The presumed Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan stopped in Colorado for a two day campaign swing. His only public event was in Lakewood Tuesday.
Colorado was Ryan鈥檚 second stop since joining the Romney campaign last weekend, the .
Nathan Heffel: Kirk Siegler was at the Lakewood High School gym where Ryan spoke and Kirk, what kind of a reception did he get?
Kirk Siegler: A warm one, Ryan cast himself as someone who knows a lot about this state, saying that he vacations here a lot; he likes to climb the fourteeners. You could see his reputation as an eloquent speaker on full display as he addressed the crowd without a teleprompter. He didn鈥檛 delve too deeply into his controversial budget plan to put Medicare into private vouchers, barely even mentioned it which I found interesting. Basically, he kept his attacks square on President Obama.
Paul Ryan: And without a doubt President Obama inherited a difficult situation. Here鈥檚 the problem, he made it worse (applause).
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Heffel: Ryan stuck mostly to his talking points about the budget and President Obama鈥檚 handling of the economy. But he also 鈥� an important issue in a battleground state like this.
Siegler: Paul Ryan called for an all of the above strategy, noting that Colorado is rich in , . He also said President Obama is trying to stifle domestic energy production, namely oil and gas drilling on federal public lands in the West.
Mr. Ryan: He has 10 different agencies and four executive offices regulating hydraulic fracturing, we think Colorado knows how to take care of this themselves, we want you to be in charge.
Ryan was alluding there to Colorado鈥檚 public disclosure fracking rule. He didn鈥檛 talk about the wind power production tax credit. And Democrats held a presser nearby after the rally which featured a wind power company executive highlighting the fact that Romney doesn鈥檛 , especially in a week where Wind Systems down in Pueblo.
Heffel: Following the speech on Twitter and hearing from you, there was a lot of enthusiasm for Ryan 鈥� perhaps even more than Mitt Romney. But how do you think he鈥檒l play with swing voters, independents in a place like Jefferson County where he spoke?
Siegler: It鈥檚 safe to say a few folks who came out to see what Ryan had to say and what he鈥檚 all about. But this was mostly a crowd of staunch conservatives. It鈥檚 not clear yet whether the will hurt Romney鈥檚 chances with independents in a county like this.
I put this to Paula Rutan of Lakewood, who was standing outside the gym after the speech hoping to get a glimpse of Ryan. She didn鈥檛 think it would hurt Republicans that鈥檚 for sure.
Paula Rutan: It really pumped me up. I have to say it pumped me up. I鈥檓 OK with Mitt but I鈥檓 really on board with Mr. Ryan.
