Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan shot back at critics of the Romney campaign this weekend, dismissing complaints from some Republicans that the campaign is overly timid and has given Mr. Ryan too low of a profile.
Many GOP analysts and officials have second-guessed the Romney campaign in response to its recent declining poll numbers in battleground states such as Ohio, Florida and Virginia, arguing that Mr. Romney has failed to clearly outline his vision for the nation’s economic future and is keeping tight wraps on Mr. Ryan — the House Budget committee chairman who they say is capable of articulating that vision.
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In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Wisconsin congressman brushed aside such criticism and said he still thinks the GOP ticket can win in November despite worries from some party members.
“I think that’s just what conservatives do by nature,” he said. “I think that’s just the nature of conservative punditry is to do that — to kind of complain — about any imperfection they might see.”
While some pundits are fretting that Mr. Romney is letting the race slip away, criticism has also come from some prominent Republican elected officials, even in Mr. Ryan’s home state.
U.S. Senate candidate and former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson suggested last week that the Romney ticket’s lagging poll numbers are hurting his campaign, and current Gov. Scott Walker said in a radio interview Friday that the campaign has squandered the momentum that followed Mr. Ryan’s selection as running mate by failing to use his fiscal expertise.
“Look, Scott’s my friend. He’s just an advocate. He’s just always going to be going to bat for me like that,” Mr. Ryan said in response. “[But] never once has the campaign asked me to stop doing something or do something differently or not do anything.”
