Just the Facts: A Weekly Report on the Presidential Candidates

Spotlight on Romney-Ryan Ticket President Obama says Romney chose running mate with ‘wrong vision’ for America. After the announcement, President Obama said: “My opponent chose as his running mate the ideological leader of Republicans in Congress, and I’ve gotten to know Congressman Ryan. He's a good man. He’s a family man. He’s a very articulate spokesman for Governor Romney’s vision. The problem is, it’s the wrong vision for America.”1 Americans appear to agree according to a CNN poll in which Ryan is viewed more unfavorably than favorably, with initial ratings less positive than Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney.2 Ryan’s vision is articulated in his budget plan that proposes Medicare changes that would raise the eligibility age to 67, 3 and implement a partially privatized Medicare program for future seniors.4 Disapproval of the plan among seniors reached 74 percent last year when the plan was proposed5—a deeply dangerous number for the Republicans, who rely on the senior vote to offset Democratic popularity with younger voters and minorities. Additionally, the Ryan plan includes significant cuts to other popular programs, including k-12 education, Pell Grants, job training, nursing home care, scientific research and children’s health.6 By contrast, the President’s FY13 budget plan includes the expiration of high-end tax cuts7; a focus on job growth, including $30 billion to modernize at least 35,000 schools, and $30 billion to help states hire and retain educators8; $300 million in resources to improve child care quality9; and protection of maximum Pell grant awards, prevention of increased student loan rates, and other resources to make college more affordable.10 ******* Romney doubles down on agenda for wealthy with Ryan VP pick. Last Saturday, Mitt Romney announced that he chose seven-term Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as his running mate. Ryan earned national fame as the key author of the “Path to Prosperity” budget plan to slash federal spending in fiscal years 2012 and 2013 and drastically undermine the structure of Medicare. When Romney himself was asked about differences between the Ryan budget plan and his own, Romney said the two were “on the same page,” specifically noting that “My plan for Medicare is very similar to his plan for Medicare.”11 Commenting on the pick, a GOP insider told Politico: “The good news is that this ticket now has a vision. The bad news is that vision is basically just a chart of numbers used to justify policies that are extremely unpopular.” 12 “This is the day the music died,” added another Republican operative.13 In addition to his budget proposal that would undermine the middle class, Ryan voted for massive deficit spending during the Bush era, including the $700 billion bank bailout, the enormous federal prescription drug program, a massive highway bill that included the “Bridge to Nowhere,” two wars, and other high-cost programs. He “[went] to bat for a high-spending GOP agenda,”14 much of which is now in disrepute with most Americans.

NEA Believes NEA believes in solutions that work for middle class families, not just the wealthy. It is unconscionable to expect children, the elderly, the poor, and the disabled to suffer while wealthy corporations and CEOs continue to prosper. The Ryan budget cuts Title I by $2.7 billion and IDEA more than $2.2 billion; and 100,000 children could lose access to Head Start.15 According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Ryan budget “would likely produce the largest redistribution of income from the bottom to the top in modern U.S. history and likely increase poverty and inequality more than any other budget in recent times.”16

1 Obama: Paul Ryan "good man," but has "wrong vision for America", CBS, 8/14/2012 2 Paul Ryan VP Pick An Unpopular Choice: Poll, Huffington Post, 8/13/2012 3 Paul Ryan Pick Makes 2012 About 'Big Ideas,' Medicare, ABC, 8/12/2012 4 Paul Ryan a gift to both campaigns, CNN, 8/14/2012 5 Paul Ryan plan unpopular, polls show, Politico, 8/11/2012 6 Paul Ryan's Unpopular (but Unknown) Ideas, The Atlantic, 8/13/2012 7 “The 2013 Budget,” WhiteHouse.gov, February 13, 2012. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. 10 Ibid. 11 Mitt Romney on ‘same page’ with Ryan budget, The Hill, 8/14/2012 12 GOP pros fret over Paul Ryan, Politico, 8/14/2012 13 GOP pros fret over Paul Ryan, Politico, 8/14/2012 14 Paul Ryan’s voting record: Big-spending conservatism, Politico, 8/13/2012 15 “Duncan Blasts Ryan Budget Plan,” Education Week Blog, 3/22/2012. 16 “Statement of Robert Greenstein, President, on Chairman Ryan's Budget Plan,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 3/21/2012.