Ryan bashes Obama during quick stop in Cincinnati

10/15/2012
BY IGNAZIO MESSINA
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan holds up what he said was his lucky buckeye that was given to him by Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman during a campaign rally today at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati.
Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan holds up what he said was his lucky buckeye that was given to him by Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman during a campaign rally today at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati.

CINCINNATI - Paul Ryan rolled his campaign plane up next to a podium today at a Cincinnati airfield, spent nine minutes firing up a crowd of waiting supporters, and then took some time to serve a barbecue lunch before jetting off to his next stop.

"Chicken or pork ma'am?" the GOP candidate said repeatedly as throngs of supporters crammed together to get a glimpse of Mr. Ryan.

The brief stump speech for 850 people at Lunken Airport honed in on President Obama's record since taking office more than Mitt Romney's plan for the country.

"We have a president that came in with so much promise. He came in with so much hope," Mr. Ryan said.

"Unfortunately, what we've got now is a string of broken promises," he said. The Republican hammered the president on the deficit, Medicare, Obamacare, and joblessness.

"Thank you for what you're about to do. Because right here in the Buckeye state, you could make the difference," Mr. Ryan said. "This is the most important election in our generation. Let's get this done."

The Obama campaign fired back at Mr. Ryan, claiming he and Mr. Romney would raise taxes on the middle class.

"Congressman Ryan’s claim that Mitt Romney is offering actual solutions is totally disconnected from reality," said Danny Kanner, Obama campaign spokesman. "Romney and Ryan assert they’ll cut taxes, but independent analysis confirms they’ll have to raise taxes on middle class families to pay for their $5 trillion in tax cuts skewed toward millionaires and billionaires. They claim to be friends of coal, but Romney said a coal plant ‘kills people.’"

The quick appearance was inside the city limits of the traditional Democratic stronghold city of Cincinnati, but just barely. The event pulled many Romney-Ryan supporters from the Republican-leaning suburbs of Hamilton County, which is a crucial area where the GOP candidates are hoping to gather enough votes to help to swing the state in their direction.