'The Insignificant Office'

Since Mitt Romney officially announced Paul Ryan as his choice for the office John Adams complained was, “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived,” the media has focused on little else.
In many ways, the vice presidency selection revitalizes coverage of the election, reminding us of early primary days when we had no end of new faces to learn and
compare.

Ryan is a divisive figure. Although relatively young — he was elected to Congress at age 28­ — he is a fairly ideological politician with big plans to modify the government.
When contrasted with the more moderate, private-sector Romney, Ryan brings an interesting and slightly unexpected dynamic to the Republican ticket.
Ryan will draw attention from both Republicans and Democrats. He will help consolidate a base that sometimes doubts Romney’s conservative credentials and will likely bring a temporary boost in campaign donations.

Currently the chairman of the House Budget Committee, Ryan is probably best known for his provocative budget plan, which in part proposes to partially privatize Medicare for future seniors.

His plan wouldn’t automatically enroll seniors in the government health care program, but would give them the option of buying into Medicare-approved plans with vouchers.
Thus far, the plan hasn’t proved popular with voters. According to a CNN poll in May 2011, 58 percent of Americans opposed Ryan’s plan.

Romney and Ryan will have to make sure older, white voters who typically support Republicans can be convinced this plan will not affect their Medicare programs negatively.

Democrats will likely seize on this issue, especially in important states like Florida. This battleground state has a large population of senior citizens, and Ryan’s position on the trade embargo on Cuba proves controversial there.

But just how important is any vice presidential pick in the long run?

Though we can see how much attention the vice presidential selection draws, it is hard to say how much a vice president pick can truly help a candidate.

It is far easier to think of how they might prove damaging. Gallup found candidates often garner a five-point bounce in the polls after naming their running mates­ — a bump which usually dies out after a couple of weeks.

And though the politically involved might have strong feelings about Ryan, he doesn’t have the national name recognition of some Romney might have chosen.

A Gallup Poll released Aug. 12 said 19 percent of adults surveyed were unsure how they would rate Romney’s choice, and only 39 percent felt excellent or pretty good about Ryan. This is the lowest positive rating since former Vice President Dan Quayle.
In many ways, the vice presidency is a strange position. The Constitution is notably vague on the duties of the vice president.

It clarifies that the vice president is next in the presidential line of succession, and he is president of the Senate.

It was a relatively minor role for a long time, as evidenced by Adams’ complaint. But with the overall expansion of the federal government in recent years and Cheney’s powerful influence, the office has grown tremendously. Joe Biden has pulled back this expansion. But it is hard to predict how Ryan would take to the vice presidency.
He is a career politician, bold and articulate. He would be a powerful conservative force in a Republican White House.

As for his impact on the election? Ryan is an audacious vice presidential pick.

With Republicans and Democrats swearing to focus on the economy, Ryan and his budget plan will likely only worsen the partisan bloodbath, and no one quite knows who will come out on top.