OPINION:
Mitt Romney’s selection of Rep. Paul Ryan to be his running mate is the strongest signal yet of what a Romney presidency would look like. It wasn’t the safe pick or the conventional pick. But it was the right pick.
It was the right pick because America desperately needs the type of bold solutions Paul Ryan advocates.
It was the right pick because America needs new leadership with the courage to confront tough issues and have an honest conversation with the American people. With 23 million Americans unemployed or underemployed and the national debt approaching $16 trillion, running a conventional campaign was not an option.
Unlike President Obama and Democrats in Congress, Mr. Ryan has been a leader on tackling America’s fiscal challenges and has put forth a serious, substantive plan to create high-paying jobs, stop out-of-control spending and balance the budget.
This stark contrast in terms of seriousness has been on full display these past few days during the debate over Medicare. Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan have proposed a plan to protect Medicare for those 55 and older and strengthen it so it will be available for future generations.
While Mr. Obama attacks their plan with falsehoods, he has offered no solutions of his own. In essence, the president’s plan for Medicare is bankruptcy. If that isn’t bad enough, Mr. Obama raided more than $700 billion from Medicare in order to pay for Obamacare. A President Romney, in contrast, would repeal Obamacare on Day One, including the cuts to Medicare.
Not only has Mr. Obama failed to show leadership on these important issues, but his policies have crippled economic growth and led to the worst recovery in 70 years.
For example,under Mr. Obama’s watch:
The unemployment rate has been above 8 percent for 42 consecutive months.
The average price of gasoline has more than doubled.
The national debt has increased by more than $5 trillion.
Median household income has dropped by more than $4,000.
One in 7 Americans is on food stamps — a record high.
For these reasons and more, Americans are growing increasingly worried about the future, more than ever before. According to a recent Rasmussen poll, just 14 percent of Americans — an all-time low — think today’s children will be better off than their parents’ generation.
Since our nation’s founding, moms and dads have always relied on their children having a better future than they did. That quintessential American dream is at risk, and it can be rescued only by electing a new president.
A second term for Mr. Obama would mean higher taxes, more wasteful spending and an even greater dependency on big government. It also would mean attacks on job creators and small business owners, who’ve been told “you didn’t build that” by President Obama, would continue. Simply put, we can’t afford four more years of this president’s destructive policies.
Mr. Romney, on the other hand, understands how the private sector works. He turned around struggling companies, built successful businesses, and created jobs. Now he has courageously chosen in Paul Ryan a bold reformer to partner with him to jump-start the economy and restore America’s greatness.
The Romney-Ryan ticket understands that a strong America is dependent upon a financially sound America. With a financially sound America comes new jobs and more take home pay for all Americans.
Just days after he was sworn into office in 2009, Mr. Obama said if he didn’t turn the economy around in three years, “then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.” It’s time to take him up on that offer. The Romney-Ryan comeback team is just the ticket to do it.
Rep. Michele Bachmann, Minnesota Republican, is a former 2012 GOP presidential candidate.
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