Obama “won fair and square,” Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan told his hometown paper, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He added that he was impressed with the record-level turnouts the Obama campaign received, especially in urban areas with notoriously low numbers.
What’s It Like To Lose The Vice Presidency?
Ryan says he was with the Romneys at a hotel room in Boston when it became evident they weren’t going to win. The mood was “pretty sad,” he said. “Our comments more or less revolved around our concern for the country,” he said. Losing was “a foreign experience” to him — one that is admittedly “tough to describe,” he adds. Although, he does say that he and his wife, Janna, had “a very net positive experience” being on a national ticket.
Where Will Paul Ryan Go From Here?
Don’t expect this “young gun” to drop off into obscurity like other VP candidates on losing tickets. Despite losing the #2 slot, Ryan won re-election to the House of Representatives, where he plans to continue his work on tax and budget reform. He is chair of the House Budget Committee, in fact. “I do want to be part of the solution,” he says. Ryan continues: “I guess the shock that we felt that evening, a shock to where the country is headed. I’m very worried about our economy. I’m extremely worried about our debt. I’m worried about the state of our health care system and our military.”
Paul Ryan: 2016?
Historically speaking, Ryan was the first Gen-X politician to be part of a national ticket — which is pretty neat! It’s possible that he got a taste for travel while campaigning tirelessly, which leads many politicos to speculate that he may consider running at the top of the ticket in the future. Yet, he sounds a bit campaign-weary at the moment. “Oh, 2016, let’s not talk about that stuff,” he said. “That’s four years away. I think we’re all tired of presidential politics at this time.”
