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Paul Ryan on Romney, Obama contrast

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    Republican VP pick on 'Special Report'

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Back here in -- congressman Paul Ryan will accept the vice presidential nomination Wednesday -- will come to Florida Tuesday.

Today he was in his hometown of Janesville Wisconsin I caught up with him there via satellite earlier today.

BBC behind me at my over my shoulders attract aren't -- on this in the -- played soccer on I'm standing on the hill that -- -- -- take our kids sledding out.

So it's it's going to be home welcome to Janesville.

I wondered.

Ask you about the current environment here there are a lot of Republicans here.

Who are very excited for you to come down here to Florida but.

To be honest there are a little bit bummed out that Isaak has rained on their parade their party not so much the weather conditions here but that the storm has.

Shortened this convention and may truncated further your thoughts on all of that.

Still that's our first concern is are the people who are in the path of the storm it's already hit Haiti hard and -- our hearts go to the victims there.

And right now our primary concern is there's those who lay in the path of the storm.

The rest of the convention.

As forecasts now and you have our hurricane.

Category one hitting New Orleans Tuesday night right before the prime time speeches.

How does that change things when does this thing go forward as -- get shortened even further what is gonna have to adapt based on the circumstances as they occur.

From your point of view what's the most important thing you want people to take away from this convention.

We have positive ideas and solutions for a better future.

Look the contrasts.

Between the President Obama plan would put us in an -- debt doubt and decline.

Vs Mitt Romney's vision solutions for a better future to get us back to prosperity couldn't be clearer.

And what we wanna do is highlight those contrast and -- -- the country the choice they deserve this fall.

By showing them how will get this country back to work how we'll get this country out of debt and how we'll get the American idea revive.

Congressman I'd let the -- a few minutes of I couldn't go through.

Some of the attacks the president's been making on the campaign trail have you addressed them sort of -- a lightning round of Obama campaign attacks if you will.

First on taxes.

The president repeatedly cites this study of Mitt Romney's tax plan from the tax policy center -- broaching Brookings Institution and the urban institute.

The average middle class family with children.

According to -- study.

Would be hit with a tax increase of more than 2000 dollars your response to that.

Well first of all it's not an accurate study it's actually not a study of the actual Romney plan.

But more than that.

You just premised it with the question the president's on the campaign trail attacking.

That's what you're gonna see all fall you know why -- For the president -- have anything else to offer he can't run his failed agenda point three million people struggling to find work unemployment above 8%.

For 42 months so we can't run on his record so all he's going to do is attack.

If -- -- distortions.

It's fear.

It's anger is frustration -- I don't think the country wants that anymore and that's why I think they're going to be very receptive to the positive vision for America that we're gonna be offering in Tampa.

-- so the only person proposing tax increases is Barack Obama.

The Romney plan for -- -- class is not raise anybody's taxes it says instead of having Washington pick winners and losers with all these special interest tax breaks.

We're gonna plug those -- -- a lower tax rates for everybody.

Families small businesses job traders so that we can get more prosperity more take home pay more job creation.

So for.

Just to be specific governor Romney has 20% cut across the board on an individual rates but he has not identified you all have not identified what.

Loopholes and deductions that you eliminate so that this tax -- tax policy senators and essentially is made the assumption that I concluded that I would.

Mathematically be impossible for governor Romney to achieve what he wants.

Without effectively having a tax hike on lower income Americans is that -- Gave their math is wrong be there are plenty of other studies that show that they're wrong and see what we're saying is here's how it works today in Washington Brett.

People send -- money to Washington people and businesses.

Then if you do what Washington approves with a lobbyist lobby to get in the tax code they'll give you some of your money back if you engage in behavior Washington approved stuff.

We disagree with that that's what president Obama's proposing with even higher tax rates were saying.

Keep your money in your wallet in your paycheck in your business in the first place.

And you'll have lower tax rates as a result and by the way the people who get most of the deductions are the people the top tax brackets the wealthy not middle income taxpayers.

As -- we're saying is by getting rid of these deductions -- higher income earners get more of their income is subject to taxation.

And that means we can lower tax rates for everybody so they will build a shelter their income from taxation but in exchange the good -- tax rates.

And -- eight out of ten businesses in America.

File their taxes as individuals.

This is a big small business job creation idea the president is proposing that tax rates on successful small businesses were more than half our jobs come from.

Goes above 40% in January.

Countries around the world are cutting their tax rates on their successful job creators Canada cut -- to 15%.

President Obama wants them to go above 40%.

That's gonna give us a recession we -- CBO agrees.

And that's why we're saying stop picking winners and losers in Washington let people keep money in their first place and that means we lower tax rates across the board for everybody.

Why not be specific on the loop holes you'll lemonade and the -- -- laminate to cut off that attack.

Because what we don't want to do is just like they did with Health Care Reform -- we kept some back -- deal.

What Clinton Obama didn't Harry Reid's office and then just give it to the country and then they can read what's in it later on we want to go three transparent process in congress.

Well we have a dialogue with the public.

What of these tax expenditures are important what are broad based -- to get rid of the best corporate welfare the crony capitalism stuff in the tax code.

But we want congress to participate in a transparent debate in front of the public -- -- have a really good debate about how best.

To broaden the tax base and lower tax rates and by the way Brett.

There's a lot of bipartisan agreement to do it this way Simpson Bowles proposed doing just this there are a lot of Democrats who agree with us.

Get rid of loopholes lower tax rates it's good for economic growth the problem is.

It's up front and Obama -- Harry Reid they want more loopholes and higher tax rates that will kill economic growth.

Democrats' side and the president has used in speeches that the CBO Medicare actuary save Medicare is going -- and will become insolvent in 2016.

Under your plan.

With obamacare repealed.

But 20/20 four under probe president Obama's.

Is that true and what's made allusion to that.

-- Those same experts also say you can't spend the same dollar twice you can't take 716 billion dollars from Medicare spent on Obama care.

And the pretend that you're also keeping that money Medicare you can't have it both ways the president's being hypocritical on this.

And what we're saying is.

Leave Medicare -- today we'll have to borrow money to finance the promise for current seniors.

But we can do that if we put those reforms in place for the next generation.

To guarantee that it's sustainable solve and prevent what we're saying it's very very clear.

Don't change Medicare benefit for people in or near retirement.

But in order to guarantee the promise of Medicare for current retirees and people about to retire you need to -- -- for my generation for your generation -- Democrats have been accusing you of trying to redefine rape you -- cosponsored legislation seeking to distinguish between statutory and forcible rape.

Why.

Well look -- all these bills were bills to stop taxpayer financing of abortion.

Most Americans agree with us including pro choice Americans that we shouldn't use hardworking taxpayer dollars to finance abortion.

Rape is -- period this is language that was stock language used for lots of different bills bills I didn't author.

And that language -- moved to be very clear and I agree with that removing that language so -- are very clear rape is -- period end of story.

And you've been critical of President Obama for what you've -- his lack of leadership on Iran.

I just said that he should've supported the green movements in Tehran and more -- more forceful early on.

But looking at the situation right now what would a Romney Ryan administration do differently.

With -- wrong.

For the last three years.

The Obama administration has tried to water down the sanctions that we've applied on Iran only because we've had huge bipartisan votes in congress.

Do we have the kinds of sanctions we have in place.

Or -- Ryan administration would not be standing in a way of these sanctions Iran Iran administration would have been leading the imposition of these sanctions.

Which is to make sure that the Iranian regime sees that we're serious.

That's very important the other concern I have with our foreign policy not just with Iran but with all these other areas is that they keep.

Putting our our our policy said the getting it to the United Nations.

And so we should not be worrying about whether or not Russia and China are gonna veto everything we want to do in pursuit of our national interest because we run everything's in the united nations Security Council.

That means we have to appease Russia and China to safeguard our national security interest and I just think that's the wrong posture -- -- Congressman I want it get personal -- second you've got emotional when you went back to Wisconsin in that one of those first advance you're there in your hometown today.

Reflected you can about making this track.

And being at this point ready to accept your party's vice presidential nomination.

You know Brett I never planned this for my life I wasn't one of those people who heads my life mapped out.

I love the study of economics and up about browser to do with my life and but I decided to run for office at a young age 28 I was fortunate enough get elected to the people here in southern Wisconsin have been very good to me -- try to live up to their trust.

And to be standing here on the hill I take my kids sliding.

In the bowl where I played soccer and ran track.

Talking about these issues at this moment in our country.

Is this very profound for me it's a it's a very moving moment and you know here in Janesville Wisconsin just a kid is to go to campus schools and public schools.

To be -- to be in this position.

Only in America.

Your dad died as we've talked about.

An early age you -- in your teens.

You think back about him as you're getting ready for this journey down here to Tampa -- this moment.

I thought about every day and out.

It was -- of those moments in a life where you basically -- make a decision where you sink or swim you would something like that happens it's a real punch in the stomach.

And yet to decide -- get yourself up brush yourself off and dive in the life.

But the decision I made when I was sixteen.

And it's made me a stronger person as a result of that.

And now I'd like to -- -- be proud of not just what we're doing here but of my entire family and and what we're doing and so yeah I think about that a lot.

-- -- you something you told Steve Hayes of the weekly standard that you should quote.

It was after we got thumped by Pelosi and 06 I was sitting up in my tree stand after that election thinking about you know.

Why am -- in congress where my doing is you really serving a purpose I considered leaving because I was young and I didn't want to be a lifetime politician.

She implemented a five day work week when I looked at it I was going to see my family only about one day a week I was thinking at that time is this worth it.

In a tree stand as a hunter a big bow hunter from that point to this point.

-- said about six miles that direction.

I can get into my tree -- within about twenty minutes a leave my house that's a -- to hear Wisconsin.

Bomb at a lot of my thinking out in the woods -- and I'm an outdoors guy and down that's what I thought to be good at these jobs in leadership in congress.

Serving as vice president he is he willing to lose the job meaning you can't.

Worry about your next election -- -- worry about the next generation.

About what needs to be done to save this country.

And that's the problem I have a -- Obama and a lot of politicians like him in Washington.

They're so worried about their election.

That they're compromising the country and the next generation.

And so I decided back then.

I'm gonna do what I think is writes I'm gonna move this debate so we can get this country fixed so we don't have the -- European result that were clearly heading toward.

And what I'm really pleased to see is were finally having that adult conversation we need to have in this country.

If we want to fix this country's problems and it is back to prosperity get people back to work.

I -- -- asked one question from Twitter Tracy Gorman tweeted a question asked congressman Ryan what his biggest surprise has been so far.

As vice presidential candidate.

For him and his wife.

It's been a lot less stress on a lot more fun than I anticipated.

People are set it would drain me it actually energizes me.

So it's been a real pleasant surprise.

-- not Ryan thank you very much for your time good luck in your journey down here to Tampa and we'll see -- hear of the convention center.

-- -- -- we'll see you later.

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