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Was it a good pick?
Not great. Because of his age, Ryan looks a lot like a sidekick, an understudy. This historically does not turn out well; as witness Ferraro, Quayle, Palin. Nor, I suspect, should it, for it suggests the presidential nominee may not choose the best people for the jobs in his cabinet and judiciary. On the other hand, Ryan is not coming from obscurity. Despite his youth, unlike Ferraro, Quayle, or Palin, he is a genuine star in the Republican party.
I worry too that Ryan does not balance Romney well in terms of expertise. He's another numbers guy, his reputation built on budgeting. This is all very well if Romney can count on the economy remaining the central issue in the campaign. But can he? What happens if, as is entirely possible, either Israel or the US strikes at the Iranian nuclear facilities between now and November? Suddenly foreign policy matters too, and Romney-Ryan do not have the natural authority there.
Others point out that Ryan has a detailed record on budgeting that can now be attacked. Just so. Former prominent finance ministers do not have a terribly good record, in England or Canada, when then running in the top spot. They have too often needed to be the bearers of grim truths; they can always be saddled with this or that unpopular tax. Think of John Turner, Paul Martin, Gordon Brown.
Not great. Because of his age, Ryan looks a lot like a sidekick, an understudy. This historically does not turn out well; as witness Ferraro, Quayle, Palin. Nor, I suspect, should it, for it suggests the presidential nominee may not choose the best people for the jobs in his cabinet and judiciary. On the other hand, Ryan is not coming from obscurity. Despite his youth, unlike Ferraro, Quayle, or Palin, he is a genuine star in the Republican party.
I worry too that Ryan does not balance Romney well in terms of expertise. He's another numbers guy, his reputation built on budgeting. This is all very well if Romney can count on the economy remaining the central issue in the campaign. But can he? What happens if, as is entirely possible, either Israel or the US strikes at the Iranian nuclear facilities between now and November? Suddenly foreign policy matters too, and Romney-Ryan do not have the natural authority there.
Others point out that Ryan has a detailed record on budgeting that can now be attacked. Just so. Former prominent finance ministers do not have a terribly good record, in England or Canada, when then running in the top spot. They have too often needed to be the bearers of grim truths; they can always be saddled with this or that unpopular tax. Think of John Turner, Paul Martin, Gordon Brown.
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