The American Tea Man

 

Everyone is cheering and praising Mitt Romney‘s choice in tapping Cong. Paul Ryan as his running mate.  But there are some negatives to this decision, along with some positives.

Let us first discuss the negatives and save the positives for last.

Negatives -

- Paul Ryan is the current chairman of the House Budget Committee.  It would hurt to lose him since he is a strong person in Congress.

- Ryan has voted for such things as TARP and No Child Left Behind, among some other things.  This may become a target on the Democrat side to dissuade some conservative voters from voting for the ticket.

- He has very little foreign policy experience.  This is something that he needs to build up fast to prepare for the debates.

- Ryan worked closely with former Pres. Bush in voting for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.  Both known to be target points used by the left.

- Voted for the auto industry bailout, and also voted to raise the deficit.

- He has had some struggle between him and the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) on his budget plan.  The bishops have a problem with his cut to Food stamps, health care for children and the disabled, and social programs.

- He is viewed by some as a follower of Ayn Rand, the founder of the Objectivist movement.  Though this point depends on how you view Rand.  Since she seems to be viewed as a negative or a positive influence, depending on what conservative you talk to.

- It will be harder for him to rally the conservative base due to his past voting on the deficit and other important issues.

Positives -

- Cong. Ryan was raised in the Catholic church by his parents.  He has kept his faith and made it his own.

- He is committed to being Pro-Life, and wants to make abortions illegal.  He voted in support of legislation that would impose criminal penalties for certain doctors who perform partial-birth abortions.

- Ryan voted to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood and Title X Family planning programs.

- He voted in favor of cutting federal funding for NPR.

- He has worked to try to privatize social security.

- Ryan is opposed to same-sex marriage and is in favor of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

- He voted against the DREAM Act, the Affordable Health Care Act and SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act).

- Ryan is a gun owner and a strong advocate of gun owners rights.  He voted against a bill for stronger background check requirements for purchases at gun shows and supports federal concealed-carry reciprocity legislation, which would allow a person with a permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state to carry a firearm in every other state.

- Ryan cosponsored the Sanctity of Life Act, which would  provide that fertilized eggs “shall have all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood” and would have given “the Congress, each State, the District of Columbia, and all United States territories [have] the authority to protect the lives of all human beings residing in its respective jurisdictions.”  The bill was reintroduced by Rep. Ron Paul in 2005 with similar text.

Ryan does have his ups and downs.  He is not the perfect politician, then again you can never find a perfect politician.

And while there where better choices for vice president, such as Cong. Allen West, Rick Santorum and other conservative/Tea Party leaders.  Cong. Ryan is still a good choice.  He will just have to do a lot explaining on past ‘YEA’ votes that he cast on some unsavory pieces of legislation.

We shall see in the coming weeks how Ryan will handle a 24/7 national media spotlight, along with the scrutiny that comes along with such attention.  There is no doubt that he will out debate our current Vice President Joe Biden.  But his big push will be to reach out to the American people, out to the average voter who may stay at home instead of voting.

Something that Romney has been lacking is energy and enthusiasm for the election and for a victory.  Hopefully this too is something that Paul Ryan can bring on the campaign trail.

Related articles

• VIDEO: Sean Hannity’s Exclusive Interview With Paul Ryan (foxnewsinsider.com)