Ryan to spotlight Romney's 'community leadership' in revamped stump speech

Denver (CNN) – GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan will showcase Mitt Romney's community involvement on Wednesday in Ohio using a retooled stump speech that focuses on providing solutions for Americans stuck in poverty.

According to released excerpts, Ryan will describe running mate Romney as "a man who could easily have contented himself with giving donations to needy causes, but everyone who knows him will tell you that Mitt has always given his time and attention to those around him who are hurting."

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The Romney campaign has been criticized for failing to effectively blunt President Barack Obama and his re-election team's portrayal of their presidential nominee as an out-of-touch wealthy businessman.

While Romney has been reluctant to tout his own contributions to his community, particularly as it relates to his Mormon religion, his campaign has tried to fill that void with stories from his wife Ann as well as personal accounts from people who have experienced his generosity firsthand.

Now, with 13 days until Election Day, they are turning to his running mate to deliver the message when he speaks at Cleveland State University Wednesday.

"As for Mitt Romney, he not only understands the importance of community – he's lived it. He's a guy who, at the height of a successful business, took the time to serve as a lay pastor for his church for fourteen years, counseling people in Boston's inner-city neighborhoods, especially when they lost a job," Ryan will say, according to excerpts of his speech provided by the campaign.

According to a Ryan aide, who provided a preview of the speech, the vice presidential hopeful will "make the case that Americans stuck in poverty cannot afford four more years like the last four years," and the Romney-Ryan ticket offers a "better pathway for low-income Americans to improve their lives through opportunity and upward mobility than the failed policies of President Obama."

The seven-term Wisconsin congressman will say a real recovery is "going to require bold departures from current policies" and will point to Romney's business experience that uniquely qualifies him to become president.

The excerpts read, "Mitt Romney is uniquely qualified and ready to deliver this recovery – because he understands how an economy works and what makes it grow. And like the best leaders, he has set a clear goal: Twelve million new jobs over the next four years."

SEE FULL EXCERPTS OF RYAN'S SPEECH BELOW

Restoring America's Promise of Upward Mobility

We are here in partnership on behalf of an idea – that no matter who your parents are, no matter where you come from, you should have the opportunity in America to rise, to escape from poverty, and to achieve whatever your God-given talents and hard work enable you to achieve...

Upward mobility is the central promise of life in America. But right now, America's engines of upward mobility aren't working the way they should. Mitt Romney and I are running because we believe that Americans are better off in a dynamic, free-enterprise-based economy that fosters economic growth, opportunity and upward mobility instead of a stagnant, government-directed economy that stifles job creation and fosters government dependency.

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Mitt Romney Has Lived a Life of Community Leadership

As for Mitt Romney, he not only understands the importance of community – he's lived it. He's a guy who, at the height of a successful business, took the time to serve as a lay pastor for his church for fourteen years, counseling people in Boston's inner-city neighborhoods, especially when they lost a job. He's a man who could easily have contented himself with giving donations to needy causes, but everyone who knows him will tell you that Mitt has always given his time and attention to those around him who are hurting.

He's the type we've all run into in our own communities – here in Cleveland, too, and all around America. Americans are a compassionate people, and there's a consensus in this country about our fundamental obligations to society's most vulnerable.

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The Moral Obligation To Tackle The Debt Threat

It's not just the abuses of government that undermine civil society – it's also the excesses of government. Look at the road we are on, with trillion-dollar deficits every year. Debt on this scale is destructive in so many ways, and one of them is that it crowds out civil society by drawing resources away from private giving.

Even worse is the prospect of a debt crisis, which will come unless we do something very soon. When government's own finances collapse, society's most vulnerable are the first victims, as we are seeing right now in the troubled welfare states of Europe. Many there feel that they have nowhere to turn for help, and we must never let that happen in America.

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Mitt Romney Will Deliver Real Reforms For Real Recovery

The strength of the safety net and the quality of our education system are among the many issues this year where the neediest of Americans have a direct stake. But above all else is the pressing need for jobs. Right now, 23 million men and women are struggling to find work. Median family income has gone down in each of the last four years, dropping by more than $4,000.

Whatever your political party, this nation cannot afford four more years like the last four years. We need a real recovery. Mitt Romney is uniquely qualified and ready to deliver this recovery – because he understands how an economy works and what makes it grow. And like the best leaders, he has set a clear goal: Twelve million new jobs over the next four years. We can do this – but it's going to require bold departures from current policies.