Who is Paul Ryan?
Self-dubbed “America’s Comeback Team,” this dynamic duo will be your Republic President and Vice President elect for the upcoming election. But who is this man, Paul Ryan, that Mitt Romney has so carefully selected? Well he’s handsome and young; thats for sure. But is he fit to be VP of this arguably great nation? Lets take a look.
Here is what Romney’s campaign website says about Ryan:
“U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan is in his seventh term in Congress representing Wisconsin’s First Congressional District. He is Chairman of the House Budget Committee, where he has worked tirelessly leading the effort to rein in federal spending and increase accountability to taxpayers. He also serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, where he has focused on simplifying the tax code and making health care more affordable and accessible.
In January 2010, Ryan gained attention nationwide after unveiling his “Roadmap for America’s Future,” a proposal to eliminate the federal deficit, reform the tax code, and preserve entitlements for future generations.”
Quite noble.
The biography goes on to say that Ryan was born in Wisconsin on January 29, 1970—a 42-year-old Aquarius, ladies—married to a nice lady named Betty (bummer), and has three children. He also enjoys fishing, archery, and other outdoorsy stuff. Beautiful, just beautiful.
He’s also smart, or driven, or something, because he was the was the youngest member of his freshman Congressional class in 1999. Wow!
However, there is some murkiness in Ryan’s bio, namely that he “earned degrees in economics and political science from Miami University in Ohio.” Huh? What does “earned degrees” mean? And really, Miami University of Ohio? I am not saying there is anything inherently wrong with the school. And frankly, I am not the brightest crayon in the box myself, and have managed to do quite well. But Ryan is our Vice President elect for god-sakes! I can’t even get a job at an AM200 law firm with the origin of my degree.
Lets see what Pres. Obams has to say about this…
Well this is interesting. Obama dubbed the team “The Go Back Team.” Lol, love the low-ball competitive spirit. And actually, I found no mention of Ryan’s academic history on Obama’s website. Mostly just negative political comentary on their credibility as a duo.
Here is what Ryan’s Congressional Bio, plus many other news sources, note: Ryan earned a B.A. in political science AND economics. Thats one degree for those of us who can’t count, unless he did a double degree program, in which case it is two degrees earned in one undergraduate term. Still “degrees” makes it seem like he had some form of postgraduate education—which he didn’t. Way to mislead, Romney!
As far as the school. Now I do this for fun, in my spare time, so the information is less than well researched; but according to US News, Miami of Ohio now ranks #90 among the nations top universities. Meh—sub par. And there is no indication that it ranked much better in 1992, when Ryan graduated. Now I am not saying that education is all that matters, but lets just red flag this one for now. Its bound to come up as a point of weakness later down the road.
LETS RECAP WHAT WE LEARNED: Paul Ryan is a Mitt Romney’s running mate. He is married to Betty, has three children, and is young and sexy. He also has a questionable background as far as education goes; he’s not exactly an “economist,” which is what we may need if the economy continues to disappoint. BUT he did do some credible things while in Congress, including: being the youngest in his congressional class, and schmoozing his way up to Chairman of the Budget Committee. He also comes with a plan (!), entitled The Path to Prosperity. Sounds promising. Here it is, in detail, for those of you who still feel under-informed. For the opposing view, here is Obama’s thoughts on the plan/VP elect.
Welcome to the race U.S. Rep Paul Ryan!
And Now You Know.
Other [Likely] Credible Sources:
The Daily Beast: Collection of reactions to a man The Beast argues is “best known as a divisive budget hawk.”
Politico: Argues that Romney made a bold choice “in tapping Ryan, who is serving his 7th term in the House, [because] the GOP nominee will immediately put a stop to conservative second-guessing about [Romney’s] campaign’s strategy.”
The New Yorker: Argues that Ryan reinvented the Republican Party because he too was embarrassed by the Bush years.
