Romney-Ryan ticket launches 'Blue State' bus tour

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney jokes with Rep Paul Ryan, R-Wis., during a pancake brunch at Bluemound Gardens on April 1, 2012 in Milwaukee.

/ Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

NORFOLK, Va. - Mitt Romney and his new running mate embark Saturday on a bus tour that will bring them to 12 cities in four swing states, all of which President Obama won during the 2008 election and all of which remain competitive today.

The tour the campaign has dubbed the "Romney Plan for a Stronger Middle Class" starts with a bang at the USS Wisconsin, where Romney will appear with his newly-named running mate Rep. Paul Ryan of -- you guessed it -- Wisconsin.

The tour marks a ramping-up of Romney's public schedule, which slowed considerably after his first bus tour brought him to 14 cities in six states over a five-day period in late June. Since then, Romney has held just 20 campaign events across the country, as he took time off for a vacation, focused on fundraising and spent a much-publicized week abroad.

"It's great to be out campaigning," Romney told reporters on his charter flight from Bedford, Mass., to Norfolk on Friday evening. "You know a lot of campaigning is raising money, which has its own rewards, honestly, but campaigning is the most fun. The most enjoyable and rewarding."

Romney's upcoming sojourn -- which one of his aides called a "blue state tour" -- will bring him to Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and Ohio over a four-day period. In all but North Carolina, Romney finds himself trailing Obama in recent polling, a fact that Romney advisers shrug off. They point to a decline in Obama's 2012 polling numbers in each state relative to how he did in 2008.

"In 2008 these states were all won by Obama, but this time around his support has eroded considerably," Romney senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom told reporters in Boston on Friday. "Even though his team is pouring tons of resources into these states, the bad economy continues to hang over Obama like a dark cloud."

Another adviser, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, pointed to a recent CBS News/New York Times poll showing Republican voters to be more enthusiastic about voting this year than Democrats. "It reinforces that point that the intensity in this election is behind the Republicans," said the adviser.

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[fiberglass3]

Republican'ts want to dismantle the entire fabric of federal social programs like Medicare, Social Security, unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, minimum wage, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the graduated income tax and consumer protections like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Food and Drug Administration.
This money can then be passed on to the rich in the form of additional tax cuts.

[Tx-Mom]

No they don't. You should stop reading DNC talking point memos. Go visit GOP.gov before you spout talking point memo bull.

[RulesofEngagement]

Romney just lost the Senior vote.

[Tx-Mom]

Why? Do you believe the DNC BS too?

[dj_chi]

Couldn't Ryan find a suit that fits well?

[TJphoto]

"Romney Plan for a Stronger Middle Class" Since when has the GOP cared about the middle class? Maybe you can try selling that "trickle down" thing..........AGAIN!

[askagain]

Great choice. Ryan is a firebrand and should not be underestimated. He probably stands the best chance of fending off character assisination which permeates this election. Perhaps now issues will be discussed instead of innuendo and false accusations.

[jimatmadison]

Blue State Bus Tour. That's funny.

With Paul Ryan on the ticket, about 35 states will be Blue States in November.

The GOP will keep the deep south (except Florida), most of the square, empty western states, and Alaska.