GOP vice presidential hopeful stumps at Youngstown State in crucial Ohio

10/14/2012

YOUNGSTOWN — Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan received several standing ovations from a crowd of about 500 people at Youngstown State University on Saturday as he doubled down on positions he has held on key issues for much of his political career and throughout the campaign.

“We have a big choice to make,” said Mr. Ryan, a congressman from Wisconsin.

“This isn’t an ordinary election. We’re not just deciding who’s going to be president for the next four years. We’re deciding what kind of country are we going to have for the next generation.”

Mr. Ryan, with his wife and three children, told the audience of strong similarities between Youngstown and his hometown of Janesville, Wis., both blue-collar factory towns.

“Our part of Wisconsin is just like this part of Ohio,” he said. “We need a strong manufacturing base in America if we want a strong middle class in America. We need to make more things in America and sell them overseas if we want to make sure we can keep good jobs and prosperity going in this country.”

For more than an hour, the seven-term congressman and running mate of presidential candidate Mitt Romney berated the Obama Administration for what he termed out-of-control government spending.

He used PowerPoint presentations to illustrate the nation’s growing debt and increased reliance on foreign investors.

“The President had his chance. He made his choices,” Mr. Ryan said. “He came in with one-party rule, able to do anything of his own choosing, and just look at where we are now. Forty-three million Americans are struggling for work today. We can’t keep accepting this as the new normal.”

On the heels of a televised debate Thursday with Vice President Joe Biden, Mr. Ryan’s supporters seemed eager to build on the momentum. Before he took the stage, speakers praised him for doing a great job under pressure and not laughing or interrupting, as Mr. Biden had, they said.

Several supporters inside held placards reading, “The Mahoning Valley Believes.” However, on the streets outside the campus, protesters marched with signs that said, “Hands Off My Medicare.”

As the 2012 presidential campaign comes down to the wire, Ohio has become a battleground state. Both campaigns have been here several times in recent weeks, appealing to blue-collar voters who historically have sided with Democrats.

Carolyn Pytlik, 62, of Vienna, Ohio, said she supports the Romney-Ryan ticket because it understands economic principles such as spending less than one makes.

“They want less government and more personal responsibility,” said Mrs. Pytlik, a nurse anesthetist. “What they say makes sense. We can’t keep spending money we don’t have.”

Mr. Ryan is chairman of the House Budget Committee and is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax policy, Social Security, health care, and trade laws.

He was the driving force behind the George W. Bush administration’s unsuccessful push to privatize Social Security. He supports sweeping changes to the Medicare and Medicaid programs, opening Medicaid to more private competition through a voucher system.

The Block News Alliance consists of The Blade and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tim Grant is a reporter for the Post-Gazette.

Contact Tim Grant at: tgrant@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1591.