Paul Ryan endorses Mitt Romney
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Updated at 8:55 a.m. ET
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan on Friday endorsed Mitt Romney for president, making him the latest high-profile Republican to get behind the frontrunner for the GOP nomination.
"I am convinced that Mitt Romney has the skills, the tenacity, principles, the courage and integrity to do what it takes to get America on track," Ryan said on Fox News. However, the congressman added there was more motivating his endorsement.
"I think this primary has been productive, I think it's been constructive, up 'til now," he said. But "I think we're entering a phase where it's counterproductive if it drags on much longer. We need to coalesce around Mitt Romney and focus on the task, which is defeating Barack Obama."
The Wisconsin lawmaker's endorsement comes just ahead of his state's primary on Tuesday. The latest poll out of Wisconsin, from NBC/ Marist, shows Romney with a solid, seven-point lead over his rivals. Romney takes 40 percent while Rick Santorum wins 33 percent support, Ron Paul wins 11 percent and Newt Gingrich takes 8 percent.
Romney has already accumulated 554 delegates, according to CBS News estimates, giving him a seemingly unsurpassable lead in the race to the 1,144 delegates needed to win the Republican presidential nomination outright. Santorum has only 241 delegates, Gingrich has 128 and Paul has 42.
CBSNews.com 2012 campaign coverage
Estimated Republican Delegate Scorecard
In spite of that lead, Romney's GOP rivals don't appear ready to exit the race. As the contest drags on, a number of Republicans are saying publicly it's time for the party to get behind Romney. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former President George H.W. Bush also endorsed Romney this week.
When asked whether he's talked with Romney about serving as vice president should Romney win the nomination, Ryan said on Fox, "We've never discussed that at all" and insisted "my focus has been on the budget."
The Republican-led House on Thursday passed the proposed 2013 budget drafted by Ryan; the budget has no chance of becoming law but serves as a marker for the Republican agenda. It also makes Republicans vulnerable to attacks from Democrats who say Ryan's plan would dismantle Medicare and lead seniors "to the poorhouse."
Popular in Politics
- Romney condemns "breach of trust" in Washington 249 Comments
- Adviser on White House scandals: "Partisan fishing expeditions" won't distract Obama 112 Comments
- Officials on Benghazi: "We made mistakes, but without malice" 361 Comments
- Obama: Racism is no excuse for not excelling Play Video
- Where is the Benghazi cover-up Republicans promised? 422 Comments
- IRS targeting overlooked biggest soft money groups 72 Comments
- For GOP, scandals could be an electoral plus - or minus 354 Comments
- Republicans use IRS scandal to tar Obamacare
One more good reason not to vote for Romney.
Instead of asking for support for the candidate who has the best agenda for solving the crises in the US; he shows his true colors by saying we should focus on the candidate who can beat Obama.
Guess what side he's on.?
It's clear he's not on the side of the American citizens.
Many conservatives claim to be Christians and they support the Republicon Party. The Republicon Party wants to take health care away from 30 million Americans, change Social Security and Medicare to benefit the Top 1%. The part of their brains that are responsible for compassion seems to be quite different.
Many conservatives are firm father figure conservatives that says the father is always right. Their views on women's health (against choice and contraception) show their views. As well as the racist views that keep coming out which illustrates their world view that only white males are good.
Many conservatives back Republicons whose policies are designed to help only the Top 1% even while 1/5 of Americans live in poverty. They either won't or more like because of their brains can't recognize this and many other realities. Likewise their views that America has the best health care is completely wrong and false.
I am NOT YET "a trained scientist", but I'm a senior studying statistical science. Let me tell you about some of my "observations"
Many (not all) of the Democrats/liberals try to group all Republicans in one big mass. I consider myself a republican, but I'm all for contraception. In fact most, if not all, of the republicans that I personally know are for contraception. Some of them may feel that the government should not provide this service completely free, but that is another point.
I also think it is just plain dumb if you think most conservatives are racistists. There may be a few, but not anywhere close to a significant number. I suggest you go out and meet some more conservatives and you might find it pleasantly surprising.
I'm just tired of the Democrats attacking the Republicans and the Republicans attacking the Democrats. The sooner we figure out that we are on the same side and start working together to fix the solution the better. Highly charged comments are going to get people to calm down and start thinking.
TimeToEvolve, It seems like a fair observation to me but since Romney claims to be a Christian, he might understand this;
People like Robmee are just fake Christians, they use their faith to justify believing anything they want. When someone says they are Christian I know they are just firm father figure conservatives that are actually against everything they say their faith teaches.
We need to all work to marginalize them and keep them out of power as much as possible to minimize their damage to all of us. They seriously need help and don't understand cause and effect. Seriously.
The fact is that every major poll (except faux news) shows President Obama ahead. Despite the slime that the Repubs have tried to throw against Obama every one of these attempts have slid down to the gutter where they belong. Lets see..he's a moslem...he's not born in the US...he's not eligible to be president...he will be a foreign policy disaster...he's a racist...
Regarding spending money lets recap the record .The national Debt tripled under Reagan and bush 1 from 1.5 to 4.5. The National Debt doubled under Bush 2 from 5.2 to 10. 5 .
Bush and his friends cut the SEC and allowed the banks to run amock and nearly bring the American Financial system to its knees with the Credit Default swaps and cutting the reserve ratio from 13 to 1 to the unbelievable 30 to 1.
So President Obama took the best advice of the most learned economist to inject 800 billion in to the system to avoid a melt down cause by Bush and his cronies.
Now the stock market is up and Osama bin Laden is dead!! And President Obama said before AIPAC (the most powerful Israeli lobby that at every critical juncture he has supported the nation of Israel...and AIPAC did not disagree.
It is amusing that the Repub are going to have to vote for a mormon!
Americans can vote for Mitt Romney who will be the Repub Candidate if they want but the Mormons believe in replacement theology ( their "church" replaces Israel..but the will be voting for a man who believes in nothing but Myths) Joseph Smith supposedly found goldern plates that detail all of these myths that have never been substantiated by any archeological evidence and never will.
Most Americans thank God will realize that we don't want a Mormon leading this country.