Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his vice presidential pick shows a deliberate move to re-energize the campaign and appeal to younger voters and those who want to fix the economy regardless of party. It also signals a huge shift not yet seen from the Romney campaig – a long-anticipated move towards grassroots.
Paul Ryan is heavily favored by Wisconsin grassroots. He’s rallied with them across the state as they fought off special interests to save their gubernatorial ticket and keep forward on the path of fiscal reform. He made himself accessible to citizen journalists for interviews and encouraged them to keep on target.
Wisconsin activist Nancy Milholland rallied, went door-to-door, and phone-banked for months during the bitter recall battle. She says of the Ryan pick:
I am torn over the news of Paul Ryan becoming the VP candidate. He is a great congressman and we love him right where he is as Budget Chair. On the other hand who better to carry the vision of two choices for our nation? Barack Obama must be shaking in his shoes just a bit tonight, because he knows how well Paul Ryan can articulate the difference between an Obama path for Handout America versus Paul’s Path to Prosperity for all.
Tea partier Tamra Varebrook ran as a protest candidate in Racine County to force a primary. Democrats scratched their heads because she didn’t just run her name, she ran an actual campaign. Varebrook is thrilled that Wisconsin is taking the next stage of the battle for America to the White House:
Wisconsin grassroots has taken back the state from the grips of the union thugs by making history BLOCKING our Governor from a recall. Though Big Labor dumped millions into our state, we REFUSED to cower.We took the abuse, we fought the fraud, and we brought home victory. The right wing Wisconsin grassroots effort is unstoppable, energized, and READY to put our Congressman Ryan along side Mitt Romney in the White House. Wisconsin WILL turn red for the first time since 1984.
Wisconsinites on Twitter have remarked that they’re looking forward to the nation seeing what they have known all along about their Congressman.
Could this signal a move towards unification on the right? Wisconsin grassroots think so. It’s a divide that Democrats have worked hard to exploit, but will Ryan encourage a move under the big tent that the right needs to ward off the Obama machine in November?
Says Milholland:
Paul Ryan has been with us in the trenches. He has boldly put himself and his ideas out there to attacked and viscously twisted. I always tell him ‘Paul we have your back’ and I think he believes it. And we still have your back. If Paul Ryan is willing to make this great sacrifice to save our country, then we will follow right behind him and do what we can, with what we have, from where we are. This is a great representation of grassroots America.
During a rally with Paul Ryan on the eve of the recall, I said that Wisconsin was ground zero for the New American Revolution. Paul’s presence on this ticket proves it so, and he’s got the force and fury of the grassroots with whom he worked at his back.