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Not really interested in your criticisms of the Ryan pick

Not really interested in your criticisms of the Ryan pick

Whether the pick of Paul Ryan for Veep was a good pick or a bad pick or something in between is irrelevant at this point.

Ryan was the pick.

The left-wing writers and bloggers are all over it, portraying the pick as extremist and a cave to the Tea Party and far right, with plenty of personal vitriol directed at Ryan.  And they have help from David Frum, as usual.

There also are fairly obvious attempts to turn Republicans against each other, like this argument by Noam Schreiber of The New Republic, Just One Reason to Pick Ryan: Blame the Loss on Conservatives:

Ryan is the way Romney and his aides escape blame for their now-likely defeat—blame which would have vicious and unrelenting—and pin it in on conservatives instead. With only minor historical revisions, they will be able to tell a story about how Romney was keeping the race close through early August, at which point the party’s conservative darling joined the ticket and sent the poll numbers into steady decline.

There are people like Nate Silver who are trying to give a serious evaluation of the pick, but by and large the mainstream media and the upper-tier left-wing publications are piling on Ryan to bury the ticket.

(Take heart from analyses like this one from John Fund as to why the Dems should be worried.)

So what about Republicans and other Romney supporters who don’t think much of the pick?  What should they do?

How about this: Shut up.

No criticism you mount now can change anything, and you simply are piling on not just to bury Ryan but to bury Romney.

These are not policy positions where there is a gradation.  It’s all or nothing on the Ryan pick.

Your either are with Ryan or against him.  And if you’re against him publicly, then you’re with Obama.

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Comments

Fight amongst yourselves AFTER we win the election. After Nov, we will rent a huge hall, and set up mud and oil wrestling pits – you can have a giant pillow fight, I don’t care. But NOT NOW. Focus on WINNING this election and saving the world.

    OcTEApi in reply to Rose. | August 11, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    Ryan will obviously be front and center in the campaign…

    We need to present a new cabinet countermoonbat each week to keep them on their heels.
    -hearing libs squeal is music to the ears.

Goodness gracious me – no complaints from this corner! Here’s how I felt when I heard the news:

http://is.gd/PwSZ2Z

I think I speak for a LOT of conservative ladies…..

It’s a done deal and whining about it won’t change a damned thing.

Cassandra Lite | August 11, 2012 at 5:07 pm

So Noam Schreiber posits that Romney picked Ryan so that he’d be able to say “I told you so” to conservatives when he loses?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…

    Cassandra Lite in reply to Cassandra Lite. | August 11, 2012 at 5:12 pm

    And then there’s this about Schreiber. He told us much more about himself with that ludicrous “insight” than he did about conservatives.

    He obviously cares only about his side’s winning for winning’s sake. Conservatives, especially in the Tea Party, would say to Romney: “We’d rather lose with conservative positions than win with Obama lite.”

    There ain’t a real conservative around who wouldn’t want to see the Republican establishment as it’s been for a generation or more go down in flames.

    LukeHandCool in reply to Cassandra Lite. | August 11, 2012 at 7:17 pm

    You’re a little bit tight with the “ha ha ha’s.”

    Agree 100% with the Professor. Our ship is under attack and if you’re going to sit here and try to drill holes in it, get the hell off!!

    If you aren’t happy with the pick and need to vent, go bitch to your mommy about it.

    Ryan wasn’t my first choice, but now that he’s the pick, I’m behind him 100% and just made a donation.

    Our money is tight right now, so I’m going to make a donation with every paycheck I get through October.

    The tea partiers will hopefully make this a repeat of 2010. I think they really need to get out and talk to seniors, especially in Florida.

      Milwaukee in reply to LukeHandCool. | August 11, 2012 at 8:04 pm

      The time has come for all good men to come to the aid of their party. This is an election that will make a difference. 0bama and his people are mean, dirty and desperate, lacking integrity and honor.

      I’m worried about what 0bama will do after the election, before the inauguration.

      Cassandra Lite in reply to LukeHandCool. | August 12, 2012 at 12:07 am

      Now that he picked Ryan, I can’t think of anyone else I would rather have had because this is a clarifying choice. Unless Ryan suddenly softens up, in which case hard-core conservatives won’t come out to the polls because they’ll feel that Romney’s mainstreamism has co-opted him, this was a bold and brilliant signal that the election is about something important: our future as a country. Bravo, Mitt! Now, if only you could govern with such balls when you’re elected.

      The Eleventh Commandment was a phrase used by President Ronald Reagan during his 1966 campaign for Governor of California. The Commandment reads:

      “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.”

      Let’s all pay our respects to our late President and follow his Commandment.

      Or, as Archie Bunker said, “Put a sock in it.”

9thDistrictNeighbor | August 11, 2012 at 5:07 pm

Bravo, Professor. What a mensch.

No complaints here either.

I have been a fan since he manhandled the manchild in the health care debate. Anyone who make PBHO angry is a friend of mine, that’s for sure.

I don’t agree with him on every issue, don’t agree with all of his votes, but the only person I agree with 100% of the time is myself (and my wife cuz she tells me I have to).

And to all of those Dems/media schills/pundits/etc. who are spouting off about this ticket being “White and Whiter”, just remind them that the Dem ticket is 3/4 white….

Math.
It’s your friend. 😛

I get the impression there is a great deal of fear and whistling past the graveyard coming from the left. I have been on the WaPo boards after a Jen Rubin column and the reactions from the left are furious. They seem to think they can “Palinize” Ryan and define him before the country gets to know him. Fat chance. Ryan is well known. Obama and Biden cannot criticize the Ryan Medicare and budget proposals without offering their own or putting ObamaCare and its costs of Medicare up for debate.

The Ryan choice for VP is going to force the Democrats to discuss the problems. Frothy platitudes will not do. Hence, the Democrats are rushing to take Ryan off the table, but it will not work. Game on.

    Tamminator in reply to RickCaird. | August 11, 2012 at 8:10 pm

    The left always projects who they fear most by demonizing them. The demonization started the moment Ryan was announced.

    Ryan was my pick, and I also picked Palin before anyone knew who the hell she was.
    But this time, we’re ready for the leftist attacks, and Romney’s camp is going to make their nasty ads against Newt look like child’s play in another month or so. They are not going to go the wimpy route of RINO McCain.

    I now believe that Romney truly understands how deep in doo doo this country is, and he will stop at nothing to win the Presidency to fix it.

    persecutor in reply to RickCaird. | August 12, 2012 at 8:46 am

    I love it when our “friends” on the left are concerned enough to tell us why Ryan is a mistake, rather than gleefully point out to us that Romney just did them a favor.

    It was said that National Review’s cover of Howard Dean during the 2004 primary season that had the caption:”Democrats: Please Nominate This Man” made their establishment sit back and plan how to derail him.

    I think the choice keeps the economy front and center and prevents Dear Leader and Joey from making some comments without inviting the reply that Ryan at least passed a budget.

My only complaint with making Ryan VP is that we still need him not just in the House, but in the Senate as well. He is probably the only guy that cloning would be ethical with.

    heimdall in reply to Neo. | August 11, 2012 at 5:36 pm

    No, we do not need him in the house. He apparently was TERM LIMITED at his position and thus would not head the committee for much longer.

    Don’t you think that he is much better served as president of the Senate than one of hundreds in the house?

    I am also glad Romney chose a house member rather than a governor or a senator. We need them and they are much harder to replace. The republicans have a much better cushion in the house and it is easier to replace them than a sitting governor or senator. We need to have Scott Walker, Jindal, Rubio, and Christie where they are at.

    Moonbeam in reply to Neo. | August 11, 2012 at 9:49 pm

    According to Wisconsin law, he can run for his congressional seat and for VP simultaneously.

Bit of fire in the belly there, Professor! Good! Bar-keep, pour me a double. Me-thinks it’s about to get very interesting.

    OcTEApi in reply to ALman. | August 11, 2012 at 5:25 pm

    So what about Republicans and other Romney supporters who don’t think much of the pick? What should they do?

    How about this: Shut up.

    LOVE IT.

      ALman in reply to OcTEApi. | August 11, 2012 at 5:51 pm

      Yep! From here on, it’s either get behind the ticket or get out of the way!

      Fox News could do a bit of “Shut Up” themselves. Why they’re giving air time (even if it is just to show examples of what’s in store) to Dem campaign ads attacking Ryan, I disagree. There’s plenty of news to report. This doesn’t need to be a part of the programming.

        Juba Doobai! in reply to ALman. | August 11, 2012 at 6:03 pm

        Have we suddenly lost the First Amendment after the pick?

        I get what Wm is saying, but IMO the First Amendment takes precedence. So, SHUT UP doesn’t work for me. Self-restraint does, but there is a difference between a plea for self-restraint and a command to shut up. That difference is constitutional. That’s why I don’t agree with the tenor of the post.

          Anchovy in reply to Juba Doobai!. | August 11, 2012 at 6:27 pm

          Sometimes you just have to row in unison to get the first amendment boat to shore.

          why do people think free speech/first amendment applies here?
          until the Prof becomes the government and passes a law on it this has nothing to do with free speech.
          its his blog, he pays the bills, and can run it how he sees fit.
          you have NO right to free speech here.

          OcTEApi in reply to Juba Doobai!. | August 11, 2012 at 6:40 pm

          Bearing the unmistakable imprint of Ayers and SPLC founder Morris Dees, Teaching Tolerance (TT’s) lesson plans contain reading materials and suggested classroom activities designed to steer K-12 students toward the conclusion that America is, and always has been, an inequitable, racist and sexist society.

          Friday, 27 July 2012
          Teaching Children Tolerance Marxist-Style

          You’re clearly not weighing the gravity of the situation we face as a nation..
          We’ve got a long way to go and short time to get there.
          Not to sound intolerant but PLS STFU !

          Have we suddenly lost the First Amendment after the pick?

          I get so tired of ignorant people making this ‘argument.’

          Congress shall make no law …

          Congress, ie the government. Not me. Not you. Not Professor Jacobson.

          Somebody telling you to shut your yap does not – in any way – violate your right to free speech.

          Got it?

    Rosalie in reply to ALman. | August 11, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    My very thoughts when I read the post. I’m starting to feel the same way. Our country is at stake!

David Frum and The Daily Beast .. precious.
..and what a jackhole!

IMO Paul Ryan will most likely be operating from a leadership position for administration budget/economic policy.

People…the living ones…SHOULD learn. I see Ryan having been though a learning experience since TARP. That thing had a lot of people buffaloed.

Following that, you can see a strong developmental curve where this guy went back to first principles in a lot of his thinking, wrestled with fundamentals, and came out strongly on the side of the Founding.

Plus, he can get mad. I like that in a feller. A fine broth of a bai…as the Irish would have it.

The VEEP choice always seems to set off this same storm in the GOP.

Funny now the Dems never have to face this nonsense. Why I imagine if the nominated a complete dolt from some small and irrelevant state who was the stupidest man in the Senate, it still wouldn’t get this kind of attention. Oh, wait. They already did that…

I did not expect the Ryan choice. I fully expected Romney to pick Pawlenty or someone very much like him. But the choice is not what matters. It is whether you exploit the strengths that choice offers. McCain failed to do so in 2008. We will have to see about Romney in 2012.

Funny thing is, when McCain picked Palin (and I really like Sarah) in 2008, it was not enough to get me to vote for McCain. But today, I actually thought, for the first time ever, that I was slightly less inclined to say I would never vote for Romney. And it is totally due to this choice.

Did you just feel the tectonic plates shift a little…

    Juba Doobai! in reply to WarEagle82. | August 11, 2012 at 6:08 pm

    But Palin still has more executive experience and a solid and proven record as a reformer than both guys on this ticket. Yet, that wasn’t good enough. Therefore, I must conclude you found her sex a problem.

      or mccain was just REALLY bad..

      WarEagle82 in reply to Juba Doobai!. | August 11, 2012 at 7:10 pm

      Do you get most of your exercise by jumping to conclusions? Or is your problem one of illiteracy? Either way,you don’t seem to have a very long attention span.

      I just said I really liked Sarah. And in fact, I was an early supporter of Bachmann and was disappointed that Sarah didn’t run.

      I am actually quite fond of their gender. Women seem to have done a better job of advancing the conservative message than men over the last 8 to 12 years.

      Sarah was governor for 2 years. Romney was governor for a wee bit longer if you are able to read so she doesn’t have more executive experience. But she certainly had more than Obama and was obviously more qualified. One only has to look at Obama’s results to see that has been proven.

      And again, either way, I find you tedious and annoying and couldn’t care less about your sex or your gender…

    Tamminator in reply to WarEagle82. | August 11, 2012 at 8:15 pm

    You didn’t vote for McCain? Hey, thanks for putting a commie in office “war” eagle!

      WarEagle82 in reply to Tamminator. | August 11, 2012 at 8:21 pm

      Figures “Tammy” would run by the chat room and stink up the place.

      I voted for the Constitution Party in 2008 and am still planning to do so again this year.

      If you have a problem with free people deciding how to cast their ballot, then I suggest you have more in common with Obama than anyone else here.

        Tamminator in reply to WarEagle82. | August 11, 2012 at 9:37 pm

        It also figures that an idiot like you would vote for a nothing in order to make sure that a communist in the seat of the Presidency of the United States of America would get four more years to destroy our republic.

        Nice job, loser!

        Tamminator in reply to WarEagle82. | August 11, 2012 at 9:40 pm

        Let me guess: Ron Paul supporter?
        Idiology over country?
        Again, MORON.

          WarEagle82 in reply to Tamminator. | August 11, 2012 at 9:46 pm

          And there you go proving you are arrogant, ignorant and self-righteous and obviously illiterate. You are a raving lunatic and you prove it with every post. You should change your gravatar to “PeeWee Herman” because it suits you more accurately. Dolt…

        I am looking at the Constitution Party this year as well. The selection of Paul Ryan was great, but the problem still remains the top of the ticket.

        Voting for a liberal Republican has usually led to disaster. See Richard Nixon (affirmative action, the EPA, wage & price controls, Watergate), Arlen Specter (who helped keep Robert Bork off the Supreme Court and eventually jumped back to the Democratic Party), Olympia Snowe (whose committee vote unleashed the Obamacare monster on the Senate and later the country), Ray LaHood (who defected to the Obama administration), Arnold Schwarzenegger (after a promising start led his state to financial ruin), and a host of others.

        Romney, with his stout defense of RomneyCare during the primary, strikes me as a man who will not make the hard decisions necessary but instead will tinker around the edges.

          WarEagle82 in reply to rec_lutheran. | August 12, 2012 at 7:54 am

          There are a couple of people here who just hate to hear the truth.

          Anyone who thinks Romney is going to govern as an actual conservative should he somehow win is simply in denial. (And somebody tell “Tammy” that is NOT a river in Egypt.)

      WarEagle82 in reply to Tamminator. | August 11, 2012 at 9:42 pm

      You know, the really incredible ignorance and arrogance and self-righteousness of dolts like “Tammy” really do stink up the internet. He is too full of himself to begin to think about his literally ignorant claims.

      In the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2008, if EVERY 3rd party vote had gone to John McCain, McCain would still have lost Virginia by 200,000 votes.

      All the 3rd party votes cast in America didn’t put Obama in the White House. The absolutely worst candidate running the worst campaign in recent memory backed by elite, establishment Republicans put Barack Obama in the White House.

      And arrogant dolts like “Tammy” think that swiping the picture of a conservative icon gives them the right to proclaim truth. He really does have a lot more in common with Obama…

        Tamminator in reply to WarEagle82. | August 11, 2012 at 10:53 pm

        You are hilarious, and the most idiotic poster on this site, but great entertainment to those who know how politics work.

        Thanks for you continuous insults. They are hilarious and stupid every time.

          WarEagle82 in reply to Tamminator. | August 12, 2012 at 7:58 am

          I can’t figure out if “Tammy” is the Headmaster at the “School for Village Idiots” or flunked out. Of course, it may be two sides of the same coin.

          Even doing the simple math from the 2008 Election is too much for him.

          What a dolt…

Good going-

Hey, anybody remember When Obama invited Ryan to his “deficit speech”, had him sit in the front row, then berated him?

Apparently neither does Google.

All I can find is this:

Joe Scarborough: President Obama Made A ‘Stupid Political Move’ In Deficit Speech (VIDEO)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/14/joe-scarborough-obama-stupid_n_849109.html

If anyone can dig up the video–especially the key moments when the camera cuts away to Ryan for his reaction to being scolded like a child, please post.

Point is, Ryan never forget. He’ll never say “Obama is a nice guy, but…”

THAT, above all else, is why I love this pick.

    OcTEApi in reply to Browndog. | August 11, 2012 at 5:56 pm

    I believe Obama slipped the middle finger while Ryan was speaking…

    I imagine Obama is checking his shorts quite often today.

    Conservative Beaner in reply to Browndog. | August 11, 2012 at 5:58 pm

    Obama was just returning the favor for getting schooled on Obamacare by Ryan. I agree Ryan won’t forget getting scolded like a little school boy for questioning the god like status of Obama.

    Just can’t wait for round three.

Well said, and I agree, Professor.

Keeping tabs on the “republicans” that espouse they are “concerned” the Ryan pick will alienate “independents”.

Watching you.

Subotai Bahadur | August 11, 2012 at 5:54 pm

1. He could have done better, but he could have done much worse as far as conservatives are concerned.

2. As far as policy is concerned, show me where the VP has ever made that much of a difference once elected VP.

3. The choice does fulfill one of the major criteria for selecting a VP that no one talks about. Life insurance for the President. Part of the reason you choose someone as VP is to terrify the opposition at the prospect of them succeeding to the Presidency by either impeachment or assassination. Think about it.

4. The goal is to rescue the Constitutional Republic by removing Those Who Are No Longer Our Countrymen from the Executive Branch. The goal is important enough so that even the TEA Party/Patriot Movement has to vote for Romney, even if he had named Beelzebub as VP; assuming elections take place. If they don’t,or if Obama steals the election, or the country is so lost that he actually is elected; then the moment that we know what is happening and the reaction of the Institutional Republicans, we decide what to do with or without the Republicans. If Romney wins, and Obama actually leaves office, then we will see how much if any Romney will push back against what Obama has done. If he does not, I’m pretty sure that the TEA Party/Patriot Movement will go their own way.

But that is down the road. First and foremost, we have to use the Second Box to try to remove the Enemy.

Subotai Bahadur

Absolutely right, Professor.

Give ’em hell!

My wife is a Wisconsin native. Terrific people.
Great pick for VP.
Landslide here we come.

Unless Ryan, and Romney for that matter, are evil, and therefore abominable, then we have to acknowledge there is no one and will never be anyone who will perfectly represent anyone and everyone. There is also the matter of divining intent, and addressing the dynamic which drives all politics. At the very least, both men do not expressly reject American principles, including a respect for individual dignity and the intrinsic value of human life. The rest is negotiable in degrees.

    RDA in reply to n.n. | August 11, 2012 at 6:17 pm

    Well Said! I have to say that I find it troubling that for the second presidential election in a row, I find the VP candidate for the Republicans far more compelling than the guy at the top of the ticket. That is a problem though for *after* November.

      n.n in reply to RDA. | August 11, 2012 at 7:29 pm

      Well, if you prefer Ryan, then perhaps his influence will act as a check on Romney. Competing interests (i.e. feedback) are good and motivate an optimal outcome, whatever that may be.

        RDA in reply to n.n. | August 11, 2012 at 8:05 pm

        Agreed. And I have to give full credit to Romney for “going big” on this pick. *If* we prevail, we’ll have a mandate for as much entitlement reform as the Orin Hatch’s, Scott Brown’s and John Boehner’s can handle. If not, well the people will have spoken, and we’ll all get to see what the implosion of the welfare state looks like from the inside out.

If you don’t want to read this wall of text, skip to the end.

I have to say Erick Erickson of Redstate is the worst with this. That website is the WORST with cliques and bashing of differences of opinion. He wrote a piece earlier today bashing Mitt Romney trying to crap on all the goodwill he is trying to generate with conservatives today. I say lets give him a break for now and go on attack against the liberals.

This is especially true of those at Hot Air and people like David Frum. SHUT UP YOU BLOVIATING WINDBAGS. IT IS DONE, we need to get better candidates next time to run against establishment picks or we CANNOT COMPLAIN. I fought REALLY hard against Romney earlier this year with my friends and at the caucuses here in Washington. But now it is time to unite against this President who is becoming more radical every single day.

We need to have this discussion about the role of government in society and jobs/deficit/economy. This pick solidifies this and gets the Romney people back on track. Just get John Sununu to respond to every question and bind and gag Andrea Saul and the other idiot Fehrnstrom.

QUIT WHINING ABOUT IT AND THREATENING TO TAKE YOUR BALL AND GO HOME. IF YOUR VOTE DOESN’T MATTER, STOP TRYING TO DEPRESS OTHERS WHO DO. YOU ARE GIVING FREE HELP TO OBAMA.

    Browndog in reply to heimdall. | August 11, 2012 at 6:54 pm

    Laura Ingram ate John Sununu’s lunch on the O’Rielly factor last night.

    Best part: When he said “trust me”, and Ingram countered with (to the effect), yea-just like H.W. Bush trusted you with the “David Souter is a conservative” Supreme Court pick.

    There will be a power struggle in the Romney camp, no doubt.

    But, that’s for another day.

    Today, we rejoice!

Concur. It’s also worth encouraging Dem friends to keep underestimating this ticket, just like Carter did with Reagan to win just 18 electoral votes, total.

Compared to the much-mentioned alternatives for Romney VP, Ryan is is absolutely the BEST choice that could be made for conservatives.

The alternatives would add little to, or worse – significantly diminish, Romney…

1. Pawlenty – being “the cure for insomnia” is his ONLY outstanding quality
2. Portman – another do-nothing Senator,
and the worst of the worst
3. christie – a leftist RINO who has NOTHING in common with any real conservative in America.

All-in-all, every conservative should be pleased with the selection of Ryan. And every “Republican” that publicly criticizes the choice merely helps confirm the idea that Republicans are “the party of STUPID.”

huskers-for-palin | August 11, 2012 at 6:28 pm

Just two brief points.

1. Lets compare and contrast (for historical purposes) on how Team Romney treats Ryan compared to how Team McCain treated Palin. There will be no Wallace or Schmitt so that’s a good start. Any this backbiting by some who still want to kick Palin to curb has got to stop…those are the ones that need to shut up.

2. Ryan was at the DC premier of HBO’s “Game Change”. Hope no one tries to zing him on that one.

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/washingtons-glitzy-debut-of-game-change_b67213

Spotted in the crowd…

Guests were a mix of media such as Politico‘s Executive Jim VandeHei and his nicer half (just joking) wife, Autumn, Patrick Gavin, Kim Kingsley and Mike Allen. We spotted NYT‘s Mark Leibovich, NBC’s Luke Russert, WaPo’s Ed O’Keefe and Jonathan Capehart. Others: CNN’s Dana Bash (who appeared as herself in the movie), as did her colleague Gloria Borger, Bloomberg’s Margaret Carlson, The Daily Caller’s Nick Ballasy, GOP Consultant Kevin Madden, and GOP media consultant Ron Bonjean and wife, Sara (a.k.a. the party hoppers), The Hill‘s Emily Goodin, publicist Courtney Cohen, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) Washington Examiner‘s Nikki Schwab, Roll Call‘s Warren Rojas, and publicist/Hollywood on the Potomac blogger Janet Donovan. Both US Weekly and People had reporters and/or camera people on hand. There were also German, Chinese and Japanese TV stations.

“So what about Republicans and other Romney supporters who don’t think much of the pick? What should they do?

“How about this: Shut up.”

People who want Romney to win don’t have to support his every decision. Romney needs honest feedback from conservatives. And if he doesn’t listen to us now, he never will.

    Browndog in reply to RightKlik. | August 11, 2012 at 6:59 pm

    That doesn’t make sense.

      I’m glad to see that most conservatives seem to be happy with Romney’s decision. But at some point, the honeymoon will end. I don’t think that criticism from the right of Romney/Ryan prior to the election should be regarded as betrayal.

      These guys need honest feedback and tough love as much as they need encouragement.

    He’s not the president now and, presumably, he did receive input before make a decision about his running mate. Now that the input has been tallied and a decision made, the process is over and we live with the consequences, both negative and positive.

    Life is an exercise in risk management. With respect to the election, let’s hope that our choice will reduce the inherent risk.

      “…the process is over and we live with the consequences…”

      No, the process is not over. The election is in November. Between now and then, Romney and Ryan will need to answer tough questions on issues like TARP, the auto bailouts, the tax on AIG bonuses, Romneycare, etc. Conservatives shouldn’t leave it to liberals to ask all the tough questions, shaping the debate to the liberals’ advantage.

        Henry Hawkins in reply to RightKlik. | August 11, 2012 at 9:18 pm

        Read the headline. All this thread says is that Romney is the nominee, like it or not. He’s chosen Ryan as VP, like it or not. And that criticism of those two facts is pointless and can only hurt the primary goal of unseating Obama.

        Nowhere does it suggest Romney or Ryan are above criticism of the sort you mention.

          By picking Paul Ryan, Romney makes it a wee bit more difficult for Republicans and conservatives criticize Obama for what he’s done with TARP, the auto bailout the tax on AIG bonuses, etc. Ryan voted with Obama on those crucial issues. That’s a criticism of Ryan and the Ryan pick.

          That’s not to say that Ryan doesn’t have some great qualities. He’s clean and articulate, young and good-looking and he hasn’t been afraid to hit Obama with powerfully substantive criticism.

          Yes, the decision is set in stone. But critiquing the decision from a conservative perspective isn’t going to hurt anyone. Let’s remember that we’re supporters, not disciples.

I cannot wait until Obama attempts to debate Romney over real issues. But now that Ryan has been selected, is there really any need for a Vice-Presidential debate this go-round? In all honesty, I see nothing but total embarrassment for Biden and the Democrats.

    caambers in reply to IrateNate. | August 11, 2012 at 7:47 pm

    I can’t wait to see Ryan debate Biden. Y’all come on over, I’ll supply the popcorn and beer. Every time Hairplugs stammers, we drink! I figure we should be hammered after 15 minutes.

The beauty of America is that we don’t have to “Shut Up” and fall in line with the party line. (At least until someone shuts down the internet.).

Attempts to stifle displeasure not so much at Ryan, but actually Romney or the GOP will not do anything but increase the sense of outrage that the REAL American patriots are having a another politician shoved down our throat.

That didn’t work to well in Texas the past two weeks (or Indiana) and will further cause the most vocal and activist in our party to fight Romney’s nomination.

It is called hypocrisy when you call out a liberal for turning a blind eye to the failures of their candidate, but some how it is “helpful” to allow ours to get away with murder?

Sorry. I’ll bite the bullet on Romney once he actually HAS the nomination, and not a day before.

    Henry Hawkins in reply to PolitiJim. | August 11, 2012 at 9:19 pm

    REPEAT:

    Read the headline. All this thread says is that Romney is the nominee, like it or not. He’s chosen Ryan as VP, like it or not. And that criticism of those two facts is pointless and can only hurt the primary goal of unseating Obama.

    Nowhere does it suggest Romney or Ryan are above criticism of the sort you mention.

    Tamminator in reply to PolitiJim. | August 11, 2012 at 9:42 pm

    Paulbots, in their last death throng, are here.

      WarEagle82 in reply to Tamminator. | August 11, 2012 at 10:15 pm

      Evidently, “Tammy” things the “Paulbots” are out to get him. Watching a couple of paranoids face off is always amusing. The only problem is, “Tammy” is all alone and conjuring up his own demons to fight. Shades of Don Quixote and “Der Untergang”…

‘Shut up’ works fine for me.

It was fine to debate/argue our differing opinions on who should win the Primary vote to run against Obama as all of us have done here and on other blogs. We covered a multitude of opinions including Romney’s religion, his stance on government health care, etc. in an oftentimes ugly manner because ‘our’ preferred candidate was a better fit to save America from the destruction that has been wrought upon us by the current administration.

Now the ticket is written in stone and any further crying that ‘Ryan was not my choice’ will just give more ammunition to the Dems to use against us and, worst of all, further feed the appetites of voters who will selfishly stay home and not vote or waste their votes on a third party candidate because ‘I don’t agree with…..’ (insert something here as silly as the fact that Ryan likes
Catfish Noodling).

http://t.co/e8vhe3Jf

Our nation has major problems. Let’s add up to the solution and not add to the problem. At least that’s what the bust of Churchill would say. BTW: We need to reseat Churchill in the Oval office.

Most importantly, we must guarantee that our children and grandchildren are not slaves on the Progressive Plantation.

Ryan IS the man for the job. The fact that there are side-show skeptics makes me all the more sure. The fact that there are myopic communist radicals running the country makes me rock solid sure.

Amen to this article. I saw a blurb that Michael Savage is already out of the gate with his criticsms. Why can’t conservatives learn that sometimes it’s best to put differences aside and shut up or at least be supportive rather than being complete bastardos and giving ammot to the proggies. It burns my bacon (and being a bacon lover that makes me cranky) when this happens. Do they think they’re doing any good? They may cause those still on the fence to either not vote or vote for obungler. Let’s get the moonbat Marxist out of the WH THEN we can deal with R & R. Now the Romney campaign needs to come out with a bunch of ads to counteract the left and fast. They already have ads calling Ryan extremist, radical, and so on. There are just too many people who believe the first thing they hear and nothing else gets through. We cannot let the left control the narrative and keep us on the defense. We have to go on the offense and make Obungler justify his 3.5 years of failed and catastrophic policies. Let’s rock!

It had to be said and I’m glad you said it, Professor.

This is the team – these are the players we have – now let’s go out there and kick Team Obama’s butt!

Personally, I’m very excited about this pick and re-energized about the campaign. Can’t wait to see how low the Obama campaign will go. The lower they go, the more scared they are.

Pass the popcorn!

I must have seen a different interview. Seems like Laura had to go back decades to find a well-worn and acknowledged mistake to use as a ‘zinger’ to top off her it’s-my-show-I-demand-more-time “interview” technique (not that she’s alone in that).

Professor Jacobson: spoken like a true law professor.

This is a GREAT day. I LOVE Paul Ryan and have been a Romney supporter since 2008. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine them both on the same ticket!!

I’m glad you took a stand, professor. We have to beat Obama. Period.
If you want to bitch about Romney, and Ryan, go to Huffpo.

We have a country to save, damn it, and even though I am not a Romney fan, the PEOPLE have chosen him.
You don’t like it?
Tough shit, you “constitutional” buttheads.
Obama has pissed on your constitution, and he must be removed from office, and if Romney and Ryan aren’t your choices, then stay home and make sure Obama, a man who HATES this country, stay in office.

“Not really interested in your criticisms of the Ryan pick”

As long as I(we) can continue to call David Frum an asshole!

TrooperJohnSmith | August 11, 2012 at 9:58 pm

If Romney had picked Jesus himself, the Left would’ve said, “Too religious, hates gays and can’t swim.”

TeaPartyPatriot4ever | August 11, 2012 at 10:17 pm

I agree.

The Paul Ryan pick, albeit a good one, is not the issue.. The issue was, and still is Mr Mass RINO Romney, just like it was with Obama in 2008.. The Primary voters listened to the Romney media attack ads, instead of Reagan Conservatives warnings about Romney as being too much of a progressive..

So now we have a progressive GOP establishment RINO for the Nominee. The VP pick is not, and will never be the main issue of contention. The only thing the VP pick does is either to reinforce the contentious issue about the Nominee, or gives some relief to the Nominee from the contentious his or her issue.

I this case, the VP pick give some relief that contentious issue with Romney as a progressive GOP establishment RINO, who will undoubtedly push more progressive policies, instead of conservative policies. But, this still remains to be seen..

TeaPartyPatriot4ever | August 11, 2012 at 10:20 pm

Made corrections-

The Paul Ryan pick, albeit a good one, is not the issue.. The issue was, and still is Mr Mass RINO Romney, just like it was with McCain in 2008.. The Primary voters listened to the Romney media attack ads, instead of Reagan Conservatives warnings about Romney as being too much of a progressive..

So now we have a progressive GOP establishment RINO for the Nominee. The VP pick is not, and will never be the main issue of contention. The only thing the VP pick does is either to reinforce the contentious issue about the Nominee, or gives some relief to the Nominee from the contentious his or her issue.

In this case, the VP pick give some relief that contentious issue with Romney as a progressive GOP establishment RINO, who will undoubtedly push more progressive policies, instead of conservative policies. But, this still remains to be seen..

theduchessofkitty | August 11, 2012 at 10:41 pm

I’m not complaining at all, Professor.

Twas a good pick.

As a matter of fact, was probably the best pick Romney could have made.

To go even further, I’ll predict a landslide for R&R vs O&B.

Dmcleo, you write, “its his blog, he pays the bills, and can run it how he sees fit.
you have NO right to free speech here.”

Yet, if Wm runs his blog the way your words indicate, he will have no commenters. That Wm does not ban commenters regularly or often, on this blog which often has freewheeling debates, tells me that Wm accords posters free speech rights. Yes, it is his blog, and yes, he pays the bills, however, he does not run his blog like a petty dictatorship. Instead, the blog is run in the most Liberal manner, implicit in which is th recognition of the constitutional rights of each commenter.

As some SCt. Justice once said about another matter, we do not abandon our constitutional rights when we sign up and login to Legal Insurrection.

What I find disturbing is the rush of some commenters to embrace the tactics of the Left in order for our boat to reach the Constitution on the shore.

I stand where I stand, understanding what Wm is saying but insisting that we must draw a clear demarcation line between requesting self-restraint and demanding people not exercise their right to free speech; for, if I have to say what you want me to say, then I have voluntarily eschewed liberty for serfdom.

I noticed that (the allegedly Republican) Mr. No-Labels’ comments section looked like it could have been lifted directly from the DailyKos.

So what about Republicans and other Romney supporters who don’t think much of the pick? What should they do?

How about this: Shut up.

No criticism you mount now can change anything, and you simply are piling on not just to bury Ryan but to bury Romney.

Sage advice coming from someone who was bitterly disappointed that his fellow republicans did not nominate his choice.

In other words, to paraphrase former SecDef Rumsfeld, ‘you fight the campaign with the candidates you have.’

Personally, I am delighted by Romney’s choice.

“There also are fairly obvious attempts to turn Republicans against each other, like this argument by Noam Schreiber of The New Republic, Just One Reason to Pick Ryan: Blame the Loss on Conservatives:”

And this would be different than every other election how, Professor?

Our Ruling Class RINOs do that with every election we dare to choose an actual conservative.

A Democrat got the Senate seat in Delaware not because Castle and the rest of the RINOs refused to support the nominee but because we dared to vote his RINO ass out and pick a conservative.

Same Old Same Old.

BRING OUT THE CHEERLEADERS!!!

But please don’t put Tamminator out there in twirling pasties and a g-string. You might lose traffic.

What’s the over-under on Biden getting dumped or, failing that, getting a bad case of lockjaw a couple of days before the VP debate?

[…] stupidity is such that even some usually smart voices are demanding critics “shut up”. That is starkly stupid. What is needed now is to recognize that the Mitt Romney campaign is at sea […]