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DOVER, NH -- Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan spoke of the need to encourage "self-sufficiency" amid an uproar over Mitt Romney's recently-surfaced comments about voters' dependency on government.
Brian Snyder / Reuters
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan answers a question at a campaign stop in Dover, New Hampshire September 18, 2012.
Ryan, campaigning Tuesday in New Hampshire, made an oblique reference to the controversial video publicized by the liberal magazine Mother Jones but no explicit mention of the video or its contents.
Related: Leaked video is the latest hit for Romney
The Wisconsin congressman, instead, launched into a more detailed defense of the social safety net and how he and Romney think it is important to move voters off of those programs, and guard against dependence on the government.
The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd reports on a statement that may significantly damage Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
“By promoting more dependency, by not having jobs and economic growth, people miss their potential,” Ryan said inside the McConnell Community Center. “We should not be measuring the progress of our social programs – programs like food stamps – based upon how many people receive them. We should be measuring the progress of our social programs by how many people we transition off of them into lives of self-sufficiency and jobs and upward mobility.”
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The congressman continued: “We believe in a safety net. We believe in a safety net that is there for people who truly cannot help themselves so they can live a life of dignity but we also believe in a safety net that is there for people who are down on their luck so that they can get back on their feet. We don’t want a safety net that encourages more dependency because there is no economic growth behind it because what that ends up doing is it drains people of their will and their incentive to make the most of their lives, to tap their potential, to get on their path to prosperity. That is what unfortunately is what we are seeing in the Obama economy.”
Romney himself is still wrestling with the fallout from the video, having hastily arranged a press conference last night to explain that his words caught on tape were "not elegantly stated." The former Massachusetts governor had been set to spend the day in fundraisers, but added a late afternoon interview on Fox News to his schedule today.
Stephanie Cutter, deputy campaign manager for President Obama, responds to Mitt Romney's leaked private fundraising remarks and argues President Barack Obama wants support from all Americans, not just some.
Ryan, at his first of two public events today, stood by his running mate -- making the case for how the GOP ticket would reduce the number of Americans who fall dependent on the government.
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“Our goal, our mission is to address the root causes of poverty instead of simply treating the symptoms of poverty. That's very critical,” Ryan said. “You see, by going after the root causes of poverty and trying to break the cycle of poverty, you need economic growth, you need job creation, you need higher take-home pay.”
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Mitt Romney is nationally 5% behind in the polls...
If they would just survey people, who think that marrying outside the family is a bad idea, Mitt would be way ahead !
He would also have a substantial lead with people, who are missing 3 or more teeth !
"Self-sufficiency," yea, it is with Apple and Microsoft stocks, including investment of the Bain Capital, not excluding foreign investment, for no tax will be paid.
We, 99%, have paid more than 25% income tax rate, for we have been paying the government expenses for the rich and the rich just gets the warmth from our fireplace.
All what Mittens will have left to vote for him on Nov. 6th will be the Coo Coo's Clowns !
I wonder if he lost any of the elite vote after the comments?
Ryan - you do not know what the root causes are and if you did you would be a Democrat. By the way - if the minimum wage kept up with inflation it would be $25 per hour . . . that is no redistribution that is FACT!
What a two=faced P.O.S.! He (Lyin Ruin Ryan) took government handouts himself. And now tells us this @!$%#??? Go ahead and vote for these dumbass morons. It will surely prove that you are just as dumb!
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012 OUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT!!!
RAISE everyones taxes and do it fairly and humanely! People from this country have always done the right thing when given the truth. Everything is a lie now. For example, just watch a political ad nowdays. The author(s) cannot defend an undefendable position so they claim that the measure or your vote will do something that ends up being the exact opposite of what you intended to vote for. It's like the financial calamity that we just experienced. Big money took advantage of the poor or poorly educated and even people who most would consider intelligent. But of course, to the conservatives it is Caveat Emptor and it's ONLY your stupidity that got in the way. Really! Can you make sense of the terminology from a credit card application or an insurance contract?
Ryan, received SSI payments after his father died. He used money for college. Now he doesn't want to help anyone else in that same position. He got his and screw you is his attitude. Of course what Ayn Rand fan wouldn't behave the same? It is the HYPROCRISY that is so appalling.
Self_sufficient? I'd love to be: let the Feds stuff their income tax and other confiscatory progams and the states do the same and let me keep ALL the money I make and I can be self-sufficient! When the feds and state take more than 30% of my earnings, it really reduces my buying power! The 30% is the sum of the Federal and state income taxes, the state sales tax and the Federal excise tax. I'm sure there are more taxes I pay but those are representative of the tax bites in our country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ryan keeps referring to Obama's leadership as leading from behind. Here's an idea, Paul; why don't you take your mother off social security and medicare and pay her way, out of your $300K/year income. That way you can show us, firsthand, what leading by example means.
Reagan raised it 18 times. You repubs are uninformed, why don't you ever check facts before posting ?
Reality has a liberal bias. Republicans can't stand to look at reality. Reality is too liberal for them.
Sane America,
The problem is "YOU GUYS" aren't funny. The attitude that success is a bad thing and your success probably takes away from my well-being is a selfish, ignorant and dangerous approach to life that can eventually ruin our country. I don't find it funny at all. I find it sad and an indication that our country probably won't survive much longer when so many people have this attitude. Thank you, BOZO for promulgating this bane on our country.
Funny how you liberals will stoop to creating your own facts to support your cause. Ryan has never, I repeat never said that people on social security need to somehow stop taking back what they put into the system and become self-sufficient instead. His previous benefits and his mother's benefits were created by his parents input into the Social Security system. Why shouldn't his mother recoup what she and her husband put into the system? I doubt any of you liberals have ever actually considered not using your social security benefits as soon as possible. So why do you deserve to criticize someone who does use them? Your POTUS does it daily, but to follow his lead won't work if you don't have a biased media working for you. Your rhetoric and general nonsense is getting very tiresome to the rest of us.
I can't wait for the debates. Mittens' should be good for a belly laugh a minute.
Now ryan, all you have to do is tell us how we are gonna create those 12 million jobs as you import another 12 million illegals and send another 12 million oversees via crony capitalism. The chinese work pretty darn cheap. I would rather be an american and live in a real house not just corrigated steal. We can all pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Maybe involve 12 million in a ponzi scheme, that oughta to do. Cutn' those taxes and increasing medicare and defense as your promoting is really gonna stabalize the economy!. We are all gonna get rich via trickle down when 1% control about 80% of the wealth.
the good guyyyyyyyyyy,
You are going to be disappointed in November. Your BOZO will have to strut off into the sunset after he gets whipped.
jollyjoker,
Please tell us all exactly what the definition of crony capitalism is. Then tell us how it doesn't apply to how your BOZO had the stimulus funds distributed. This should be good.
Both sides are guilty. Empty suits raisn a lot of money to sell their souls to the highest bidder. Bernanke and co gave the banks a ton of cash and obama/bush were both in on it. The stimulus propped up government but then what were the republicans planning to do? This was a housing crash of massive proportion. You needed to fix housing not everything but. Its like bush invading iraqi when the trade center was takin down by Saudis flying back and forth to afghanistan. Insane. .... I cant vote for either candidate. The repubs had an easy election but they could not quite understand that more wars and scaring seniors was not a good combination. I dont know. Couldnt they find someone that just says cut cut cut cut. Instead of a message that was all over the place. today I don't love obama care but parts of it. I mean, wtf ..you want to win on that message.
By the way, idiots, Ryan never took government handouts. When his dad died, his family was entitled to Social Security aid because his dad had paid into the system. Trying to label social security benefits as a handout seems absolutely, positively insane; especially when it is coming from a liberal. Your BS doesn't much impress grownups.
"Entitled" you say? Really? Paul Ayn Rand Ryan entitled to a socialistic benefit?
ROFLMAO
Yes Saintvrain - Paul Ryan was entitled to SS# as millions of Americans are entitled to it - it's when this little weasel tries to diminish - and by the way they are not entitlements - they where bought and paid for by - millions of Americans for expecting a return on their investment - he has the audacity to call it a Ponzi Scheme
Is when I leave you - Oh boy I got mine - but you can't have yours - this little creature who minored in Economics at a third tier school elevated by the right - why?
I'll tell you why - it has been the Republican's Mantra since FDR - to turn this country into a winner take all mentality
God - are these people Reincarnate demons from France?
Reality has a liberal bias. Republicans can't stand reality.
It is not unfair to say Romney and ryan would destroy social security if the could. Both would love to see that big pool of money in the market so they and their kind could steal.
Don't think for a minute Romney didn't mean what he said when he was speaking freely to his own kind. He dosen't give a dam about that usless 47%. After they are all useless bums that want something for nothing.I am familar with the Morman church and they should be ashamed of this man.
Does he really think Jesus said: " Blessed are the rich for all good things spring from them. But woe unto the poor for they are all worthless bums that want something for nothing. See that you help them not."Also, " be sure you kick a man when he is down because that will give him initive to get up."
TEApublicans are getting DESPERATE because they figured out they nominated a LOSER in Mitt (dog-on-the-car-roof) Romney and his hand-picked running mate Lyin' Ryan. Romney lost to Kennedy, lost in 2008 to McCain, and in November he will lose BIG to President Obama. We voters need to make the GOP lose seats in both the Senate AND the House to give the POTUS a governing majority.
Lyin' Ryan has had fourteen chances in the House but somehow, it's the fault of Democrats that the government doesn't work. The GOP ALWAYS campaigns on the fact the Congress doesn't work. They get elected. Then the go to Washington and make SURE it doesn't work and will NEVER work. We need to clean house! Some voters are too old to work, or, like me, disabled and CAN'T work. Some are too young to work, unless we want to become China.
The more they BOTH talk, they keep diggin' their hole just a little deeper. They are both HEARTLESS thinking that EVERYONE can jump up, get to work, and become self-sufficient with no help from the government.
Vote OBAMA/BIDEN 2012 and ANY non GOP candidates down the ballot. He deserves a second term with a CHASTISED but LOYAL minority party to work WITH him and not AGAINST everything!
Tea conservative do not equal tea republicans. These are different folks. Mccain was a liberal with wacky war tendencies. I wouldnt trust him to walk my dog. Too many prison cam p days. . Romney is basically licking mccains boots right now as far as I can tell. Its a losing combination. Tea conservatives will do a protest vote but will split the ticket. Romney lib no...local conservatives YES.......Also, There is no way in gods green earth that the dems will take the house. You are smoking wacky tobaccki or living on mars. The senate, either way will be split. Fiscal cliff, here we come. You know though, I kind of like it. Its the first time in years the government actually may cut cost and we won't have to listen to stimulus package non-sense. We had a housing crisis not a tax crisis. With romney, that would be a battle for 4 years . This way, we can just jump and see what happens.
Vote democrat this year so that President Obama has a chance to get jobs back for America. Vote those lying bastard republicans out of office. We've had enough of their obstruction.
Paul Ryan/zero conscious, zero self-respect, zero pride, 100% self-serving. Wisconsinite's Really???
Sorry Honest Dave - your assumption is that these people have a conscious!
Frankly I have never - well almost never met a Republican who had a conscious - Frank Wolf of Virginia who did not sign the Norquist pledge and a gentlemen from New York whose name escapes me told all women never vote for a Republican - although he was a Republican
One hand two fingers and that is all!
If the thugs in the republican party were serious about getting people off safety net programs and into jobs, why didn't they pass the jobs bill? Why have they been spending all their time "working to make Obama a 1 term president", instead of doing the business of the people?
Because they're grifters and liars. That's why.
lib&proud - Obvious they wanted back their power - they wanted to continue the work they started
No Unions - Right to Work at minimum wages - look at Kansas - just raised taxes on the poor while giving tax breaks to the rich
This is an election of a lifetime - we the people will either win or lose to the 1% god help us if we lose!
Oh,my, another child of privilege lecturing the less fortunate. Priceless.
I want to retire. I don't want to need a job when I retire to make up for the social security and medicare that the TP/GOP congressmen and senators took away from me. Please, let me retire and live out the rest of my life on my savings, retirement, social security and medicare, not be forced to work until I'm 82 and then die.
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012 so that I can retire and live in peace
TP/GOP gone in 2012
Romney 1040
Unfortunately, if we continue QE3 and QE10 etc, you won't be able to retire at all. Inflation will wipe out all your savings and you'll have to work at night shift at CVS until you are 90 and you deserve it because you want it this way.
ryan's career as a politician is over. After mittens loses the election & pauly tries to retain & win his congressional seat again & loses, he'll be toast.
That will be the end of his political career. He'll have to "work" for a living...perhaps! he should have bailed & jumped ship after that video came out of mittens & his big mouth. Since it was recorded earlier in the year before he was considered for v.p. Unless of course he feels exactly the same as daddy mittens?