It's Now an Ideological Election

I disagree with other DU'ers who think Romney made a mistake in picking Paul Ryan. I don't think Romney really had a choice under the circumstances; he has to go where the energy is. And the energy is clearly with the minority of Republicans who were willing to shut down the government last year rather than allow the government to take on greater debt.

Romney knows he can't win; the most he can hope for is a respectable showing. When you hit a bouncer to short, you run it out anyhow, otherwise you'll be accused of dogging it. In picking Ryan, Romney is maximizing his chances of profiting from an Obama collapse.

Ryan's a good choice for this election. Romney wasn't going to win anyhow, and this is his best chance to get a conversation started.