Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Ryan Provides Little Bounce for Romney - If the Republican presumptive nominee was expecting a bounce from his selection of Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his running mate, it has not happened.  So far, the bounce has registered below the average bounce the selection of a vice president has received in tracking done since 1984.  You can read more here.

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First Lady Joins President Obama in Iowa - on the last day of a three day tour of this pivotal swing state.  You can read more here.

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Ryan's Position on Abortion and women's Health Issues Will Hurt GOP Ticket in Swing States - One of the bills he co-sponsored would define human life as beginning at the moment of fertilization — a far-reaching approach that could limit access to contraception and procedures like in vitro fertilization. It’s similar to the “personhood” approach, which voters in deeply conservative Mississippi rejected last November.  You can read more here.

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State Judge Won't Block Pennsylvania Voter ID Law - Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson’s 70-page order ruled that opponents of the law failed to establish “that disenfranchisement was immediate or inevitable.” The case will now go to an appeals court.  You can read more here.

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Federal Court To Decide on Ohio Early Voter Law - another swing state where a Republican legislature has cut off early voting on the weekend prior to the election except for members of the military.  You can read more here.

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Univision Calls for Latino Presidential Candidate Forum - in a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, Univision President Randy Falco points out the three presidential debates all have white moderators, in spite of the fact 20 million Hispanics will take part in determining the next president of the United States.  You can read more here.

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Republicans Concerned Ryan Pick Could Cost Them House and Senate Seats - in the battle to retain control of the House and win the majority in the Senate, the Ryan selection as running mate with Mitt Romney is proving troublesome.  You can read more here.

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Former Reagan Budget Director Calls Ryan's Budget Plan a Fairy Tale - In a NY Times`editorial, David Stockman, former Director of Office of Magaement and Budget from 1981-1985, says "Thirty years of Republican apostasy — a once grand party’s embrace of the welfare state, the warfare state and the Wall Street-coddling bailout state — have crippled the engines of capitalism and buried us in debt. Mr. Ryan’s sonorous campaign rhetoric about shrinking Big Government and giving tax cuts to “job creators” (read: the top 2 percent) will do nothing to reverse the nation’s economic decline and arrest its fiscal collapse."   You can read more here.

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Ryan Opposed Debt Reduction Plan Romney Uses As a Model - Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) blocked passage of the 2010 Bowles-Simpson agreement while serving on the committee.  You can read more here.

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No Palin, Christie Will Give GOP Keynote Address - the upcoming Republican convention will not feature Sarah Palin as a speaker.  Instead, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will give the keynote address.  You can read more here.

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Florida, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Connecticut Hold Primaries Today - Reuters.com has a look at the Congressional races here.

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Five Swing States Visited Today by Candidates - President Obama, Vice President joe Biden, Mitt Romney and Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) are in Iowa, Virginia, Ohio, Colorado and Nevada.  You can read more here. 

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First Lady on The Tonight Show with Gabby Douglas



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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Only 39% Feel Ryan is a Pretty Good or Excellent Vice President Choice - the Gallup/Usa Today poll shows 42% feel Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is a fair or poor choice.  You can read more here.

A lot of the focus initially on Ryan has been his controversial budget.  Sure to come from the Obama campaign is the lack of foreign policy experience from the Republican ticket.

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Presidential Debate Moderators Named - the three presidential debates and one vice-president debate will be held in the month of October.
 
PBS's Jim Lehrer will host the first presidential debate on October 3 in Denver, Colo.

CNN's Candy Crowley will host the second, town-hall debate on October 16 in Hempstead,

N.Y. CBS's Bob Schieffer will host the third debate on October 22 in Boca Raton, Fla.

ABC's Martha Raddatz will host the vice presidential debate on October 11 in Danville, Ky.

You can read more here.

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Obama To Announce $170 Million in Drought Relief - today, while visiting Iowa, President Obama will announce the Agriculture Department will purchase catfish, chicken, lamb and pork.  Obama also will continue to push Congress to pass the Farm Aid bill.  You can read more here.

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House Oversight Committee to File Contempt Case Against Holder - today, as expected the committee will file a civil contempt suit against attorney general Eric Holder for his failure to release information pertaing to the failed "fast and furious' program.  You can read more here.

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Egypt President Morsi Fires Generals - in the latest shake up in the newest democratic nation.  The top two military chiefs were removed in an attempt to consolidate power by Morsi.  You can read more here.

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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.

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