A very dear friend of mine, Amy Buchmeyer, has graciously allowed me to use her as a guest post today! Amy is a very passionate young woman, with a heart of gold, her energy concerning the elections this year are contagious! Here is her take on the VP pick that was announced on Friday.
In choosing Congressman Paul Ryan for his Vice President nominee, Governor Mitt Romney is doing more than making this election about the economy. He is taking a side. Over the last few months, Wisconsin has demonstrated that it is more than a battleground state. It is a testing ground. The people of Wisconsin elected officials who balanced the budget and cut spending, but at a cost. It was a cost many did not want to pay. The ensuing recall election mirrored the confusion and politics demonstrated around the United States, even up in Congress with the debt ceiling crisis. The decision to keep or impeach Governor Scott Walker and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch promised a rippling effect across the nation.
When Wisconsinites stood with their elected officials and told Governor Walker to keep his job, a controversial battle was won for the Conservatives. I don't call them Tea Partiers. While the Tea Party movement, however you define it, may have united conservatives, the echoing results are something bigger. It is a shift in American politics and dynamics. What happened in Wisconsin was, in a sense, earth shattering. It was also a wake up call. What happened in the recall election was only a faint rumbling compared to the final showdown coming.
That is what makes Governor Romney’s VP pick so interesting. While Representative Ryan does combine a sound and eloquent economic plan with youth and popularity, he is from a particularly controversial state and Romney is now associating himself with that state. Governor Tim Pawlenty or Governor Bobby Jindal would have been perfectly acceptable choices. Conservatives would have been pleased. A solid base would have been energized.
But in picking Representative Ryan, Governor Romney, purposefully or not, is associating himself with Wisconsin. He is associating himself with the recall election, balancing the budget, and cutting down on union power. He is associating himself with Governor Scott Walker and the battle that just took place. In effect, he is associating himself with the madness we have just witnessed here in Wisconsin.
Is this a “wise” decision? Yes, actually, I think it is. It might seem like an extreme decision, but it is a decision America needs. Did Romney pick a well-liked Congressman from Wisconsin as a political popularity vote? While on one level that is probably part of it, I think Romney is demonstrating something more with his choice. There are other popular conservatives out there. Representative Ryan comes with a whip-lash. He is a controversial figure in and of himself. He is a strong leader. He has proved himself to be eloquent and able to stand his ground. Most importantly, he has a plan. Whatever lies the Democrats may say, it is a plan that does save Medicare for senior citizens. It is a plan that puts the United States on a straight path - it makes sense and can be explained to the average person. In Representative Ryan there is no idle promises. There is a man who has proven himself able and determined to get things done and accomplish what he was sent to Congress to do.
By picking Representative Ryan, Governor Romney is making a claim. He is showing that he is willing to side with someone who gets things done and he is making that claim to a body who will hold him accountable. He is picking someone as his VP who will, we hope, hold his feet to the fire.
I have hope. I admit, I wasn’t too thrilled with Governor Romney. He was a vote against President Obama in my book. By choosing such a strong Conservative candidate and willingly associating himself with the battle that just took place in Wisconsin, though, Governor Romney is making a strong statement. He is going to make this election about the economy. He is choosing allies who don’t just talk. The United States is not Europe. We cannot blindly deceive ourselves that bailouts are the answer to our problems. “Free” healthcare for all is not the answer. What we need is sound policy built on something more than flowery rhetoric. With Representative Ryan, Governor Romney is taking a strong step towards that policy.
On Wisconsin!
-Amy Buchmeyer
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