If the Romneys were Tuesday’s headliners at the Republican National Convention (RNC,) then Wis. Rep. Paul Ryan’s speech, officially accepting his vice presidential candidate nomination, was the highlight of the night Wednesday.
“I accept the duty to help lead our nation out of a jobs crisis and help lead us back to prosperity,” Ryan said. “After four years of getting a runaround, America needs a turnaround.”
Ryan’s speech came after a night of notable speakers, including former presidential candidate and Ariz. Sen. John McCain, former Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee and Ky. Sen. Rand Paul, son to former presidential hopeful Ron Paul.
Most keynote speakers Wednesday, including Ryan, continued to focus on the state of the economy and the failures of President Barack Obama’s policies.
“President Barack Obama came to office during an economic crisis, as he has reminded us a time or two,” Ryan said. “Right now, 23 million men and women are struggling to find work; Twenty-three million people, unemployed or underemployed.
Evan Eastman, a member of USF College Republicans, said he anxiously awaited Ryan’s speech and watched it live on C-SPAN.
“I was really fired up when I heard he’d be the VP nominee,” Eastman said. “He brings something to the table that will resonate with students.”
For Eastman, much of his focus is also on problems with the economy. Eastman said Ryan is the man for the job.
“He’s brilliant in the field of economics — he has a vast field of knowledge on governmental economics,”
Eastman said. “Students will take note of Ryan’s message and hopefully he has the energy of someone a young person will like.”
Many Republicans, including Eastman, believe Ryan will bring youth and energy to the Mitt Romney ticket. College students, at least, can recognize that Ryan acknowledged their plight during his speech.
“Millions of young Americans have graduated from college during the Obama presidency, ready to use their gifts and get going in life,” Ryan said. “Half of them cannot find the work they studied for, or work at all.”
Ryan even mentioned the new trend of young college graduates who have moved back to their parent’s homes, nicknamed “boomerangers.”
“College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life,” Ryan said.
Though not offering definite solutions in his speech, Ryan did set goals for a Romney-Ryan administration, including generating 12 million new jobs, keeping federal spending at 20 percent of GDP and limiting government.
“After four years of government trying to divide up the wealth, we will get America creating wealth again,” Ryan said.
Ryan’s speech is arguably one of the last significant events of the RNC this week, before Romney accepts his nomination tonight.
“My dad used to say to me ‘Son you have a choice, you can be part of the problem, or you can be part of the solution,” Ryan said. “The present administration has made its choices, and Mitt Romney and I have made ours.”