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Paul Ryan: You Aren't Better Off NowRelated Content
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gage Skidmore (CBS News) GREENVILLE, N.C. - As Democrats head to Charlotte to nominate President Obama for a second term, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan made an appearance on the other side of the state to hammer home his message that Americans are not better off than they were four years ago. "We're gonna hear a lot of words from Charlotte this week. But here's the kind of words we're not gonna hear. We're not gonna hear evidence and facts about how people are better off," Ryan told a crowd of over 2,000 people at East Carolina University. "You see, the president cannot run on this record. He's run out of ideas. And so that is why he's going to be running a campaign based on envy and division, based on frustration and anger." Ryan led the Republican messaging effort on Monday while nominee Mitt Romney was out of the public eye preparing for the presidential debates. Ryan's remarks were targeted at inconsistent answers over the weekend from top Democrats in response to interview questions about whether Americans are better off now than they were four years ago - the quadrennial question that faces incumbents running for reelection. Asked the question on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley of Maryland answered, "No, but that's not the question of this election." The Wisconsin congressman told the crowd that Obama's campaign has taken a negative turn, relying on attack ads, because the president has no record to run on. "Let me quote President Obama four years ago: 'If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.' Ladies and gentleman, that is exactly what Barack Obama is doing today," Ryan said. "In fact, every president since the Great Depression who asked Americans to send them into a second term could say that you are better off today than you were four years ago, except for Jimmy Carter and for President Barack Obama." He ticked off a list of measures - the unemployment rate, businesses bankruptcy filings, and delinquent mortgage payments - that he said were actually better under Carter than they are now. Carter lost his bid for a second term in 1980 to Republican Ronald Reagan. "Simply put, the Jimmy Carter years look like the good old days compared to where we are right now," Ryan said. He also rebutted an Obama campaign ad released this morning that says Romney's policies will increase taxes on the middle class. "He'll say that we just want tax cuts to go to really wealthy people and at the expense of everybody else," Ryan said. "Here's how this game works in Washington, and by the way, Republicans in the past are just as guilty as Democrats. What happens is, you pay your taxes, you send your money to Washington, and then special interest groups come and they get the little carve-outs in the tax code, and then if you do what Washington approves of, they might give you some of your money back. We just want you to keep your money in the first place." Ryan said a Romney administration would plug special interest loopholes to allow tax rates to decrease by about 20 percent, but Romney and Ryan have declined to specify which loopholes they would close. |
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Anonymous said on Monday, Sep 3 at 4:37 PM
yeah well with Parnell packing food away for a rainy day I would say we are not better off no matter who gets elected...and this class clown is just another sketch on SNL to play out...
100828365haha said on Monday, Sep 3 at 4:42 PM
They should be asking if America is smarter than a fifth grader? if the answer is no - keep talking - they will believe you - they don't know better...
100828605elauesen said on Monday, Sep 3 at 4:59 PM
Am I better off today that 4 years ago: Heck Yes! I'm better off than I would have beeen had Palin-McCain been elected; and I'm better off than I would be if Romney-Ryan got elected. How has Obama done on jobs? 3,745,000 gained since "trough" of recession. How Has Obama done on private-sector jobs? 4,248,000 gained since the "trough" of the recession. 26 months of private-sector job growth. 19 months of over all job growth. Have any jobs been lost (net) over the past 26 months? NO NET JOBS have been LOST since September 2010 (19 months) when the last of the Census 2010 workers were let go.
100829445Anonymous said on Monday, Sep 3 at 5:12 PM
Mr. Ryan, YES, I am better off now than four years ago. Four years ago, the policies of the Republicans caused my employer to have to layoff 13 of it's 16 employees. Will I be better off now or in four years if you get elected? Since Romney's policies are even worse than Bush's policies,I'd have to say I will be worse off in four years than I am today, if you are elected. Now, do you have any other questions?
100830035Josephine said on Tuesday, Sep 4 at 4:05 AM
YES .. Obama rescued the nation from going into a deep recession handed to him by Bush and the GOP policies. Obama set in motion many new policies to direct the nation in a strong positive direction in spite of GOP blocking his efforts...trying to thwart his every effort . Now the GOP is fighting hard to go back to those destructive policies of the Bush years & pick up antiquated GOP policies going further back, erasing human rights laws ????? Romney/Ryan intend to take us back to the Dark Ages !!!! Why does CBC have to bombard viewers with Ryan's harassing remarks? Is CBS is promoting GOP ?? I CHANGED THE CHANNEL
100853672whatever said on Tuesday, Sep 4 at 8:33 PM
no the media is getting peeved because the song and dance is gone and we see the snake oil they try to sell us - all the while railroading the President because they could not cook the books like Bush/Gore election and make the Republican a winner...might happen again...CHAD will be nothing to the "close call" I am sure it will be! The whole thing is rigged now...give me a break!
100924805Working Class said on Wednesday, Sep 5 at 7:30 PM
I know i cannot afford another 4 years of this. I cannot believe that there are actually people stating that they are better off now then four years ago... It must be these folks are all not working and living off the government to say such a thing, moochers are the ONLY ones that are better off, the working class is not. But let me ask you this.... How are you going to feel when this country is completely out of the money they are giving you? You do realize that you cannot live for free forever dont you? Maybe you just dont care.
101123691lluna said on Thursday, Sep 6 at 12:59 AM
Working Class said yesterday at 3:30 AM I know i cannot afford another 4 years of this. I cannot believe that there are actually people stating that they are better off now then four years ago... It must be these folks are all not working and living off the government to say such a thing, moochers are the ONLY ones that are better off, the working class is not. But let me ask you this.... How are you going to feel when this country is completely out of the money they are giving you? You do realize that you cannot live for free forever dont you? Maybe you just dont care................................................................................ you are so right Working Class, these clowns are just that, people that are scared they will lose their welfare checks..
101150916lluna said on Thursday, Sep 6 at 1:00 AM
Working Class said yesterday at 3:30 AM I know i cannot afford another 4 years of this. I cannot believe that there are actually people stating that they are better off now then four years ago... It must be these folks are all not working and living off the government to say such a thing, moochers are the ONLY ones that are better off, the working class is not. But let me ask you this.... How are you going to feel when this country is completely out of the money they are giving you? You do realize that you cannot live for free forever dont you? Maybe you just dont care................................................................................ you are so right Working Class, these clowns are just that, people that are scared they will lose their welfare checks..
101150976youcancountonThomas said on Tuesday, Sep 25 at 7:38 PM
Four years ago, the country was losing hundreds of thousands of jobs per month, and that began long before 4 years ago.Today, people are finding jobs, it is the opposite. The real jobs have all been transferred to China, free trade and companies like Baine Capital. Research deeply before you decide which president will add to who's pockets. A Congress that's focused on destroying the president no matter what, instead of supporting and working with the president is just wrong, no matter which man wins Congress is too divided - and does not work together as one.Parties should be banned,and elected officials should drive their own car instead of voting as if all are on the bus as it were. And with no Farm Bill this year, no seed for next year - stocking up food for an emergency by the state sounds like wisdom to me. Are your bins full, the ones at the market are emptying fast. As I had to vote against Miller in the write off, I hope I can vote for someone this time, all Democrat period.
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