There was lots of excitement and high-fiving following Mitt Romney’s selection of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate. Many Republicans were excited, too.
The clearest trouble sign for Republicans is the symmetry of reaction to Ryan, with Democrats and liberal-leaning pundits and policy groups as giddy over his selection as the true-believers on the right who think the GOP ticket now has a heartbeat.
Suffice it to say that as far as GOP vice presidential picks go, Ryan, author of a House budget plan that would not only end Medicare and Medicaid as we know but end any mystery about Romney’s tax bill by effectively putting him in the zero percent bracket, is no Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Thomas Edsall, writing on the New York Times website, has a round-up of reaction to the Ryan pick under the headline “Paul Ryan’s Liberal Fan Club.” Conservative voices ranging from the National Review to the Wall Street Journal had been bemoaning the Romney candidacy right up until the Ryan news broke. Only last week, National Review editor Rich Lowry wrote, “At times over the past few months, it has seemed that the Romney campaign has embarked on audacious experiment to see if it’s possible to run a presidential campaign devoid of real interest.” Suddenly there is palpable enthusiasm on the right. By Saturday morning, National Review editors had posted a gushing editorial whose headline pronounced the Romeny-Ryan combo “Just The Ticket.”
Democrats couldn’t agree more. To have a guy on the ticket who spells out concretely what they have said the Romney candidacy is all about brings a welcome clarity to the race, as far as the Obama campaign is concerned. “The Ryan budget is one of the most toxic documents that a political party has ever embraced,” said former Obama deputy press secretary Bill Burton, now with the liberal super-PAC Priorities USA. “Robin Hood in reverse — on steroids” is how the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities describes the budget plan.
Then there is Charlie Pierce, erstwhile Globe staffer who is now telling us what he really thinks on his politics blog for Esquire:
“Leave it to Willard Romney, international man of principle, to get himself bullied into being bold and independent. Make no mistake. In his decision to make Paul Ryan, the zombie-eyed granny-starver from Wisconsin, his running mate, Romney finally surrendered the tattered remnants of his soul not only to the extreme base of his party, but also to extremist economic policies, and to an extremist view of the country he seeks to lead.”
Leaving aside the sharp-edged commentary aside, Nate Silver of the Times offers an excellent and dispassionate appraisal of the development, explaining why the risky Ryan pick almost surely signals that the Romney campaign felt it was heretofore in a “losing position” to Obama.
Both sides see reason to celebrate. They can’t both be right. Forty-eight hours into this new phase of the campaign, it sure looks more likely that Romney’s move will mean Democrats will be the ones popping corks on November 6.
–MICHAEL JONAS
BEACON HILL
The Salem News reports on the race for seats on the Governor’s Council, and explores whether the Council should remain in existence at all.
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
A Quincy city councilor alleges in a deposition that an Asian supermarket owner attempted to bribe him for his support to open a store in his district.
The Brockton Park Superintendent is seeking a one-year residency extension from the City Council because he would lose money if he was forced to sell his home in East Bridgewater during the current housing slump.
The city of Lynn’s pitbull registration law might not stand up to a court challenge in its current form, the Daily Item reports. State law forbids cities and towns from passing regulations that are specific to a particular breed.
The Salem News calls on NOAA to stop ignoring Massachusetts’ request for an economic disaster declaration in its groundfisheries.
Leaders from towns that have abandoned Town Meeting as a form of government say they are happy with the increased efficiencies they have seen, the MetroWest Daily News reports.
ELECTION 2012
The editors at the National Review says Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his veep partner will bring “The Return of Mediscare” from the Democrats, which apparently is different from “death panels.” The American Spectator says the selection allows Romney to put his errant Massachusetts past (read: Romneycare) behind him. WBUR talks to voters in the swing state of New Hampshire who say Romney’s choice won’t change their votes. The Wall Street Journal, which had editorialized in favor of Ryan, praises Romney’s choice. The Journal and the New York Times profile the origins of Ryan’s self reliance theory. The Times argues that the Obama campaign is thrilled with the pick, because now it gets to bludgeon a juicy target, and a politician a politician the president loves to criticize. As if to prove the point, the Times throws in an editorial and a Bill Keller column ripping Ryan. The Atlantic welcomes Ryan to the race with the ultimate GOP indignity — suggesting he wouldn’t qualify as an Ayn Rand hero. The Atlantic also does some math, and calculates that under Ryan’s proposed tax plan, Romney would have paid practically nothing — a tax rate of 0.82. Rep. David Linsky and Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian hop in a bus and follow the Romney campaign down the east coast.
The Beat the Press panel wonders if Joseph Kennedy III is avoiding the media.
The Eagle Tribune reports on a potentially close primary between incumbent state Rep. David Torrisi and his primary challenger, former State House aide Diana DiZoglio.
Democrats are looking to shift the focus from Congressman Tierney’s ethics troubles to opponent Richard Tisei with a new website aimed at questioning the business practices of a home inspection company run by Tisei’s parents.
Scott Brown may be the Republican senator from Massachusetts, but you wouldn’t know that from seeing any of his recent campaign ads.
LOTTERY
Former Brockton police chief Richard Sproules, who spent two years in jail for stealing cocaine from the police station evidence room, hit the jackpot when he won $1 million on a $10 scratch ticket last week.
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
Local retailers say the tax-free weekend was a definite boost to business.
Cattle ranchers are being forced to sell some of their herd due to the drought’s impact on the availability of feed, the Springfield Republican reports.
The Cape Cod Times talks to students from China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan who are filling temporary jobs on the Cape for the summer.
New York magazine spends two hours with embattled JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon.
HEALTH CARE
Lyme disease. EEE, West Nile Virus. Add another insect bite to your Fear Factor list: Babesiosis, a tick-borne illness that can do some serious damage and is on the increase in Massachusetts.
TRANSPORTATION
The federal Transportation Security Administration is launching an investigation following allegations from 30 TSA employees that the agency engages is widespread racial profiling at Logan Airport.
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
The appearance of rust-colored algae in Buzzards Bay has environmental officials concerned that the blooms caused by nitrogen pollution could kill off fish and shellfish.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
The tally from a bloody Sunday in Boston: three dead, seven wounded in three different shootings.
Chad Johnson, the former New England Patriots receiver formerly known as Chad Ochocinco, was released by the Miami Dolphins after being arrested on domestic violence charges over the weekend.
MEDIA
Bob Ryan’s farewell: Hub sports scribe bids sports fans adieu.