Here’s the weird thing about Paul Ryan being named to the Republican presidential ticket: It’s all part of Barack Obama’s campaign plan -- a plan that’s working better than his strategists could have hoped. It could also backfire more disastrously than they have ever imagined.
I really don't understand why you choose Paul Ryan to be your running mate if you intend to run as the ticket that doesn't want to cut Medicare.
In my experience, you're actually getting a more serious conversation over the issues if you listen directly to the two campaigns than if you're reading about the campaign as filtered through much of the media.
Of the 71 bills Ryan has sponsored, only one is primarily designed to combat poverty. But that bill is pretty interesting.
If you assume Ryan's tax plan would not be paid for, then it only raises 15. 5 percent of GDP in revenues, and Ryan's plan is the single most fiscally irresponsible plan on the graph.
On several occasions, Paul Ryan has suggested he supports breaking up the nation’s largest banks to prevent future bailouts for too-big-to-fail firms. But he's never quite proposed a policy to get there.
With Ryan on the ticket, Medicare has moved to the center of the election. But in policy terms, it's Medicaid that's most under threat.
Since the Romney campaign wants to run against President Obama's cuts to Medicare, it's something of a problem for them that Paul Ryan's budget includes those very same cuts to Medicare. And so they've come up with a somewhat confused and confusing argument to distinguish the two plans.
We're starting to see some polling on Mitt Romney's vice-presidential pick. So, how'd he do?
Three years ago, Mitt Romney proposed a constitutional amendment that would say "the president has to spend three years working in business before he becomes president of the United States." That would disqualify Paul Ryan.
The Post Most: Business
Blog Contributors
Ezra Klein is the editor of Wonkblog and a columnist at the Washington Post, as well as a contributor to MSNBC and Bloomberg. His work focuses on domestic and economic policymaking, as well as the political system that’s constantly screwing it up. He really likes graphs, and is on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook. E-mail him here.
Suzy Khimm covers the budget, economic policy, and financial regulatory reform. Before coming to Washington, she was based in Brazil and Southeast Asia, where she wrote for the Economist, Slate, and the Wall Street Journal Asia. Follow her on Twitter here, and email her here.
Sarah Kliff covers health policy, focusing on Medicare, Medicaid and the health reform law. She tries to fit in some reproductive health and education policy coverage, too, alongside an occasional hockey reference. Her work has appeared in Newsweek, Politico, and the BBC. She is on Twitter and Facebook.
Brad Plumer is a reporter focusing on energy and environmental issues. He was previously an associate editor at The New Republic. Follow him on Twitter. Email him here.
