Congressional Democrats' Friday-night happy dance

[ProSense]

Congressional Democrats' Friday-night happy dance

by kos

Conservatives are thrilled at the RYAN-(romney) ticket because they went and showed Mitt Romney who was boss.
The Romney campaign is thrilled at the Paul Ryan pick because now they'll win the conservative vote.

Liberals are thrilled at their ticket because now we'll win the November vote.

But none of the above are as happy as the people in charge of getting Democrats elected to the House and Senate. Mitt Romney's Friday-night news dump had them dancing in the aisles.

Dem operative: "We've spent 18 months trying to make House races about their plan for Medicare and Mitt Romney just did it for us overnight"
— @mpoindc via Twitter for Android

Rep. Steve Israel (N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, described Romney selection of a Ryan as a dream come true for House Democrats. Israel says the move allows Democrats to pound the GOP proposed changes to Medicare and Medicaid – issues where his party has traditionally had an advantage over Republicans – rather than the state of the U.S. economy.

“I was shocked,” Israel said of the Ryan announcement. “I was secretly hoping they would pick Ryan. With all the polling on his budget, I didn’t think they would make my hopes come true."

No shit. And all of this from a GOP that claimed that jobs, jobs, jobs was the only thing that mattered. Think about it—Democrats have spent the last year trying to turn Paul Ryan into a household name so they could wrap his budget around the neck of every Republican who voted for it. But outside of political circles, Ryan remained largely unknown.

Yet here comes the bumbling Romney campaign, panicked by poll numbers and a conservative base agitating for Palin II, and what does it do? It single-handedly delivered to congressional Democrats what they would've had to spend more millions than they have to do—nationalize Paul Ryan.

Democrats have already won a pair of House special elections in tough turf by focusing on the Ryan efforts to destroy Medicare.

Even before Mitt Romney made Ryan his running mate, the Medicare attack had had successful try-outs, resulting in the upset win of Democratic Rep. Kathy Hochul in a special election in Western New York in 2011 and this year in the special race in Arizona to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

- more -

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/13/1119693/-Congressional-Democrats-Friday-night-happy-dance

Similar to the effort to convince that the Bain ads weren't working, there will likely be an effort to claim Ryan isn't all that bad, especially among seniors. But the evidence is clear. People hate the Ryan budget.

74% of the Elderly DISAPPROVE of Ryan Plan
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021116733

The GOP's down-ballot anxiety (Republicans trying to run away from Ryan's budget)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021123428

[ProSense]

1. Kick! n/t

[Lugnut]

2. K&R! n/t

[hifiguy]

3. Kick!

Mittwit just handed the Obama campaign a gigantic hammer. I am sure the Obama folks have watched enough cartoons to know how this always turns out.

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. "74% of the Elderly DISAPPROVE of Ryan Plan".

That's one helluva shocking statistic. Was this a hail mary pick so we'd quit asking for Mitty's tax returns?