Mitt Romney introduced Ryan as "the next president of the United States." Whoops. He did come back and correct himself, after someone whispered in his ear.
August 11, 2012

Mitt Romney introduced Ryan as "the next president of the United States." Whoops. He did come back and correct himself, after someone whispered in his ear.

What can I say about Ryan's speech? There's some fear-mongering from the get-go. We're all dooooomed unless we give him and Mittens the keys to the White House, he says.

Then Ryan goes on to tell us that President Obama is too government centered. "If you have a small business, You. Did. Build. That."

That's a reference to a speech Obama gave in July. Here's the full quote from Obama:

"If you are successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet."

President Barack Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina released the following statement as Romney was speaking Saturday, reacting to Romney's choice of Ryan as his running mate.

“In naming Congressman Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney has chosen a leader of the House Republicans who shares his commitment to the flawed theory that new budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthy, while placing greater burdens on the middle class and seniors, will somehow deliver a stronger economy. The architect of the radical Republican House budget, Ryan, like Romney, proposed an additional $250,000 tax cut for millionaires, and deep cuts in education from Head Start to college aid. His plan also would end Medicare as we know it by turning it into a voucher system, shifting thousands of dollars in health care costs to seniors. As a member of Congress, Ryan rubber-stamped the reckless Bush economic policies that exploded our deficit and crashed our economy. Now the Romney-Ryan ticket would take us back by repeating the same, catastrophic mistakes.”

Ryan finished his speech, saying "I'm excited for what lies ahead and I'm thrilled to be a part of America's Comeback Team. And together, we will unite America and get this done."

Romney's usual campaign song, Kid Rock's "Born Free," began blasting as the crowd cheered.

The two candidates' families joined them on stage.

Full transcript of Paul Ryan's speech here.

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