海角大神

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin said that given the nation鈥檚 tough fiscal situation presidential candidate Mitt Romney should offer voters a 鈥減ositive agenda鈥� for how to fix the nation鈥檚 problems 鈥� and that Mr. Romney has done just that.

Speaking at a Monitor-hosted breakfast for reporters Thursday, Representative Ryan said, 鈥淲e just can鈥檛 have an ordinary election where it is a personality contest and then you win by default and don鈥檛 have a mandate. We need to have an election with a mandate so we can actually fix these problems.鈥�

Ryan, one of most influential Republicans in the US House of Representatives, charged that in 2008 President Obama ran, 鈥渨hat I would say was a vague platitude campaign 鈥� hope and change. And then he gave us all stuff he did with the Pelosi Congress.鈥�

In Ryan鈥檚 view, Romney 鈥渋s stepping into the groove鈥� of offering voters a concrete, positive agenda for fixing the nation. Ryan cited Romney鈥檚 speech on Feb. 10 to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) where the former Massachusetts governor talked about his conservative bona fides saying, "I know conservatism because I have lived conservatism," adding that he 聽"fought against long odds in a deep blue state."聽

Ryan also cited a Romney speech about entitlements delivered Dec. 20 in New Hampshire where offered a contrast between an 鈥渆ntitlement society鈥� versus his preferred 鈥渙pportunity society.鈥�

Speeches outlining detailed plans are important, Ryan said, because, 鈥測ou鈥檝e got to prepare the country鈥� for the specifics of what you intend to do if elected. If you withhold information because you don't want to take the risk of speaking boldly, 鈥測ou win the wrong kind of victory,鈥� he said.