Obama and his media goons did not waste a second and went on the attack:

Quoting the New York Times? First off, they still exist? Second off, the folks over the campaign headquarters must really believe that Americans are stupid. What is next, telling us that Paul Ryan was actually video taped pushing an elderly woman off of a cliff? We are not so easily fooled.

What they are trying to do, and will be unsuccessful at, is position both Romney and Ryan as “radicals” and “severely conservative.” That is a long shot wrapped in a Hail Mary.The frustration many republicans have with Romney and should have with Ryan when they dig into his voting record, is that neither of them trumpet free markets as an actual solution. They look see government as an always growing evil that they can only wrangle not do away with. After all, Ryan’s plan takes 30 years to be balanced, adds $11T in debt, requires the debt ceiling to raised again and never decreases government spending, only slows its massive growth.

TheBlaze touts his position in Congress as a reason he should not have been the VP pick:

An incredibly strong fiscal conservative, Rep. Ryan is a leading voice in the war against wasteful government spending, a major proponent of tax and entitlement reform, and he’s an unabashed champion of free market principles. He is also the chair of the House Budget Committee, meaning he is deeply involved in drafting and promoting the Republican Party’s long-term strategies to balance the budget and reduce the deficit.

And this is exactly why we’d hate to see him get the VP nod.

The folks over at Reason disagreed and tried to make a case for him:

If that’s the case, why not pick a politician who actually speaks about reforming entitlement programs in a serious way? Someone who has actually come up with some ideas that reach beyond platitude? Rep. Paul Ryan, who was spotted pushing a frail wheelchair-bound elderly woman off a cliff in a political ad last year, is really the only person on the shortlist we keep hearing about who fits the bill.

…On the other hand, Ryan also champions a voucher-style reform and other ideas that are excellent starting points. If there is any time to champion free market ideas on that front, it’s before Obamacare is codified. His budget may be wrong, but it’s a lot less wrong than, say, Obama’s proposed budget, which would add $11 trillion to the debt over the next 10 years.

I think Ryan was far and away better than most individuals on his sort list. I would have liked to see him pull in someone that would have unified other factions of the Republican party rather just pander to the people who dislike him but would vote for him as the lesser of the evils.

I summed up my feelings here:

This is the first web ad the Romney Ryan campagin dropped after the announcement. If this was not produced by Michael Bay, you surely could have fooled me.

This all begs the ultimate question, does Romney finally have the ability to make Obama a one term president? The raw data is shifting every day. It is hard to say, but at the same time, I think that most people are frustrated. The Obama campaign is going to continue to make this about rich vs poor, where we are seeing the Romney folks place emphasis on how the middle class was destroyed by Obama. No one with their head on straight is going to say that Obama did not make things worse.

This is going to be a one of the hardest fought presidential campaigns in history. Just a few months away, and I am still not sure who is going to come out the winner; Obama or America.

There is much ado about the pick and their effect on the campaign and the ability of the VP candidate to alter the course of this race. While there are plenty of opinions as to who should be picked, no one seems to be asking what kind of candidate we need.

Two Vanilla Peas in a Pod

I hold the notion that the Romney campaign sees Romney as the premiere conservative in the nation. They might very be alone in that feeling. However, it is this hubris that will lead them to bring a Tim Pawlenty or Rob Portman. Two virtual unknowns who would not “outshine” the man who believes he does not even need a VP. They could tow the party and administration line with no qualms and never so much as a splash.

It has its benefits; keep the on policy and keep the focus on defeating Obama. This would keep the heat of the party and give it time to regroup, like it should have been doing for the last four years.

The Firebrand

There is something to be said about bringing in a candidate that can unite the party and act as a catalyst towards some much needed growth. Like I have said before, this election is about more than the presidency, it is about America having a party that believes in the founding fathers and the notion that man can indeed govern himself. We are fighting for the very soul of America and intern the very soul of the Republican Party.

Candidates like Nikki Haley, Bobby Jindal, Allen West, Marco Rubio and Condoleezza Rice bring the “diversity” points, ostensibly to fend off the mainstream media’s constant accusations of racism, but we sure as heck know that progressives will find away, especially the white ones, to cry racism. There is always Chris Christie, who will be an amazing debate partner for Biden and will bring back fond memories of the Taft administration; however his credentials as a conservative are sketchy at best.

The concern for Team Mittens would be that such a candidate will outshine the Romster, much like how Palin became the focal point of the 2008 election.

The Crazy Old Man

He brings the Libertarians, a hand full of delegates and would at least keep the conversation going. Sure, there will be in fighting, he cannot carry the torch moving forward due to his age; but mark my words Ron Paul as VP would be sheer game changer. The Obama/Chicago machine has had plenty of time to gear up for war against Romney, but they would never see it coming. It would throw them off their game.

I am no fool. This is never going to happen. But it would seem that the pros outweigh the cons, at least in the short term. Nonetheless, my money is still on Tim Pawlenty as VP.

Freedom is not the right to do what ever you want, is to do what is right. Who determines what is right? The state does, to the detriment of private citizens.