Paul Ryan for President

    ”If Ryan does decide to run, win or lose, I will be behind him either until he wins the nomination and the presidency or ends his campaign.”  -Anthony Del Pellegrino, aka: Kempite

 

Reports have indicated that Wisconsin Congressman and Chairman of the House Budget Committee Paul. Ryan is in the final stages of deciding on a presidential run. According to The Weekly Standard’s Stephen Hayes, Ryan associates have been quietly going around and laying the groundwork for a run which has included establishing the deadlines for gaining ballot access to the ballot in each of the 50 states. Hayes reports that Ryan has been discussing the possibilities of running with advisors and close firlends about a run since last spring. He further adds that Congressman Ryan had been expecting Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels to run and he was looking forward to a Daniels candidacy. But after a call from Governor Daniels to Ryan to give him a heads about his decision not to run, Ryan’s thinking about a run for President changed profoundly.

Hayes also reports that a Republican source close to Ryan, claims the Congressman is;

“coming around,” and adds “With Paul, it’s more about obligation than opportunity,” says another Wisconsin Republican. “He is determined to have the 2012 election be about the big things. If that means he has to run, he’s open to it.”

For its part Roll Call reports that the Congressman discussed the matter with House Speaker John Boehner when the subject of a spot on the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction arose.

But Roll Call also reports that while Paul Ryan is considering a run for president he is unlikely not to run for the same reasons that held him back so far……….to avoid the fundraising and political demands that would keep him away from his family for extended periods. Another consideration for Paul Ryan would also be the possibility of losing the election and losing his influential position of the House Budget Committee where he is doing good and critically important work.

Much of the speculation about Ryan’s possible presidential candidacy arose from a talk show interview the Congressman conducted by Charlie Sykes, a Milwaukee based radio show host. That exchange went as follows:

Sykes :  “Looking at the Republican field right now, are you confident that the candidates there are able to articulate the issues of the debt and the deficit and the need to reform entitlements in the way that you want to see done?”

Ryan :  (laughing) “Why did you ask me that?”

Sykes :  “You know exactly why I asked you that question.”

Ryan :  “I know. We’ll see. I didn’t see it last night. I haven’t seen it to date. We’ll see. People’s campaigns evolve – they get better. So we’ll see.”

Ryan :  “Look, the way I see 2012 – we owe it to the country to let them choose the path they want our country to take. And I just have yet to see a strong and principled articulation of the kind of limited government, opportunity society path that we would provide as an alternative to the Obama cradle to grave welfare state.”

Sykes :  “Do you think that it is absolutely essential that there be a Republican candidate who is able to articulate…”

Ryan : (cutting Sykes off) “I do. Because this is how we get our country back. We do it through a referendum letting the country pick the path not by having a committee of 12 people pick the path or not by having just the inertia of just letting the status quo just stumble through by winning a campaign based on dividing people.”

Sykes :  You understands why people think that person should be you?.”

Ryan :  “Well, I keep hearing that. I’m hoping that people will step up and I’m hoping that somebody – I can help them fashion this. You know my story and you know my answer – and I haven’t changed it. We’ve got a long way to go. There’s 15 months left.”

The interview which was conducted last Tuesday, came before the official entry of Texas Governor Rick Perry, who as of today, according to a Rasmussen survey finds Perry the frontrunner in the race ahead of Mitt Romney by 11% and Michele Bachmann by 17%.

Whether or not Congressman Ryan believes that Rick Perry is the candidate who can offer the “strong and principled articulation of the kind of limited government, opportunity society path” that we need,  has yet to be seen, but either way, the Congressman can’t really wait much longer to decide. The very latest he can get into the game would be October. Anything beyond that will be placing any chance for the successful financing and organizing of a campaign a a great disadvantage that will be hard to overcome.

Much like Paul Ryan, my thinking about the Republican presidential race also changed “profoundly” when Governor Mitch Daniels decided not to seek the nomination. For me, Mitch Daniels was one of the best qualified people to address our predominant economic problems and was a candidate with whom a good campaign to defeat the President could have been built around. With Daniels out, and others like Sarah Palin not in, while I have found many things I liked about such people as Mitt Romney, I have not yet  been confident enough to throw my support behind any of them. But that will not be the case if Paul Ryan runs. If Ryan runs, White House 2012, the sister blog of POLITICS 24/7  will have itself a Ryan 2012 correspondent in me.

Paul Ryan represents the true future of the G.O.P. and as a fiscally responsible leader he is just what America needs. He is a new generation Republican, one who works from the premise of what is best for the nation, not for his poll numbers. That kind of thinking may not win a him the nomination through the type of popularity contest that is today’s politics, but it is the type of honesty that American voters should welcome and demand.

At some point one must stand behind what they believe in not just what they think will win. And beyond any shadow of any doubt, I believe in Paul Ryan , therefore if Ryan does decide to run, win or lose, I will be behind him either until he wins the nomination and the presidency or ends his campaign.