Open Thread: Will Paul Ryan Play a Part in GOP Nomination?

By NB Staff | December 15, 2011 | 10:02

A A

In May of this year when Rep. Paul Ryan had released his budget plan, Newt Gingrich described the plan as "too big a jump" and "right-wing social engineering." Ryan responded, "with allies like that, who needs the Left?" Gingrich's campaign was nearly ended, and much of his staff quit shortly after. After a public backlash, Gingrich apologized to Ryan, but the episode still didn't leave the minds of many. Now seven months later, Gingrich adviser Greg Ganske says that Gingrich is in a strong position to win over Ryan supporters, but a new Mitt Romney campaign ad is hoping to prevent that from happening.

Do you think Paul Ryan could play a major role in who voters decide to support? Check out more analysis after the break, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

According to National Review's Robert Costa, there is a battle in the GOP primary for the "fiscal-conservative mantle." Many GOP voters respect Ryan, so any guidance or endorsement from Ryan could shape their views.

Ryan, the influential budget-committee chairman, may not endorse a candidate before January, but the competition to be seen as a Ryan ally is intense, says one GOP insider. Romney’s latest ads, the insider says, are part of what Republican strategists dub the "Ryan primary," with Romney and Gingrich eager to be identified as fellow travelers.

Gingrich, for his part, hasn’t backed down from the challenge, telling CNBC’s Larry Kudlow last week that he, not Romney, is the true economic maverick in the race, regardless of Team Romney’s snipes. "I was part of [Jack] Kemp’s little cabal of supply-siders," he said, marking his connection to Kemp, the late GOP congressman and Ryan mentor.

At the moment, it seems Romney is ahead of Gingrich, at least in the fiscal-conservative race. He met with Ryan in October to discuss entitlement reform ideas before penning a USA Today op-ed, and Ryan approved by saying Romney is "willing to be bold and specific on the big issues. Romney's new campaign ad only further highlights the importance of Ryan.

Gingrich supporters warn not to assume that Ryan and his supporters will not support Gingrich, pointing to recent comments by Ryan that he would happily work for Gingrich if he won the presidency. According to Ryan, Gingrich "misspoke, he acknowledged it as much, he said that he misspoke, and I’m just going to leave it at that," going on to add, "We all share the same end goal."

Do you think Ryan could have enough influence to sway voters one way or the other? Who do you think he would endorse?

NB Staff's blog
Login to post comments

Comments

Texas Sheriff Exam

Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 11:39am.

Texas Sheriff Entrance Exam:
A man in Texas looking to join the Frio County Sheriffs Dept. was being interviewed.

The Sergeant doing the interview says, "Your qualifications look good, but there's an attitude suitability test you must pass before you can be accepted."

Then, sliding a Smith and Wesson .45 pistol across the desk, he says to the man, "Take this pistol; go out and shoot six illegal aliens, six meth dealers, six Muslim extremists, six 'Progressive Liberal' democrats, and a rabbit."

"Why the rabbit?" the man asked.

"That's the attitude we're looking for!" said the Sergeant, "When can you start?"

A well regulated militia being necessary to a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Yeah, I think Ryan's going to influence things...

Submitted by PA Conservative on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 11:40am.

I think he's going to run! I think he is sitting on the sidelines, watching how this plays out. I'm sure he's not thrilled at the current slate of candidates. I think he's going to jump in sometime in January and, if he does, he will absolutely run away with the nomination.

That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government...

Queen departs for extended Asian vacation tomorrow.

Submitted by SickofLibs on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 12:09pm.

Hard-working King will take separate plane. Again.

⇒ SOL

Submitted by Cool Arrow on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 12:13pm.

Maybe Scarlett Johanssen is in town and Larry Sinclair Limo Service is available.

Too cold for golf.

It takes a lot

Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 12:58pm.

It takes a lot for this to happen, there are people that I'm annoyed with, disgusted with, fed up with, whatever, but I've never had someone make me physically ill to even look at his picture as I do any time I see his mug come across any screen somewhere. Put simply for those of you in Rio Linda, HE MAKES ME SICK! And if you liberal lot want to say "that's racist," I'm gonna say "so what?"

I don't even classify this worthless RBFPOSSOB as a human being.

-Jon

Romney ain't gonna win Paul Ryan fans

Submitted by kch50428 on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 12:19pm.

Try as he might, I doubt Ryan supporters are going to flock to Willard... he's too liberal for 'em.

Economics qustion:

Submitted by bkeyser on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 1:01pm.

The House and Senate are arguing -I mean, debating- a bill that would fund the Federal Government through September 30, 2012, the end of the fiscal year. Now, as I understand it, this would normally be described as the Federal Budget, which we know the House and Senate Budget Committees are charged with formulating. We also know that the House -under Speaker Boehner- passed a Federal Budget earlier this year after two years of abdication by Nancy Pelosi's Democratically-controlled House, and three successive years in the Senate under Leader Reid. Without a formal Budget signed into law, the House and Senate have been passing Continuing Resolutions and Omnibus Spending Bills to fund the Federal Government.

So here's my question: Why is this (below) the Reuters headline?

Republicans move to muscle spending bill through House | Reuters By Rachelle Younglai | Reuters – 26 mins ago

Maybe it's trivial, but it seems to me that this headline is purposefully calling this bill, be it a Continuing Resolution like the one passed in November to get us to December 16th, or the Omnibus Spending Bills passed in recent sessions to appropriate departmental budgets, a Republican Spending Bill. It seems a deliberate attempt to paint Republicans as big spenders. Yeah, I know, Republicans have been, and many still are, big spenders. But clearly the tone and tenor of the debate since 2008 has been limiting government spending and reining in uncontrolled Democrat spending, to the complete consternation of Democrats. This comes across to me as a blatant example of media bias- presented in a sneaky way to fool the average reader.

Here's another one: House Republicans Unveil $1 Trillion Spending Bill | Wall St. Cheat Sheet – 2 hours 8 minutes ago

How much is the Senate Democrat's bill? Where is the Senate Democrat's bill?

No...

Submitted by Conservator on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 1:49pm.

Paul Ryan's decision to teamed up with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on a new Medicare reform program is disappointing to me. The Democrats with the support of Majority Leader Reid, tabled Ryan's plan without a vote or even a moments thought of any compromise. Obama invited him and other Republican leaders to sit-in-the-front-row while he egregiously assaulted Ryan's plan without mercy. Now Ryan wants to break bread with those who publicly mocked him and his plan.

Ryan looks weak by retreating from his original plan when there's a great possibility that Republicans are just a year away from recapturing control of the Senate and the presidency - now's not the time to capitulate to DC leftists.

DOJ, Is now going international on Climatecrime.

Submitted by upcountrywater on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 4:49pm.

Climategate: Obama's boot boys strike back

I have seen apparent proof that the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Criminal Division, is working with United Kingdom police to pursue the leaker of the 2009 and 2011 “Climategate” emails.

I have learned that last week DOJ sent a search-and-seizure letter to the host of three climate-change "skeptic" blogs. Last night, UK police raided a blogger’s home and removed computers and equipment.

On December 9, DOJ sent a preservation letter under 18 U.S.C 2703(f) to the publication platform (website host) WordPress. This authority authorizes the government to request an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to preserve all records of a specific account for 90 days while the feds work on a warrant.

EDIT TO ADD...Obama's Justice Department joins Britain's 'Climategate' leaker manhunt

Apparently, that represented an abuse of the police power. No word yet if they are outraged by DOJ’s current foray or that of the UK raiding team.

You Didn't Build That.

HOLDER MUST GO

Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 4:11pm.

Not only must he go over Fast and Furious and the taking of sovereign states to court over laws he will not enforce he is now going after Sheriff Joe and Maricopa County. Seems to me like it is BS.

A well regulated militia being necessary to a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

rick---

Submitted by matthewdean on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 7:21pm.

going after Sheriff Arpaio is just another example of how radically different Lib-Dims are from conservatives.

It is essentially the same type of trashing the media engages in when going after Republican presidential candidates.

If they can't find an item to promote as a crisis, they will manufacture one.

"The credibility of the story is undermined by the selection of sources." - (h/t Jer)

Crony Capitalists

Submitted by lrgon on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 5:22pm.

The Mitt & Newt Crony Capitalist Show

Master of ceremonies: Shawn Hannity: "Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you the GOP's great white dopes, one of which will be the standard bearer for our party of semi-principle."

"First up is crony capitalist Newt, my personal favorite."

"Newt, is the Freddie and Frannie pimping, ethanol breathing woman slayer of the grand ol' Party. Let's hear it for the greatest flip flopper this side of FDR's grave."

Newt: "Ron Paul said some bad things about me that are not correct. I am actually a bigger hypocrite than that!"

Shawn; " I love you Newt, you are the great crony hope of the GOP." [tears, choke]

"Up next is my second fav cronyist. Ladies and gentlemen the GOP's mister plastic man, Mitt Romney."

Mitt:
"Thanks for those kind words, Shawn, I love you almost as much as I love playing the people for fools. I, like Newt, feel that Ron Paul is just out to prove that he's the only true laissiz-faire capitalist in this GOP race. And you know he is! But this race isn't about silly things like free markets and sound money; it's about fooling the voters to vote for another crony capitalist to go up against the king of the individual mandate.

"You know that Barack stole that idea from me, the individual mandate that is. How's my hair? I worry more about my hair more than forgetting my talking points."

Hannity:
"Ladies and gentlemen aren't they the best 'good Americans' in the field?"

"Oh, hi, Michele. Sorry 'bout not inviting you and the two Ricks and John. But we're honoring the two best crony capitalists in the GOP lineup. I know you said that Newt, or was that Mitt? Anyway, one of them is the 'poster child of crony capitalism.' I just gotta tell you are right about that, but you need to let us here at Fox spin the Newt and the Mitt."