Rep. Ryan: Nothing will get done before election

Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Representative Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., told Bob Schieffer that it's unlikely much will be accomplished in 2012. He said the Senate hasn't passed a budget in 1,001 days, and without a budget "the system just stops." He also said that the Senate is already telling the House it won't do a budget again.

He criticized the president's State of the Union address last night as "predictable" and "political," saying President Barack Obama "barely spoke about" the budget, even though "the president knows the fiscal crisis is here."

Ryan thinks that Mr. Obama was basically launching his campaign with "a litany of new proposals to spend a lot of money we don't have" instead of refocusing on ways to deal with the debt crisis.

Ryan thinks this upcoming election represents a chance for Republicans to propose real change to the nation's fiscal path by running on promises to make the changes and then actually carrying them out when in elected into office.

He wants the campaign debate not to be about "we don't like Barack Obama" but instead to focus on what the Republican nominee will do differently.

Ryan thinks 2012 is a "trajectory-determining election" in terms of whether America will become an opportunity society or a welfare state, and he wants the election to be an "affirming election" in which Republicans give voters a clear choice: "Who we are, what we intend to do, and if you elect us we'll do this." 

FACE to FACE is the midweek web show for CBS News' FACE the NATION with Bob Schieffer. Each Wednesday, Schieffer sits down with a newsmaker to talk about the news driving the week, and the interview is featured on cbsnews.com/facethenation.