By

Steve Chaggaris /

CBS News/ August 11, 2012, 1:05 PM

9 things you didn't know about Paul Ryan

Newly announced Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is hugged by his children after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced him as his running mate in front of the USS Wisconsin August 11, 2012 in Norfolk, Va.

/ Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

(CBS News) The basic info about Mitt Romney's new running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is easy to find: born in 1970, grew up in Janesville, Wis., graduated from Miami University in Ohio, married Janna, three kids Liza, Charlie and Sam. 

But a little more digging reveals some interesting, lesser-known tidbits about the man that could be a heartbeat away from the presidency:

- Ryan is a bowhunter and belongs to his hometown's archery association, the Janesville Bowmen

- He "does his own skinning and butchering and makes his own Polish sausage and bratwurst," according to his wedding announcement

- During summers in college, he was a salesman for Oscar Mayer and once drove the company's Wienermobile

- Fifth-generation Wisconsin native

- He was voted prom king and "Biggest Brown-Noser" in high school


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    Steve Chaggaris is CBSNews.com's Executive Editor, Washington.

49 Comments Add a Comment
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CastorChua says:
Paul Ryan = Patrick Bateman
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TimeToEvolve says:
The more we find out about this slimewad hypocrite, Lyin' Ryan, the less we like him. He makes Robmee seem compassionate and caring. Wow.
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salmown says:
Brown nosing wienermoblie driver. That fits him to a T! Let's see, his wealth is somewhere btween $950,000 and $3,000,000. If you can't count your wealth your not an honest person, period.
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stupa5 says:
Paul Ryan noodles catfish...that says it all!
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JV1970 replies:
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There is nothing wrong with noodling catfish! I doubt that you even know what noodling is!

Even though it may not be the healthiest food in the world but there is nothing better than a plate of fried catfish with hush puppies, which are balls of fried cornbread with chopped onions in them, and a side of coleslaw.

Apparently Paul Ryan thinks so too!
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JV1970 says:
About 75% of America lives in the mid-west, south, and southwest. Hunting and fishing are extremely popular there. That includes hunting with rifles and shotguns, fishing with rods and reels and, yes, noodling. City dwellers on the east and west coasts just don't understand that just as they don't understand MANY things about our customs and way of life and they look down their noses at us. Most of them have never even heard of noodling because until now noodling has been a poor country boy sport.

Paul Ryan isn't poor but he's still a country boy. He also isn't a Harvard graduate. It scares city dwellers half to death to think that a country boy who isn't a Harvard or Yale graduate could be a heartbeat away from the presidency.
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tafhdyd replies:
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" City dwellers on the east and west coasts just don't understand that just as they don't understand MANY things about our customs and way of life."

You mean like family trees that have no branches or needing 32 people in a room to have a full set of teeth?
stupa5 replies:
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Ryan-Romney don't want Palin speaking at the gop convention

So JV1970 has taken a few days off she's in mourning!
Let's all take a moment of silence in solidarity with JV1970..
then we'll have a moose burger for lunch.
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nancy_naive says:
"The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand. And the fight we are in here, make no mistake about it, is a fight of individualism versus collectivism."

Even three years ago, Tim Mak of Politico noted, Ryan channeled Rand. "What's unique about what's happening today in government, in the world, in America, is that it's as if we're living in an Ayn Rand novel right now," Ryan said. "I think Ayn Rand did the best job of anybody to build a moral case of capitalism, and that morality of capitalism is under assault."


10) He chief souce of inspiration is a fiction-writer.

USSR -- The place where capitalism triumphed over communism.
USA -- The place where capitalism triumphed ovwe democracy.
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chris5572 says:
The retards who vote republican ( you guys are tards, yes) will still vote for Romney. (to their worst interest)

The only people who will not vote republican, who would have otherwise, are seniors.


The only serious issue people SHOULD have been talking about was how to strip repubs from Congress. That is the only real issue at hand. We could have long been in recovery if they had not voted many things down. Mothered really is not much more to say.
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7_lucky-seven replies:
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Seniors would not be affected.

Ryan's plan would have no effect on anyone over 55 years old.


Any one saying different is a complete liar.

But Medicare will not continue as it currently is and must be reformed or all will lose out when it collapses. We can not hide our head in the sand and deny the fiscal reality without an eventual catastrophic collapse.
salmown replies:
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very well said Chris
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peacefulperson says:
How are these weird little factoids pertinent to the problem of deciding who to vote for in November. I don't want "candy facts" like this, I want to know who he is, what his qualifications are and what he stands for. Geez, CBS, is this really what you think is important information?
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tafhdyd replies:
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They are pertinent facts, just like serial killers often tortured and killed animals as a children. If he is good at butchering and making sausage he will probably gut the American middle class.
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7_lucky-seven says:
This means we already know more about Ryan's personal life and history than we do of Barack Obama.

Especially since it has been proven that Obama's books are fantasy misrepresentations and musings about his drugged addled youth and lusting after made up white women.
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7_lucky-seven replies:
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What racism? It is proven fact as exposed in the latest biography.
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texasgpa says:
After reading this hard hitting hard article by Steve, I now already know more about Congressman Ryan than I know about Barack Obama's/Barry Sotero's entire life. Why not grow a set Steve and give us some info about Obama's life? After your hard hitting invetigative work I now know that Ryan is a hunter and fisherman. I particlulary like the hands down the throat of a fish comment. And this is what passes as reporing and news these days. LOL
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