Yahoo! News asked voters to share their reactions to Paul Ryan's address at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday. In their own words, here are perspectives from voters across the nation.
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Paul Ryan's acceptance speech at the RNC was hyped and full of hope, but he answered the call, with the bases loaded, and hit it out of the park.
First, how cute are his kids! The one boy seemed to relish the spotlight a bit more than his siblings, waving a little longer. There's Betty, his mom. Ryan showed genuine emotion talking about her success, getting an education and starting a business after his father died suddenly. There was the priceless snuggle between Betty and his daughter.
My favorite line was about college graduates in their 20s in their childhood bedrooms staring at faded Obama posters, wondering when their life would begin. I had my college graduate home in her childhood bedroom last year. The humor but also hopelessness of that hit home!
He had substance. He exercises great efficiency with a quip or a one-liner. He makes each point cogent and uncluttered. I got the impression that he's a straight shooter, without being the at-times bombastic Chris Christie.
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Ryan's use of imagery, one part of his speech particularly, resonated: "What did the taxpayers get out of the Obama stimulus? More debt. That money wasn't just spent and wasted--it was borrowed, spent, and wasted. Maybe the greatest waste of all was time. Here we were, faced with a massive job crisis--so deep that if everyone out of work stood in single file, that unemployment line would stretch the length of the entire American continent. You would think that any president, whatever his party, would make job creation, and nothing else, his first order of economic business."
I am one of the unemployed in that line. Ryan's speech reminds me that President Obama has held 106 fundraisers and played golf during the last six months without meeting with his jobs creation council. I think I am becoming tired of "standing in line."
-- Lyn Brooks
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While Ryan's speech didn't convince me to vote for Romney, it didn't convince me not too, either. I like the idea of having a younger leader in that position, someone of my generation who likes the same music I do. Ryan brought a laugh from the crowd when he compared his musical tastes to Romney's and said his ranged from "AC/DC to Zeppelin." I also liked when he highlighted that he and Romney were a generation apart, which I think is a good thing.
One part of the speech that did resonate with me was when he said, "For those who feel left out or passed, over, you have not failed. Your leaders have failed you."
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Wow. (Note the lack of exclamation point.)
I'm traditionally a very decided voter, but not this election year. I was hoping Paul Ryan's speech would give me a push toward one party or the other, but it really fell short.
I agree that Obama should have put jobs first instead of Obamacare. Ryan says he and Romney will build 12 million jobs within four years if elected. I'm skeptical because Obama has also promised jobs. Maybe seeing details of their 12-million-jobs plan could cinch my vote for the Republicans in 2012. Republicans refer to Reagan like Democrats turn to JFK and Clinton.
I was not impressed that he referenced Reagan's "trickle down" economics. That plan didn't work in the 1980s, and it won't get us out of this horrible mess now. I went into this convention as an undecided voter, and I'm leaving Paul Ryan's speech as one.
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Ryan's speech was full of smugness and carefully worded deceptions, and I didn't like it. It didn't engender trust or confidence for me. What he could have done was talked straight about issues that matter to me--women's rights, education, and global relationships. Somehow, they did not make his list of priorities. He did say that he has a simple answer to our problems: stop spending money we don't have. He says he and Mitt will solve the nation's economic problems--but doesn't say how. Simply put, his attempts at showing sincerity and confidence turned me off.
The strong protect the weak, he says, and our rights come from nature and God and not from government… but his platform didn't explain how the "weak" would be protected. He said, "The best among us have protected our freedoms and they're protecting us now," but didn't prove what those freedoms are.
Paul Ryan certainly revved up the crowd, but he didn't rev up me.
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I may not yet be sold on Mitt Romney for president, but one thing is for sure: I am sold on Paul Ryan for vice president.
Ryan was charming, witty, and downright truthful.
Ryan appealed to young voters--like me--who are concerned whether they will find a job once they graduate college.
Finally, Paul Ryan made me breathe a little easier concerning Romney's religion. While I am no advocate of Mormonism, the fact that Romney is devoted to his church is a positive trait that he can take to the White House.
Thank you, Paul Ryan, for restoring my faith in the Republican Party.
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The economy and Obamacare were high points in vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan's Republican National Convention address. Looking not a year over the age 35, the 42-year-old Ryan appeared as elegant as he spoke. With not even a slight stutter in his words, he drove his points across with authority and a deliverance that pre-law students could only dream of possessing.
I must admit Ryan grabbed my attention and simply refused to let go. I knew very little about him until tonight. I feel a little more clearly about his platform and what he feels Mitt Romney could potentially do if in office. As of this moment, the GOP has a strong lead with my vote.
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Ryan's strength is that, instead of threatening to throw out the government programs that so many rely on, he and Mitt Romney will work with Congress to cut spending and create a national government that will live within its means. Ryan understands the importance of family and our country's values, which are founded on a legacy of hard work and thrift.
His speech gave me hope that with Mitt Romney's business acumen and Ryan's determination for real government change, together they will provide the leadership we need to steer our economic future onto a course of prosperity.
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Ryan said, "We have suffered no shortage of words in the White House. What's missing is leadership in the White House." I am in total agreement. I know I am not the only voter who supported Obama in '08 only to realize that for the past 44 months, people are not really that much better off.
Ryan took the time to bring to our attention that it is good to be successful, that accomplishing good things is something Americans should be proud of and strive to accomplish. Unfortunately, it seems as if some people feel that being successful is cause for shame.
A Romney-Ryan ticket may take us to a better destination.
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