The Choice of Ryan by Romney, A Calculated Pick?

George Wenschhof

For Romney, his selection of Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) signals his battle with President Obama begins anew.

Romney, who has been dropping steadily in the polls, despite an unemployment rate hovering at eight per cent, needed someone with more charisma than himself, to refocus the debate on the economy.

Unable to shake attention from his failure to release additional personal tax returns and his dubious history with Bain Capital, Mitt Romney is hoping to focus voter attention on the economy, by choosing to cast his fate with his embrace of Paul Ryan and his austerity budget.

With Ryan and his proposed national budget, he gets just that.  Unfortunately, for Romney and Ryan, European politics of late clearly illustrate austerity measures similar to those proposed in the Ryan budget, have fared poorly among voters overseas.  A likely fate for the Republican party in the U.S. as well.

In addition to falling backward in national polls, Mitt Romney has consistently been significantly behind President Obama in the all important electoral college vote, where 270 are needed to win. 

RealClearPolitics.com electoral college count has it Obama 237 and Romney 191, with 110 undecided.

Over the next twelve weeks, the two campaigns will focus on nine states; Colorado(9), Florida(29), Iowa(6), Nevada(6), New Hampshire(4), North Carolina(15), Ohio(18), Virginia(13) and Wisconsin(10), which combined, make up the 110 undecided electoral votes.

For, the Romney campaign, they have to be hoping the pick of Ryan to be the running mate, brings home in November, enough of these states to win 79 of the 110 undecided electoral votes.

On the other side, the Obama campaign needs one-third of the remaining 110 undecided electoral votes for the President to be reelected.

The Obama campaign has already reacted swiftly, on the Romney vice president selection, with attacks on how the Ryan budget guts Medicare, a deliberate move to shore up the senior vote in Florida.  As, one can clearly see, from the numbers, Romney would have to win the remaining eight undecided states to win, a feat which is highly unlikely.

While, conservatives are giddy at the choice of Ryan as Romney's running mate, the pick may backfire and turn what is presently a close race for the presidency, into a rout by Obama.

The next twelve weeks will tell the story.  Stay tuned.

---

To receive "Daily Email Updates", from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below.