Republicans, Dems react to Romney's VP pick
Reactions to Mitt Romney's decision to pick Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate came in quickly from Republicans, Democrats and groups that support the two parties on Saturday. Take a look at what people in the political arena are saying about Ryan.
Reactions to Mitt Romney's decision to pick Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate came in quickly from Republicans, Democrats and groups that support the two parties on Saturday.
Reactions to Mitt Romney's decision to pick Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate came in quickly from Republicans, Democrats and groups that support the two parties on Saturday.
Romney was, of course, pleased to introduce his new running mate to the country.
And President Barack Obama was quick to jump on Ryan's budget plan, which is likely to be the subject of many attacks lobbed by Democrats between now and Election Day.
Statement from Obama’s campaign on Vice President Joe Biden’s call to Ryan
“The vice president urged Congressman Ryan to enjoy the day with his family and said he looked forward to engaging him on the clear choice voters face this November.”
Republican National Committee Chariman Reince Priebus:
"My friend and fellow Wisconsinite Paul Ryan will serve America admirably as the next vice president of the United States. Today, Americans are starving for leaders who can fix our economy and get our spending under control. Gov. Romney and Congressman Ryan have the knowledge, expertise and vision we need to get America working again and get our fiscal house in order. Across the country, Americans are hurting, but America's Comeback Team will offer us a new direction and a brighter future. I congratulate Gov. Romney on his excellent decision. This is a great day for Wisconsin and for America."
Jim Messina, campaign manager for President Barack Obama
"In naming Congressman Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney has chosen a leader of the House Republicans who shares his commitment to the flawed theory that new budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthy, while placing greater burdens on the middle class and seniors, will somehow deliver a stronger economy. The architect of the radical Republican House budget, Ryan, like Romney, proposed an additional $250,000 tax cut for millionaires, and deep cuts in education from Head Start to college aid. His plan also would end Medicare as we know it by turning it into a voucher system, shifting thousands of dollars in health care costs to seniors. As a member of Congress, Ryan rubber-stamped the reckless Bush economic policies that exploded our deficit and crashed our economy. Now the Romney-Ryan ticket would take us back by repeating the same, catastrophic mistakes."
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Republican
"Gov. Mitt Romney made a bold and reform-minded selection in Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. This election has to be about who is going to look out for the next generation. America needs a comeback team to turn around the economy and to turn around the fiscal status of our country. Romney and Ryan have the ideas and the experience needed to take on these core issues. This is a great day for Wisconsin and an even greater day for America."
Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Democratic National Committee Chair:
“Today, Mitt Romney named Congressman Paul Ryan as his pick for Vice President. Congressman Ryan has been called a serious person, but he, like Mitt Romney has seriously flawed ideas for our economy that have only failed us in the past. Congressman Ryan laid the groundwork in Congress for Mitt Romney’s budget-busting scheme that gives an additional $250,000 tax cut for millionaires while punishing middle-class families with tax hikes of up to $2,000 a year. This tried and failed trickle-down economics scheme is familiar and troubling: cuts to education and other job creating initiatives, ending Medicare as we know it and saddling our seniors with the bill all to pay for more tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. And I can say with no doubt, middle class families and seniors in my home state of Florida want no part of a Romney-Ryan economic scheme that puts millionaires ahead of Medicare and throws the middle class under the bus to give more tax breaks to the wealthy.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: "Paul Ryan is an excellent choice, and a confirmation that Gov. Romney is serious about strengthening America's economic future, tackling the deficits and debt that have skyrocketed under President Obama, and returning to a path to solvency and security."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
"By picking Rep. Paul Ryan, Gov. Romney has doubled down on his commitment to gut Social Security and end Medicare as we know it. Romney's choice demonstrates that catering to the tea party and the far-right is more important to him than standing up for the middle class. The months ahead will provide Americans with a clear choice between the Romney-Ryan plan to gut Social Security and Medicare and Democrats' balanced approach to deficit reduction that combines smart spending cuts with asking millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share. Democrats in the Senate look forward to engaging in that debate."
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Republican
"Congressman Paul Ryan is an outstanding choice as our country's next vice president, and today's announcement demonstrates Gov. Romney's commitment to returning fiscal sanity back to Washington, DC. I have long supported Paul Ryan's fiscal and entitlement reforms to return our country back on a path of fiscal health. At a time when our country is at an economic crossroads, Congressman Ryan's depth of knowledge on how to tackle these challenges is unparalleled. He will serve Gov. Romney and our country well to undo the flawed policies of the last four years."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
“There is no question that former Gov. Romney now owns the Republican, Ryan budget that puts millionaires ahead of Medicare and the middle class. Congressman Paul Ryan led House Republicans in voting to end the Medicare guarantee, which increases costs on seniors and weakens America's great middle class in order to give tax breaks to millionaires, Big Oil and corporations that ship jobs overseas. As Democrats, we will always preserve Medicare, strengthen the middle class and work to reignite the American Dream by building ladders of opportunity for all those who work hard and play by the rules. The choice Americans are facing could not be more clear.”
Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty: "I think Governor Romney's selection of Paul Ryan is a terrific selection," Pawlenty told reporters. "Paul Ryan is a bold leader with great ideas for trying to get this country back on track, and I think he and Governor Romney together will make a great team."
Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee:
"We've had a lot of spirited but civil debates. He is a nice guy. It's just we have sharp disagreements on policy and campaigns are about the direction for the country." He added, "It will sharpen the debate in a way that will help the president. It will demonstrate clearly that we face choices. The Ryan budget is great for people like Mitt Romney. It stinks for the rest of the country. It is an uncompromising, unapologetic reflection of Bush trickle-down economics on steroids.''
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, Republican
"Mitt Romney has made a great choice in Paul Ryan. He is an accomplished public servant and a leading voice on the most pressing issues facing our country. Paul is one of my best friends in Congress and someone I have worked closely with as a former colleague on the House Ways and Means Committee."
Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:
"Congressman Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney are a match made in millionaires' heaven, but they'll be a nightmare for seniors who've earned their Medicare benefits. For the last 18 months, we've said Republicans will have to defend the indefensible -- their vote to end Medicare. Now with Congressman Ryan on the ticket, House Republicans face the one thing they hoped to avoid -- a national debate on their budget that puts millionaires first and Medicare and the middle class last."
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Republican
"I applaud Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate. Congressman Ryan's command of economic policy and the federal budget will prove invaluable as Gov. Romney fights to reform government, accelerate job growth and rein in the out-of-control spending that has been a hallmark of President Obama's years in office. This courageous choice is the type of leadership American voters deserve. And, I believe it will ensure a victory for the Romney-Ryan ticket this November."
Tea Party Express Chairwoman Amy Kremer
"We have been polling our members for the last couple of months, and Paul Ryan, along with Sen. Marco Rubio, have had the strongest support from Tea Party Express supporters across the country. Ryan is a strong fiscal conservative, and he has used his chairmanship of the House Budget Committee to address the serious financial woes facing the country."
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan:
"Rep. Paul Ryan's extreme anti-choice record shows just how serious a threat Mitt Romney's presidency would be for women…He has cast 59 votes on reproductive rights while in Congress and not once has been pro-choice. Rep. Ryan has also repeatedly voted to defund family-planning programs and supported the 'Let Women Die Bill,' which would allow hospitals to refuse to provide a woman emergency, lifesaving abortion care, even if she could die without it. It comes as no surprise that Romney would choose a like-minded running mate who is just as out of touch with our nation's values and priorities as he is. The Romney-Ryan ticket is dangerous to women's health."
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List, a national anti-abortion organization
"By selecting Congressman Ryan as his vice presidential running mate, Gov. Romney demonstrates his commitment to protecting American women and unborn children. A longtime pro-life advocate and a strong fiscal conservative, Congressman Ryan has insisted that there can be no 'truce' when it comes to advancing the rights of the unborn and achieving fiscal responsibility. He has a pristine pro-life voting record and will be an asset to Gov. Romney's campaign.”
Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Cecile Richards:
"Planned Parenthood is the nation's leading women's health provider and advocate and sees firsthand the women who are being hurt by the policies that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan support. We now have a full picture of this ticket, and it's deeply troubling for women's ability to make their own medical decisions and have access to basic health care. Just like Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan wants to end safe and legal abortion, would work to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood's cancer screenings, birth control, and other basic health care, and would repeal the Affordable Care Act, denying access to birth control, well-woman checkups, and other preventive care to millions of Americans."
Faith and Freedom Coalition founder and Chairman Ralph Reed:
"Mitt Romney choosing Paul Ryan as his vice presidential nominee is an inspired, outstanding selection. Paul Ryan is a rare and exceptional public servant who combines the courage of his convictions with a sharp intellect and a winsome personality. I have known him since he worked for Jack Kemp at Empower America in the early 1990s, worked with him in passing sound budgets in the House and am proud to count him as a friend. He is a person of devout Christian faith who has a 100 percent pro-life and pro-family voting record in his 14 years in Congress. He will excite and energize social conservatives, who will play a critical role in the outcome of the elections."
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
"Whether it’s outsourcing American jobs or picking his running mate, Mitt Romney's proven just how bad his decision making is for working people. Aligning himself with the poster-child for ending Medicare and social security puts to rest any suggestion that Romney has a clue what the middle-class needs. We're witnessing the radical tea party extremes drive its final nail in what was once the Republican Party."
Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper
"Congressman Paul Ryan is a strong choice for vice president, and his addition to the GOP ticket will help Republican candidates up and down the ballot...As chairman of the House Budget Committee and author of the Republican ‘path to prosperity’ that provided the blueprint for serious spending cuts in this Congress, nobody is more qualified to articulate a conservative economic vision to restore the American economy and stimulate job creation.”
MoveOn.org Executive Director Justin Ruben
"Romney and Ryan are the 1 percent Dream Team. Representative Paul Ryan is an extremist ideologue who wants to end Medicare, radically redistribute wealth to the top 1 percent, and throw America's middle class under the bus. Ryan's proposed budget would cost America more than a million jobs in less than one year. Like Romney, Ryan believes the poor and middle class should pay more so the rich can get richer. Romney's choice of Ryan is sure to energize MoveOn's more than 7 million members as we work to ensure voters know the truth about Romney and Ryan's extreme plans to demolish Medicare, raise middle class taxes to fund tax cuts for billionaires, and destroy jobs."
