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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Little-known Ryan makes pitch to GOP faithful
Vows team would repeal 'Obamacare'
Vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan speaks to Republicans Wednesday night. (SCOTT APPLEWHITE / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
TAMPA, Fla. -- Republicans turned their attention Wednesday to Mitt Romney's budget-conscious running mate, Paul Ryan, but also to two groups that far prefer U.S. President Barack Obama to Romney as the Nov. 6 election looms -- women and Hispanics.
Ryan was ready to accept the party's nomination as Romney's running mate at the Republican National Convention, where he took the stage to introduce himself not just to delegates, but to Americans wary about his proposals to reduce the country's mammoth federal deficit -- those who have heard of him, that is.
"After four years of getting the run-around, America needs a turnaround, and the man for the job is Gov. Mitt Romney," Ryan said in prepared remarks.
"We have a plan for a stronger middle class, with the goal of generating 12 million new jobs over the next four years."
Ryan, the brains behind the Republican party's budget-slashing proposals, also took aim in his speech at so-called Obamacare, the president's signature piece of legislation that has brought health insurance to millions of previously uninsured Americans.
"The president has declared that the debate over government-controlled health care is over. That will come as news to the millions of Americans who will elect Mitt Romney so we can repeal Obamacare," Ryan said.
Romney's choice of Ryan as running mate has yet to have much of an impact on the White House hopeful's standing in the polls. He's still running neck-and-neck in public opinion surveys with Obama, with the president even inching ahead in some key swing states.
A recent Pew Research Center/Washington Post poll suggests Americans are all over the map about Ryan, branding him as "intelligent," "conservative" and "unknown."
While the delegates on the floor of the waterfront Tampa convention centre were abuzz all day about the Wisconsin congressman's appearance, the event's daytime agenda was aimed at reaching out to demographics where Republicans are getting pummelled in the polls by the president.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American, made the rounds of the morning talk shows to suggest Romney's immigration policies are evolving.
He reiterated his belief the party has a problem with Latinos, saying he agreed with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's remark earlier this week that "you can't just trot out a brown face or a Spanish surname and expect people are going to vote for your party or your candidate."
Public opinion surveys show Latino voters overwhelmingly vote Democrat, and far prefer Obama to Romney.
Women are another trouble spot for Romney. A prime-time Tuesday night speech by his wife, Ann, to the convention was surprisingly political as she made a passionate pitch to women.
She was at it again on Wednesday, joining forces with Ryan's wife, Janna, to headline a "Women for Romney" breakfast fundraiser.
Meanwhile, CNN confirmed Wednesday one of its black camera operators was taunted this week by two Republican National Convention attendees, who were removed by security officials.
Atlanta-based CNN said the employee was covering the convention when the two attendees began throwing nuts and saying, "This is how we feed animals." The cable news network said multiple witnesses saw the exchange, and RNC security and police immediately stepped in.
-- The Canadian Press, with files from MCT Information Services
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 30, 2012 A9
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