Paul Ryan Didn't Deliver Wisconsin or Catholics. Was he a Mistake?

[retromike22]

He did no harm but didn't help. I also think he was underused throughout the whole campaign and his wife was almost nonexistent on the trail.

[Blue3]

I think Ryan hurt... he wasn't a big factor, when you had so many others like the Auto Bailout, 47% video, Romney's hard-right immigration stance, the war on women, etc... but he was a factor.

Romney's campaign never expected Ryan to win Wisconsin either.
Ran from his plan, while embracing some parts, very unclear on the whole thing.
Ran from his record.
Bad convention speech, all those lies and the backlash they caused.
Bad debate.
Etc.

[LiberalJunkie]

The funny things is people with no religion won Wisconsin for Obama.

[J. J.]

Rubio probably would have been better.  Martinez as well (though she wouldn't have swung NM). 

[Marokai Backbeat]

He was a mistake from the beginning. He provided no benefit whatsoever to Romney and even theoretically I don't see what anyone saw in him to begin with. He's not a good demagogue, and his intellectualism is an utter myth.

[GLPman]

I'm not sure if he hurt, but I've said since August that there were better choices (Rubio, Thune, etc.)

[Zioneer]

Should've gone with Christie.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Yes, he was a mistake. See sig.

[LastVoter]

Yea he is probably responsible for Florida loss.

[retromike22]

I think any person who only got elected in 2010 would have not been a good choice. It would have been Palin 2.0.

I think the best choice was John Thune.

[GLPman]

I think the best choice was John Thune.

Agreed. Thune was actually my number one choice.

[tmthforu94]

I think Republicans have so much distaste of Obama that they would have been excited regardless of who Romney picked. Considering her convention speech, I think Rice would have been the best pick. I can't say for certain, but had she been chosen, I think different people would be celebrating and gloating on here.

[BaldEagle1991]

He wasn't entirely a mistake. He was wasn't as active as much. To be honest I hardly heard of him a lot compared to Palin in 08.

[pbrower2a]

Huge mistake. He never had an idea of how to win a statewide campaign, and eventually he returned to his level of competence and got re-elected to his Congressional seat.

Active members of the House of Representatives are in about the same position as big-city mayors: they need one more stepping stone for the Presidency.

 

[King]

He was the Republican John Edwards.  Thoroughly unimpressive and will likely be the third wheel candidate in the 2016 primaries.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Yes, Paul Ryan was a mistake. But so is the Republican Party.

[Wisconsin+17]

The mistake was the top of the ticket, not the bottom.

[Warren Griffin]

He was the Republican John Edwards.  Thoroughly unimpressive and will likely be the third wheel candidate in the 2016 primaries.

Yep!

[Ljube]

Should've gone with Christie.

[BM]

Ryan is a pathetic man and an absolute disgrace as a politician. He absolutely was a mistake, or at the very least, a disappointment.

The myth this man has created for himself has been shattered. I dare Republicans to nominate him in 2016.

[NHI]

The better choice would have been: Rubio, Thune or Rice.

[Silent Hunter]

Big mistake - the Ryan plan could be used against Romney. Also his House race ended up being closer for him than ever before.

[milhouse24]

He was the Republican John Edwards.  Thoroughly unimpressive and will likely be the third wheel candidate in the 2016 primaries.

I agree, too young, dumb, and himbo-ish. 

Rubio is also young and dumb, but he would have gotten more Latino voters.  Probably would have won the election.

[technical support]

i was happy when romney chose crazy paul ryan.

[Averroës Nix]

King has it about right, I think. There was nothing wrong with the Ryan pick: He made no major mistakes over the course of the campaign, and Romney suffered no real opportunity costs. (No, I don't think that Portman would have significantly improved his standing in OH, or that it would have been decisive if he had.)

Accepting the nomination may have been a mistake for Ryan, however. I think that he's undermined his credibility and has (deservedly) lost the affection of a large chunk of the media that had been enamored of him previous to this campaign.