Ryan embraces 'regular guy' routine on the stump in Colorado
Lakewood, Colorado (CNN) – Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is rapidly emerging as an everyman foil to his ticket mate Mitt Romney, whose blue blood bearing has never quite resonated with grassroots conservatives.
Ryan has made repeated allusions to his regular guy interests during his rollout as Romney's running mate, talking up his fondness for bow-hunting, Wisconsin beer and the Green Bay Packers.
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He went a step further on Tuesday in Colorado, his second solo campaign event without Romney at his side.
"You know, I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, you know when I was flipping burgers at McDonalds, when I was standing in front of that big Hobart machine washing dishes or waiting tables, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life," Ryan told at least two thousand fired up supporters at Lakewood High School in suburban Denver. "I thought to myself: I'm the American dream."
And in making the case for a broader energy policy, Ryan recalled a recent visit to the gas station.
"You know, last week when I was filling my truck up … something tells me I'm not going to be putting gas in my truck again anytime soon," he said, drawing laughs. "But last week when I was filling my truck up, it cost me $100 bucks and the only reason it cost me $100 bucks is because the pump cut me off at $100 dollars and I didn't even fill the gas tank."
The contours of Ryan's stump speech are beginning to take shape.
In khaki slacks and a button-down shirt, Ryan talks up his Midwestern values, making a twin appeal to blue collar voters and the kind of suburbanites who showed up at his Colorado rally on Tuesday.
He then embraces the traditional attack dog role of a presidential running mate.
"He can't run on his record," Ryan said of President Obama, to lusty boos from the crowd. "He hasn't changed his tune. So all that he has left is to distort, demagogue, to divide, to try and confuse, to distract you from the real issues of this election."
And he praises the person at the top of the GOP ticket, exalting the candidate's business know-how and describing Romney in this election as a "man meeting the moment."
What's missing from his delivery?
Any reference to his controversial proposals to cut taxes and restructure Medicare and Medicaid - the issues that have dominated the campaign since Ryan, the House Budget chairman, was revealed as Romney's running mate last Saturday.
After the speech, the Obama campaign rapidly fired back at Ryan's attack on the Obama administration's energy policies.
"Paul Ryan tried to embrace President Obama's all-of-the-above energy strategy in Colorado today, but the Romney-Ryan budget would make devastating cuts to the President's investments in energy technologies that have expanded domestic oil production, helped put us on track to double renewable energy production, and increased natural gas production to an all-time high," said Obama spokesman Danny Kanner.
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:"why on earth are these repuks just telling bold-faced LIES? I mean really, WHY?"
Because their base hates having a black POTUS and is primed and ready to gobble up and believe anything and everything they can possible come up with, no matter how far-fetched, ludicrous or false. And lying works. That's why.
Which energy technology companies are Democrats defending? Companies like Vestas which is a Danish manufacturer, Acciona which is from Spain or Siemans which is a German company, are these the companies Obama is making investments in that Democrats say Romney/Ryan want to cut??????
"Regular guys" do not claim Ayn Rand, the atheist and "Selfishness is a Virtue" devotee as a "mentor" and require all new office staff members to read Ms. Rand as a prerequisite for employment.
"or many more beds to make before they hit their own. "
Amen, sistah.
Is Ryan now claiming to be a drunk like his buddy Boehner?
A regular guy wants inside a woman's pants, NOT her womb!
be a real regular guy there Ryan a campaign in some of the inner city areas and Latino/Hispanic voters since you trail in the polls with these groups..tell them why Obama is not the right choice for them and what you will do better. I DARE YOU to!
Boo
The Coloradians that I know say hell will freeze over before they vote for Romney/Ryan
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Ditto for the fellow Independents,and head-shaking Republicans I know.
So Ryan is now projecting himself as everyman's friend. Here are questions for him: why does he insist in his budget to take money from the poor an d the middle class and offer to hisd rich friends? Why does he want to reduce the social security benefits for those who need those when he himself was a recipient of those? What does he propose to do to provide health insurance to 40+ million uninsured poeple in America? How does he intend to educate people in USA when they can't afford education? The fact is that Ryan and his republican friends do not want to answer these questions as their goal is to help their rich friends get richer. Therefore, we cannot support Ryan, Romney or other republicans in November elections as they lie and have double stanadards. We will make sure to vote democratic all the way in November elections.
"Regular" guys don't have to go around trying to convince everyone how "regular" they are. This guy is as phoney as Romney.......but he does put on a better act than Romney. Big trucks, bow hunting, Wisconsin beer, checkered shirt......give me a break! All for show........except for the Wisconsin beer.......they do brew some really good beer up there. This guy is a spoiled, rich, college frat boy........he has no idea what it's like for the real "regular" guys out there just trying to get by.
"He can't run on his record," Ryan said of President Obama, to lusty boos from the crowd. "He hasn't changed his tune. So all that he has left is to distort, demagogue, to divide, to try and confuse, to distract you from the real issues of this election."
After which "regular-guy" Ryan chose to distort, demagogue, divide, try and confuse, and distract from the real issues by distorting, demagoguing, and distracting from his own issues ... the Ryan Budget named after him and passed (twice) by the current House of Representatives. One would think Ryan would be proud of such an accomplishment.