On Laura Ingraham’s radio program Monday, conservative commentator Pat Buchanan called Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s selection of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate a “bold, brave decision.”
“In poker terms,” said Buchanan, author of “Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?” Romney “shoved his whole stack right into the middle of the table and said ‘let’s have a game of showdown here.'”
“He picked an individual, who is as you mentioned — he’s not only a member of Congress and popular up there. He is a thinker. He is an intellectual leader, pretty much, of the Republican Party on the whole issue of budget and debt. And what Mitt Romney is saying is ‘Look: This country is over-regulated. It is over-taxed. It is spending too much. We need to change direction. Here is the man who has fought through these things and we represent a new direction for America. And if you want to keep going down the road that has taken us to 42 straight months of unemployment and $5 trillion of debt, vote for Obama. But we’re going in a new direction.’”
Buchanan said picking Ryan has also excited Republicans and instantly gave the Romney ticket a “middle America” characteristic.
“I think this has energized the party,” he continued. “The tea party folks are excited. And you take a look at that rally out there — I mean, this guy is right out of middle America. How do you get more middle America than Janesville, Wisconsin?”
But the Obama campaign, Buchanan cautioned, will quickly take pot-shots at the six-term congressman.
“Now, no doubt where the Democrats are going,” he said, “they’re going to try to define Ryan as the Ryan budget in all its details, how horrible this is, etc. But you’re right: On that level of energy, fire, freshness and new direction, I think has Mitt Romney has helped his ticket enormously.”