bit flabbergasted at this choice. But bring it on.

Speaking of bringing it on ... Does anyone think that the timing of this choice is odd, in several respects? First of all, it was announced in the dead of night on a Friday, beyond even the proverbial "news dump." Then he has the live rally at 9 am Eastern on a Saturday morning, when people in the Mountain and Western time zones are not even awake (maybe not even in the midwest Central time zone).

Furthermore, the VP choice is mostly about a week or two worth of excitement. By the time the Republican Convention rolls around no one will be interested anymore.

Is he embarrassed about this choice? Is this why he decided to sneak it in in the dark of night, on a summer weekend?

[Sedona]

4. kick this statement to the Greatest Page

[Coyotl]

33. Does this car have a dog elevator?

[bluemarkers]

11. good points

I was just in Norfolk and other than the Navy yard, can not determine why that background. Neither have foreign policy or even military experience, but the Ryan budget is/was bloated towards the military. I knew it wasn't because of Gabby or the depressed area ...

but hey, no one is talking tax returns today

[bluedigger]

22. Norfolk was a shout out to the MIC.

Two guys with no military background telling the true corporate masters that the bleeding of the state will continue unabated.

[Raster]

26. Because ultimately the MIC is the only government expenditures that really matter.

The United States could be stone-flat broke, and MIC sycophants would demand pounds of flesh to give to the MIC.

[lunatica]

54. the background is because they want their image of the kick-ass uber military USA! USA!

To make them look like they will go to war for kicks if necessary. Republicans love wars and always have. Remember Reagan with the superimposed image of the flag waving in slow motion while military band music played to swell our hearts? Remember Bush's sock crotch military backdrop to announce the end of the Iraq war?

They love them the big Navy carriers! Nothing speaks to the grand image of the American Military superiority like big powerful killing machines that are used in wars!!

[Versailles]

15. Phew...

Glad you pointed out that it was late at night...here I thought I missed some really crucial news yesterday! I've been in a flurry this morning trying to read everything thinking I really missed the boat on this!

[Myrina]

23. I tend to think it's more of getting Ryan's name in the ring for 2016 ...

... Rmoney and his toadies know this one's lost, so they're bringing junior up from the minor leagues so he's "ready" for the next time around.

[Grown2Hate]

30. Didn't work so well for the Airhead from Wasilla... NT

[Myrina]

44. Hey, I didnt say the GOP was smart ...

[Ikonoklast]

40. Ryan will be forever tagged as a Loser after being associated with this ticket.

The only people that think backing Ryan is a winning strategy are the Kochs.

[alp227]

27. Obama actually held his news conference announcing picking Biden in the afternoon.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/eye-on-2008/obama-picks-biden.html

This article was published at 1:30am Eastern. The campaign confirmed the pick via text message two hours later (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/23/the-text-is-in-biden-is-v_n_120786.html).

Difference though, the presser announcing Biden happened 3pm ET that day (http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/gridSchedule.php?zoom=0&timezone=Eastern&date=Aug+23%2C+2008).

[bayareaboy]

32. It is all very odd ...

But how else do you throw the fight and still have lots of bets coming in?

The GOP has decided to be various groups that take the suckers money and kind of look like they still are a political party.

[Samantha]

59. I don't think Ryan was Romney's pick

I think he was forced into it by the people who truly run the party, the Koch Brothers, Dick Cheney, et al. I think everybody has been reading the numbers and those guys told Romney he had to pick Ryan or his funding from them would dry up. Romney was not in a position to refuse -- he needs them -- and they are happy to keep contributing and trying to "force" the election (read take) because they know Ryan will give them what they want. He was not given that title of "brown noser" by his graduating class for nothing. Ryan has been sucking up to them big time and is more than willing to give them what they want. And Romney will become a puppet and Ryan will be running the whole show -- think Bush/Cheney. And that is why Romney canceled his previously scheduled interviews -- he is ticked. This is an "investment" for these funders, and they will take risk for Ryan but not Romney.

Sam

[longship]

2. R&:donkey: for a good response. nt

[Honeycombe8]

3. I hope they come up with a better description than "turning (Medicare) into a voucher system."

That means NOTHING to millions of Americans.

The Dems have to find a way to succinctly state what that means, or what the effect will be.

[Sedona]

5. How about, "Stealing the benefits I worked all my life for...

and all I got was this lousy coupon".

[Honeycombe8]

6. That's better. nt

[justgamma]

7. Coupon care.

I wish they would just say that he wants to end Medicare and give seniors a coupon instead. Tell them they are on their own. Oh and by the way, they will repeal Obamacare so if you have ever been sick in the last 65 years, no insurance for you.

[Honeycombe8]

16. Okay, now we're getting somewhere. That's actually understandable. nt

[gkhouston]

17. +1,000,000 for "coupon care". Our side needs to run ads pushing this meme.

They should do an ad with a frail-looking grandma clipping a Medicare coupon. Maybe have her clipping some pet food coupons, too. Or an ad where a senior offers a Medicare coupon as payment and is then told how much else he/she owes.

[vlyons]

46. Show grandma lost in an eternal telephone menu tree

trying to buy insurance. All those Srs with alheimzers and dementia are really going to have fun trying to buy their own insurance.

[gkhouston]

47. Oh, that's good. Pretty much everyone despises automated phone menus.

It can be the "smooth operator" ad. We see grandma hopelessy hunting through menus, then dissolve to Ryan smirking with the words, "this is the future of Medicare under the Romney/Ryan plan", then that "distressed" signal the phone makes when you don't hang it up properly, and the words, "who's disconnected from reality?"

[caveat_imperator]

50. The good guys also need to reveal the failures of a voucher system.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/05/01/1087134/-Milwaukee-school-voucher-program-is-not-working

[The Wielding Truth]

24. Don't forget. Ryan is so bad that he has nuns touring in protest to his un-Christian budget.

He is w/Romney now to help him to steal from the poor and give to the very very wealthy.

[liberal from boston]

31. Paul Ryan

Excellent Point. Also, The Franciscan Order, Catholic Bishops & Protestant Bishops have protested this Ayn Rand Disciple's obscene budget!!!! IMHO Ryan worships GREED!!!

[The Wielding Truth]

38. Greed and celebrity. He wants to be somebody. He has the gingrich "little bit of knowledge is

dangerous" thing. And he has been convinced of his genius by the idiot teabaggers and supported by the Koch Bros "we need someone to do our bidding" thing. The one good thing is that his plan stinks so much everyone can smell it.

[HurricaneWarning]

49. I'm just glad

I'm just glad the bishops have come out against this budget. Now they have less of an argument to tell Catholics how to vote. It ruined their bully pulpit.

[gkhouston]

48. "Coupons... good for 20% off a box of band-aids, but for real healthcare? Get serious." n/t

[upi402]

10. They want to kill grandma

works for me!

[2banon]

12. absolutely..

a huge problem (as in HUGE) party leadership and their PR people is they either talk from both sides of their mouths because it's stuffed with cotton, but worse than that, they can't manage to explain the time of day in a simple, straight forward and to the point manner, cutting through the jingolistic bs.

I have never understood that.. For all of Clinton's faults, he did manage to at least do that much.. It seemed to me Obama did that fairly well back in '08, but maybe I was just hearing what I wanted to hear, or the Bush/Cheney regime's loathsome if not moronic rhetoric and draconian actions made Obama seem grounded and well connected to "we the people" as opposed to "wee on the people". Or they come up with these really moronic phrases like "winning the future"... huh?

[Smickey]

18. Green Stamp Care

Along the same lines as coupon care but focused more to us slightly older folks who will be using it (medicare) soonest......like me. Although I would hate to associate anything these mindless wonders will come up with as "green".

[Honeycombe8]

65. Well, I remember Green Stamps. You think anyone else does? It sort of IS like that. nt

[demwing]

34. How About "Turning Medicare into '15 Cents Off' Coupon for Health Care" ??? /nt

GOP TO THE RESCUE!

[obxhead]

39. Eliminating Medicare and giving people a coupon instead.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

58. I thought that they were planning to turn it into a vulture system:

picking the meat clean off the bones.

[magical thyme]

64. how about "replace Medicare with a discount coupon, forcing seniors to buy private insurance

that puts profits over healthcare.

And examples of how much it will cost seniors to buy what they now get through Medicare.

[gollygee]

8. Another person who thinks the economy will be fixed by sacrifices made ONLY by the poor,

the middle class, and the elderly, all the while making the 1% even richer. The Republicans NEVER ask rich people to sacrifice at all. In fact, rich people profit off everyone else's sacrifice. And he's worse as far as that goes than most of them.

[INdemo]

25. Great point..and as I have thought about this many times

..during the financial meltdown billions of dollars were lost.0n the stock market on any level of investment for every dollar lost someone or some corporate entity earns a dollar..So for every dollar lost somewhere along the line someone gained..
So where did the money go?..Did corporate execs or Wall St execs earn that money and then beg the government for money to cover so called loses..It was the biggest scam in history brought on by the Republicans and the 1%..Now the 1% want to steal Social Security funds so us baby boomer's and all abled body Seniors will have to return to the workplace at wages lower than China's workforce and yes that 1% will eran even more trillions.
It doesn't matter if a retiree has a nice nest egg like an IRA or a great pension form a union or whatever..they will steal that too and never mind about the next election of 2016 there wont be any...

[Blanks]

51. Trillions of dollars disappeared literally overnight.

It wasn't tucked away; it just didn't exist.

If you loan someone $200,000 and there is no realistic expectation that they can pay it back (let alone the interest on it) and people start spending the interest on that loan; at some point, you have to stop and realize that the real money is never gonna show.

They were spending money that never really existed. They had those bad loans insured, but the insurers were spending the premiums as though the loans would never fail.

I'm not defending bankers, but they didn't necessarily benefit every time someone lost a dollar. Had it been up to me; we would have bailed out homeowners, and with the influx of house payments some of the banks would have weathered the storm, but the banks were sitting there with a lot of toxic assets, not piles of cash. (until Bush and then the FED gave/loaned it to them).

There were a lot of unsecured loans, meaning there was never really anything of value behind the loans, let alone dollars for them to tuck away.

[Surya Gayatri]

9. Excellent fast response--throw that budget around

their necks like a burning tire!

[tblue37]

13. Even the conservatives' darling Newt Gingrich slammed the Ryan budget (until

outrage from the big mouths forced him to backtrack.) He called it "right wing social engineering."

[sulphurdunn]

14. Never underestimate

the power of money to bake avarice, ignorance, bigotry, fear and deception into a red, white and blue patriotic poison pie called nationalism.

[bermudat]

19. Very well put.

[Grateful for Hope]

28. Excellent response. Thanks for posting this. n/t

[aggiesal]

29. Nothing like a . . .

weekend announcement to keep things quiet.

RMoney must not like his own pick, releasing
his choice during a weekend news cycle.

[Doctor Jack]

35. Its like Christman Morning for Obama

He probably doesn't know which present to open first.

[mindwalker_i]

36. "will somehow deliver a stronger economy."

They know it won't deliver a stronger economy,

They Simply Don't Care

Republican policies don't have anything to do with improving the economy, helll, they don't have anything to do with helping the country - no, not even for the rich in the long term, who rely on the lower classes to support them. It's short term gain. What the Republican policies do is help their reelections by getting money to contractors in pay-to-play schemes (see military industrial complex), or throw bones to their base (abortion bills - and we all know abortion will never be made completely illegal).

[Spitfire of ATJ]

42. The United States is the richest country in the world.

The international corporations want to sack it.

[Ruby the Liberal]

37. Doubling down on trickle down.

Let us know how that works out for you boys.

[proud patriot]

41. exactly

[jeff47]

43. Statement I wish he had made:

"Thank you, Mitt."

[Kalidurga]

53. Some people need more of an explanation.

But, I agree. Romney just gave up the campaign. The "throw grandma off the cliff" guy isn't an asset at all, he is an albatross.

[Tarheel_Dem]

45. This ticket scares the shit outta me for all the obvious reasons.

[BrainMann1]

52. Look before you leap

So the Republicans that are seniors, middleclass and college students, etc,are ok with this? Some people never learn.

[smirkymonkey]

55. I even more stand by my original predictment...

Four years of this ticket and the USA goes third world.

[YOHABLO]

56. Do you think the American public are astute enough ...

to really understand the ramifications of what Ryan proposes? How can we allow this to be a serious proposal? It would be suicide for the poor and middle class, not to mention the sick and elderly. This guy is so out of touch with the cost of health care .. it's unbelievable. We need to march on Washington for single payer health care.

Do you think that perhaps CNN, ABC, NBC and let's not forget FAUX, continue to tell the American public that Social Security will not be there for them upon retirement? What about disability? I think this is why we have Romney showing 45% in the polls against Obama's 49% .. not enough of a gap in my opinion. Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid problems can be fixed, and for the most part are solvent .. and it's time for the American public to realize that they are being lied to each and every day by these news organizations .. simply because of the pandering to the Right. There's nothing I've just mentioned that you all don't already know. But it's good to vent.

[zentrum]

57. Okay, but

...for god sakes break it into catchy sound bites. "Flawed theory"? No, It's a dangerous and destructive theory. Deep cuts to Head Start? That's hardly number one on the list of unemployed people who have lost their their homes. Where is Social Security? "End Medicare as we knpw it?" No--it will destroy Medicare, the most successful middle class progarm the country has ever known.

Dems tell the story too carefully, too passionlessly.

His statement ends well though. But again--where is Social Security in the statement?

[Amonester]

60. We, on DU, agree. Send it to barackobama.com...

Because it's almost obvious they don't know how to frame these issues the way you mention:

http://barackobama.force.com/questions

Where "Your thoughts are extremely valuable to us.

As a grassroots organization, your input will always be the backbone of this campaign. To send a comment, question, or message to Obama for America, please use the form on the left side of the page."

http://barackobama.force.com/questions

[zentrum]

61. Thanks, I'll do that n/t

[cali]

63. They're doing that too.

Like "The go back team".

The Obama team knows what they're doing. they're good at this. And Mitt's political team is amazingly inept.

[ThomThom]

62. Is it possible that Ryan could lose his house seat also?

How many times have congressional incumbents running for Pres or Vice Pres lost there seats in congress too?