Ryan swiftly jumps into attack-dog role

Mitt Romney, left, and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. wave to the crowd as they arrive for a rally at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., Saturday, Aug. 11.

/ AP Photo/Steve Helber

(CBS News) ASHLAND, Va. - Even as he promises to uplift the country with this election, presumptive GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan took less than a few hours on Saturday to assume the role of candidate Mitt Romney's attack dog.

"President Obama cannot run on this record. It's a terrible record to run on, and he didn't change. I've served on Congress this whole time. He didn't tack to the middle. He didn't do things that were centrist, he stayed hard left," Ryan told a packed gymnasium of cheering voters in Ashland. "So if he can't run on his record, if he didn't moderate what's he got left, he's gonna divide and distract this country to win an election by default and you know what? We're not gonna fall for that!"

In an event in Norfolk, Va., earlier in the day, as his new position was announced, Ryan ticked off economic statistics that he said demonstrate the president's "record of failure."

(Watch: Ryan assumes role as Romney's attack dog.)

One of the Wisconsin congressman's chief roles as Romney's running mate will be to counter attacks from the Obama campaign. Ryan stepped right into the existing narrative with his critique that the president is trying to divide and distract the country, as the two campaigns come off of a week of battles over misleading negative ads.

A pro-Obama Super PAC, Priorities USA Action, released a misleading ad linking Romney's tenure at Bain to the death of the wife of a steelworker laid off from a plant owned by Bain Capital. The Romney campaign released its own ad that misrepresented awaiver for welfare work requirements issued by the administration, earning them a "pants on fire" rating from the web site Politifact.

(Watch: Paul Ryan lists Jack Kemp among key mentors.)

"We love America!" Romney promised to the cheering crowd as he criticized the Obama campaign for dragging the campaign through the dirt. "We're not going to besmirch the office of the presidency by succumbing to the kind of attacks and vile and charges that are coming from the Democrats."

But at the same time as Ryan eases into his new role, Romney was seeking to paint him as a bipartisan reformer, citing Ryan's work on a Medicare proposal with Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden.

Their plan, unveiled last year, would allow seniors to choose between traditional Medicare and new private insurance programs. It differs from Ryan's budget blueprint that Republicans have rallied around -- and Democrats have attacked -- by giving seniors a choice between staying in traditional Medicare or opting into new private plan alternatives.

"He's garnered respect from Republicans and Democrats, and when there are big issues that come up, like how do we save Medicare," Romney said of Ryan during the Ashland rally. "This man said I'm going to find Democrats to work with, found a Democrat to co-lead a piece of legislation that makes sure we can save Medicare, Republicans and Democrats coming together. He's a man who has great ideas and the capacity to lead, to find people across the aisle to work together to make things change for the American people."

[hankvreeland]

"Attack Dog" Good heavens, Mr. Ryan sounds like a ***** cat compared to the DNC. I wonder who pays the salary for this "reporter"

[hankvreeland]

I see that you changed a word in my comment from a noun used in children's books to *******cat. Why don't we settle for kitten. As long as you can't figure some way to slant that.

[jay1jay1]

Lyin Ryan

[raptor-022]

It will be a fascinating exercise in the weeks to come, watching romney and ryan manage the menagerie of the political hydra and mismatched set of alliances that the contemporary republican party has become. The tea party GOP is a conglomeration of Christian Dominionists and Nationalists, reactionary white racists, neo-Secessionists, and plutocratic corporatists. The mouth breathers in the tea party are dupes who are driven by opines about patriotism and the alien Other in "their" White House.

These same folks are driven by a crudely selfish, exclusionary, and Calvinist-like understanding of faith where "the elect" are shown god's love and divinity by how much money and worldly goods they are "rewarded with" by their godhead. The banksters laugh -- as they always do -- at how they can so easily play and manipulate the peons into working against their own immediate and long-term class interests. And of course, the real party leaders such as rush limbaugh get paid the big bucks, for they are the Archons who defend the ideological "purity" of the tea party GOP and gin up witch hunts against those deemed inauthentic and weak.

It will be interesting to watch!

[abbe91]

Expect another flip-flop on Romneycare. The only question is who is going to flip-flop ? Ryan or Romney ?

[reality_sanity]

Romney claimed Ryan's budget as his in the primary. Now he gives the architect of that budget the opportunity to occupy an office only one heartbeat from the Presidency and expects us to believe he DOES NOT support Ryan's Budget -- absolutely preposterous. This must be part of the policies Romney claimed he could not tell us about or we would not vote for him. In this point Romney is right -- clearly Romney supports policies that US Voters would NOT vote for. DO as Romney suggests and requests please vote for anyone else.

[bbglow]

Prove your American claims ... end tax breaks for off-shoring American jobs and create employment oportunities before the election.

[bbglow]

"The failed policies of the past have ruined our economy and we know how to fix it" ... ya right. What's the termonology ... trickle on ... tinkle down? If only you will trust us and channel more money our way so we can then allow it to tinkle down ... by us do you mean US?

[occupy_cbs]

The right-wing is rejoicing, since paul ryan is an ardent social conservative, and a stalwart on the side of the military-industrial complex who never met a war or a military budget that he didn't like, and who -- despite that nice-guy image -- has always been willing to mouth extreme talking points about "foreign" threats, just like the most rabid PNAC bush NEOCON. And of course, ryan was, and is, ever at the ready to promote the fiscal fantasies favored by the hedge fund managers, big bankers and insurance industry interests that fund the vast right-wing infrastructure, and that gave us the bush/cheney Great Recession!

Yes, paul ryan is a rabid and rigid ideologue, incapable of the compromise that the majority of Americans want from Washington!

[hypnotoad72]

And if they win, and the people betrayed, then what? A lot of them seem to think Romney will turn the economy around for them, but mitigating circumstances and facts indicate the contrary - I've posted links to those plenty of times, but anyone can google stuff like "Romney not putting money in peoples' pockets", "Ryan plan adds $6 Trillion to deficit" (or national debt), "Romney Koch", "Ryan Koch", etc...

[skeezix06]

Call it what it is. The "Hurry Up and Die" plan.

[hypnotoad72]

And the fun part is, these same people claim we're a "pro-life" country.

"People"? Yeah, right.

[rayz28-2009]

! The deceptive twists to the truths, and the Threats and intimidation tatctics of the GOP & Tea-Party Terrorists. The fear & Intimidation tactics of Political terrorists like those who attacked America on 911. They too had an ideology of their political & religious agenda, just as Ryan and Romney have. Do not be fooled, because they are Hell bent on destroying what "We" the American people have built. Their Agenda is to destroy from within, conquer & divide.
Yes They are TERRORISTS, (Political Terrorists) in every sense of the words. Last Year Ryan called for a War on the Middle Class, and poor! That is a fact! His party Held America Hostage for political gain, and imposing penalties on those less fortunate. Holding Seniors, our Government, and our troops Hostage to bolster his agenda. He & the tea-Party Terrorists will continue to rape & pillage the financial coffers and pensions as they have used their Mafioso tactics to rob Americans of their savings. Imposing penalties and even death to those who cannot afford to fight the injustices. Before the American Health Care ACT, 45,000 children die as a direct result of having no health insurance, and one to two million Americans went homeless because of their Agenda! Facts!

If you believe for one minute they care about anything but lining their pockets, you are another fool just born. Their Hypocrisy and Agenda is too destroy American way of life and values this country was formed on. Those are the truths, and yet so many will not believe, and will buy their false agenda. Blinded by false sense of faith and words. They (the political Right Wind Hypocrites & Liars) believe that only the strong survive, Dog Eat dog. So Dog, What are you going to do about this fact. Pollution, Raping and killing the innocent and sending your children, Your Sons & Daughters to war to grab the oil rich foreign countries. Making even more homeless, and destitute. Famine, Corruption, LIARS = Political Terrorists. That is who they really are. So will you be another fool, or will you stand up like the people on flight 92 did, and Say "Let's Roll"? Will you stand up and vote out these Radicals, or stick your head in the sand, and start digging your grave site? The choice is yours America. Use it wisely! The choice you make will affect your future & your children's future. Get involved, register to vote & Vote out these radical Political Terrorists once and for all. Educate yourself on the Candidates & Get & Keep informed and get involved.