Romney's VP Pick Changes the Race

The Foundation

"I suppose, indeed, that in public life, a man whose political principles have any decided character and who has energy enough to give them effect must always expect to encounter political hostility from those of adverse principles." --Thomas Jefferson


Romney-Ryan

Political Futures

"In 'Reflections on the Revolution in France,' [Edmund Burke] wrote, 'Circumstances (which with some gentlemen pass for nothing) give in reality to every political principle its distinguishing color and discriminating effect. The circumstances are what render every civil and political scheme beneficial or noxious to mankind.' That's what Republicans and especially conservatives in this heady moment have to keep in mind: the circumstances. ... Republicans know how meaningful this campaign became when [Paul] Ryan was picked [as Mitt Romney's running mate]: He changed its subject matter just by showing up. And he is right in his central insight, which is his central political reason for being: America, to be strong again, must get its spending and revenues more closely aligned. ... But Republicans must understand, also, that the race probably just became more of an uphill battle, because Paul Ryan has been very specific about what must and can be done. ... Republicans should keep this picture in mind. There's a woman on a porch in eastern Ohio and she has a dog and likes guns and supports the NRA and sees herself as more or less conservative. She assumed she'd vote for Romney and not that big loser in the White House. But she's hearing about Ryan and she's hearing the word 'cuts.' She knows spending is out of control and she's worried about deficits and debt. But she's on disability and her husband's illness is being handled by Medicare, and she's wondering: 'Do these guys really understand my life? Do they know how it is for us?' ... Ryan is associated with the word cutting. Republicans will have to make people believe the word to associate with him is 'saving'.... Republicans have just a few weeks to get across ... that they're trying to save Medicare, not kill it, that they're the lifeguard, not the shark. ... An old cliché of politics has never been truer: 'They don't care what you know unless they know that you care.' Or, it's the circumstances, stupid." --columnist Peggy Noonan

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