The Ryan selection tells you everything you need to know about the Romney campaign.

[Renew Deal]

Romney didn't pick someone that would give him a state. Romney didn't pick someone with "experience" which Romney lacks after serving only 1 term as governor. Romney didn't pick someone that gets the campaign a lot of positive attention or that plays well with a large block of voters.

Romney picked an ideologue. Ryan in one big way is something that Romney is not. He is a guy with a point of view. Romney has taken all sides on every issue. He is a valueless panderer. Romney placated the far right (most of the remaining republican party) with this selection.

I think this shows you who is really in control of the campaign and what Romney thinks about his chances. He is so worried about his "base" that he picked another RW extremist. It is not a play for a state or a block of voters (Independents, hispanics, etc.). I fail to see what this does for Romney's campaign other than keeping the crazies interested for a few more days. And if that's all that's left for Romney, he's in big trouble. This is the same mistake that McCain made.

[Lex]

1. The VP pick should be about broadening your appeal to the independents & undecideds

and certainly not about energizing the base, not this late into the game. It is not a good sign for the Romney campaign.

[JohnnyRingo]

2. It tells me the campaign was floundering and sinking fast.

This will effectively pump out the bilge and right the Romney campaign ship once again. He'll reverse the trend in the poll numbers for awaile, but it doesn't patch the holes that caused his problem to begin with.

After the luster of the veep pick wears off, the questions about Romney's finances can be renewed and Ryan can properly be framed as the one person who most wants to line Romney's pocket with easy cash.

Unless Ryan looks good in a skirt, the media will soon become bored with Ryan's not-ready-for-primetime performance. I expect the Tea Party nuts to continue their facsination with him, but they weren't going to vote for Obama anyway.

Meanwhile, the spotlight will be focused on the more interesting and fresh candidate. That attention is not necessarily good for the man who wants to be the next president.

[HereSince1628]

3. The new pattern in republican tickets...having a VP who knows he's more clever

than his running mate. Ryan, like Cheney, is a guy not wanting to just be in control of the Senate's bucket of spit.

[IggleDoer]

4. Looks like RMoney was trying to sew up the Repubican Convention ...

... not the election