The following is an excerpt from a transcript of Rep. Paul Ryan's remarks Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention.
... I'm the newcomer to
the campaign, so let me share a first impression. I have never seen
opponents so silent about their record, and so desperate to keep their
power.
They've run out of ideas. Their moment came and went. Fear and division are all they've got left.
With
all their attack ads, the president is just throwing away money- and
he's pretty experienced at that. You see, some people can't be dragged
down by the usual cheap tactics, because their ability, character, and
plain decency are so obvious- and ladies and gentlemen, that is Mitt
Romney.
For my part, your nomination is an
unexpected turn. It certainly came as news to my family, and I'd like
you to meet them: My wife Janna, our daughter Liza, and our boys Charlie
and Sam.
The kids are happy to see their grandma, who lives in Florida. There she is- my Mom, Betty.
My
dad, a small-town lawyer, was also named Paul. Until we lost him when I
was 16, he was a gentle presence in my life. I like to think he'd be
proud of me and my sister and brothers, because I'm sure proud of him
and of where I come from, Janesville, Wisconsin.
I live on the same block where I grew up. We belong to the same parish where I was baptized. Janesville is that kind of place.
The
people of Wisconsin have been good to me. I've tried to live up to
their trust. And now I ask those hardworking men and women, and millions
like them across America, to join our cause and get this country
working again.
When Governor Romney asked me to join the ticket, I said, "Let's get this done"- and that is exactly, what we're going to do.
President
Barack Obama came to office during an economic crisis, as he has
reminded us a time or two. Those were very tough days, and any fair
measure of his record has to take that into account. My home state voted
for President Obama. When he talked about change, many people liked the
sound of it, especially in Janesville, where we were about to lose a
major factory.
A lot of guys I went to high
school with worked at that GM plant. Right there at that plant,
candidate Obama said: "I believe that if our government is there to
support you. this plant will be here for another hundred years." That's
what he said in 2008.
Well, as it turned out,
that plant didn't last another year. It is locked up and empty to this
day. And that's how it is in so many towns today, where the recovery
that was promised is nowhere in sight.
Right
now, 23 million men and women are struggling to find work. Twenty-three
million people, unemployed or underemployed. Nearly one in six Americans
is living in poverty. Millions of young Americans have graduated from
college during the Obama presidency, ready to use their gifts and get
moving in life. Half of them can't find the work they studied for, or
any work at all.
So here's the question: Without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be any different from the last four years?
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