Paul Ryan Says Romney Will ‘Save This Country’ - East Idaho News
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Paul Ryan Says Romney Will ‘Save This Country’

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abc Paul Ryan FF jt 110430 wg?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1337762399255ABC News(SIMI VALLEY, Calif.) — Rep. Paul Ryan, one of the top contenders floated in GOP circles as a potential running mate to Mitt Romney, addressed a sold-out audience Tuesday evening at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library, telling the friendly audience that he believes Romney will “save this country.”

The 42-year-old Wisconsin Republican, who serves as chairman of the House Budget committee, delivered an address titled “A Rendezvous with Reagan’s Legacy: Lessons for 2012.”  In a speech where President Reagan was named at least a dozen times, Ryan contrasted the GOP’s proposals to reform entitlements and taxes with President Obama and the Democrats’ policies.

It’s one of the hottest invitations in politics, and in recent years it has almost become a rite of passage for any politician seeking to make a mark in conservative politics.  Ryan was invited to deliver the address by former first lady Nancy Reagan, although Mrs. Reagan was unable to attend the speech per her doctor’s orders that she stay home and watch the speech from there.  Fred Ryan, chairman of the Board of Trustees at the library, said that Mrs. Reagan was in general good health, and those orders stemmed from an earlier health issue from weeks ago.

During a Q&A session following his address, the moderator wasted no time before he asked Ryan the million-dollar question on everybody’s mind: Would Ryan accept an offer from Romney to join him on the GOP’s ticket this fall.

“Next question,” Ryan answered to laughter.  “You know, that is someone else’s decision months away, and you know, that’s a question I would have to have with my wife before I have it with all of you.  I like what I’m doing, I’m doing what I’m doing.  Don’t underestimate how important Congress is.”

Asked what his sense of Romney is and whether he could be a great president, Ryan praised the presumptive nominee, predicting he will defeat Obama this fall and Republicans will “save this country.”

“He is a very sincere, very smart, very committed man,” Ryan said.  “What I see in Mitt Romney are the kinds of skills, tools, character attributes that you need in a leader!  He makes decisions.  He doesn’t pander.  So what I see is a person who understands the moment our country is facing, and a person who is willing to do what it takes to get out of the path we are on and on to the path to prosperity.”

“I think that he is going to beat Barack Obama and I think that we are going to save this country,” he added.  “And he is actually really funny as well!  He has a quick wit, he is a funny guy, has a great sense of humor.”

Ryan said that Americans “are uncertain and worried about their future” as unemployment and decreasing wages hamper economic growth, drawing on Reagan’s familiar diagnosis of what was wrong with America.

“In this present crisis, government is not the solution to the problem,” Ryan said.  “Government is the problem.”

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