By John Whitesides and
Matt Spetalnick
TAMPA, Florida | Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:49pm EDT
(Reuters) - Republican vice
presidential contender Paul Ryan promised on Wednesday that he and running mate
Mitt Romney would lead America out of the economic doldrums by making tough
choices that would generate jobs and strengthen the middle class.
Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman, will accept his assignment as
Romney's No. 2 at the Republican convention with the biggest speech of his
political career - one designed to fire up conservatives while reaching out to
independents still uncertain about the Republican team.
"We will not duck the tough issues - we will lead. We
will not spend four years blaming others - we will take responsibility,"
Ryan will say later on Wednesday, according to excerpts of his speech released
by Romney's campaign.
Ryan will join many of his fellow Republicans in criticizing
President Barack Obama, promising he and Romney will repeal Obama's healthcare
overhaul if elected.
"Obamacare comes to more than 2,000 pages of rules,
mandates, taxes, fees and fines that have no place in a free country," he
said in the excerpts.
Republicans hope to use the convention in Tampa, Florida, to
show a softer side of Romney, who has had trouble connecting with voters, while
focusing on his plans for an economic turnaround and criticizing Obama for
lingering high unemployment and exploding deficits.
A Reuters/Ipsos online survey on Wednesday showed Romney
already gaining a boost from the gathering. In the four-day rolling poll,
Romney and Obama were deadlocked among likely voters at 43 percent each. That
was an improvement for Romney from Obama's two-point lead on Tuesday and
four-point lead on Monday.
"The convention is being seen and heard," said
Julia Clark of Ipsos. "We can credibly say the slight change in the
numbers can be attributed to the convention."
Romney's selection of Ryan, chairman of the House of
Representatives Budget Committee, energized the party's core conservative
supporters. They love his plan to rein in government spending and shift
portions of Medicare, the popular health program for seniors, to a voucher
system.
"I accept the calling of my generation to give our
children the America that was given to us, with opportunity for the young and
security for the old - and I know that we are ready," Ryan said in the
excerpts. "Our nominee is sure ready. His whole life has prepared him for
this moment - to meet serious challenges in a serious way, without excuses and
idle words."
Ryan helps make a battleground of Wisconsin, which has not
voted for a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan in 1984. A
Romney victory there could alter the electoral map in a way that could hurt
Obama's hopes for re-election.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment