With headlines like these, it’s no wonder Team Mitt is setting up a no-fly zone in Florida for Paul Ryan…
Top Tweet: @davidaxelrod: Rather than vouch for Ryan on Medicare, Team Mitt sets up no-fly zone in Florida and sends new VP pick to Iowa. bit.ly/QrsNFj
BuzzFeed: Ryan Skips Florida, Will Focus On Great Lakes States. “Ryan will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to visit the state fair on Monday, while Romney will continue his swing state bus tour with a stop in Florida. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will part ways until the Republican convention at a rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin just a day after the pair joined up.”
Miami Herald: Ryan could be a drag on Romney in Florida. “Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman, is the architect of the Ryan budget plan that makes big changes to Medicare and Medicaid and could allow for some privatization of Social Security. And that’s widely seen as a politically risky stance in Florida, a must-win state for Republicans. Ryan might have another Florida problem: He once opposed the U.S. embargo on Cuba, a now-reversed stance that concerns some in Miami-Dade’s exile community, which is overwhelmingly Republican and had hoped that one of its own, Sen. Marco Rubio, would have been picked as Romney’s running mate. The county’s elderly Cuban population also relies heavily on government assistance, particularly Medicare.”
Miami Herald: Paul Ryan’s Cuban-embargo stance could be a sore point in Miami-Dade. The Wisconsin Congressman has voted at least three times in opposition to the embargo. A handful of current and former Republican Cuban-American lawmakers, who didn’t want to be identified for fear of bucking their own party, told The Miami Herald that Ryan’s record on the Cuban embargo might disappoint Cuban voters, who comprise 72 percent of the GOP electorate in Miami-Dade, Florida’s largest county. Of course, many wanted to see the exile community’s most-prominent politician, Sen. Marco Rubio, on the ticket.
Palm Beach Post: Analysts say Ryan pick intensifies Medicare debate for Florida seniors.“Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate promises to intensify the debate over Medicare in senior-heavy Florida, where the issue could tip the perennial swing state’s 29 electoral votes and the presidency […]Democrats didn’t need to wait for fresh opposition research to launch attacks on Ryan. Since early 2011, they have been telling seniors around the state that Ryan’s budget plans would “end Medicare as we know it.” […]for those under 55, Ryan’s 2011 budget plan called for changing Medicare from the fee-for-service program it is now to one in which the government provides subsidies to retirees to purchase private health insurance. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the plan would significantly increase the out-of-pocket costs for seniors entering the program a decade from now.”
Tampa Tribune: Romney’s VP choice could be risky in swing state Florida. “Choosing Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney made a bold statement on his campaign’s central economic issues but also one that could be risky — particularly in the crucial swing state of Florida. Ryan, 42, a seven-term House member from Wisconsin, is widely viewed as the Republican Party’s intellectual leader for his budget proposals, which include the most drastic alterations in Medicare and Social Security ever embraced by a national party […]Democrats, who have been using Ryan’s budget proposals to attack Republican congressional candidates for a year, promised to do the same in the presidential race. They pushed studies showing the Medicare changes would add thousands of dollars a year to a typical senior’s health care costs.”
Ocala Star Banner: Ryan’s plan for Medicare will get Floridians’ attention. “Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate may be a risky choice in Florida as it is likely to push the debate over Medicare to the campaign’s forefront [… ] With nearly 3 million Floridians already on Medicare, it could be a crucial issue in the nation’s largest swing state, where it’s a time-honored tactic in state politics to accuse your opponent of jeopardizing programs for seniors. It is often effective for two reasons: Florida has many seniors, with 17 percent of Floridians over 65, growing to 24 percent by 2030. Florida seniors go to the polls in droves, with voters over the age of 50 accounting for 49 percent of the electorate in the last presidential election.”
Wall Street Journal: Some Seniors Worry Over Ryan Selection. “The news that Mitt Romney picked Rep. Paul Ryan, who has suggested changing Medicare, as his running mate sparked worries over the weekend among some residents at the Stella Maris retirement community in Miami Beach—concerns that could reverberate among seniors nationwide. Mr. Ryan has proposed overhauling Medicare and Social Security—including introducing private accounts for Social Security and giving future retirees the option to choose a privately run health insurance plan.”
Reuters: Romney VP choice puts spotlight on Medicare reform. Ryan’s “controversial reforms to Medicare will become a huge target for Democratic attacks and could hurt Romney’s chances in some states with large elderly populations, including the key swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.”
Politico: What the Paul Ryan VP pick means for Obama. “Ryan’s pledge to trim Medicare — even though it doesn’t impact the current crop of seniors — is a powerful weapon for Democrats in the Sunshine State.”