CNN "State of the Union with Candy Crowley" - Transcript
Interview
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CROWLEY: Because as much as voters learned about Paul Ryan yesterday, they may have learned more about Romney first and foremost that this most cautious of candidates will take a big risk for the potential of a big payoff.
At first blush this much could be said for the Ryan pick, it appears to have brought home conservatives. Joining us now for a conversation about hat more is Senator John Thune of South Dakota. Senator, thanks for being here. And that really is the first question. We had seen -- has some hesitation, some skepticism, whatever you want to call it by conservatives, who by the way very publicly pushed for Paul Ryan to be the pick. Do you think that this settles conservative doubts or hesitations about Mitt Romney?
SEN. JOHN THUNE, (R) SOUTH DAKOTA: Well, good morning, Candy. What I think it does is it certainly demonstrates that Governor Romney is very serious about doing big things for the country, and wants this campaign to be about the big things, and in a discussion about the future of the country, it is a decisive pick, it's a bold pick as you mentioned. And I congratulate him for it, because I think that Paul Ryan represents the kind of leadership that people in this country are hungry for, and his efforts to not only define the issues that we need to face as we get into the days and the weeks and the months and the years ahead, but also to come up with solutions to those issues, is something that I think that will serve as a great asset to Governor Romney and the campaign.
But it clearly is something that I think conservatives are receptive to. Paul Ryan is viewed favorably out there among the conservatives and as you mentioned there are a number who were encouraging Governor Romney to make a pick like that. And I think Paul Ryan represents everything that conservatives hoped for in terms of a real contrast as we head into the fall campaign.
CROWLEY: Is it not at the same time a pick by Mitt Romney that shows he agrees with some of the critics up to now that have said that Romney thought he could run a campaign based solely on the Obama economy?
THUNE: Well, I think that a lot of us, and many of us who support Governor Romney, believe that this is a referendum on the Obama economy. The Obama economy -- and again to be fair to the president, he inherited a bad economy, but after three-and-a-half years of his policies, things are much, much worse. His policies have made the economy worse. We have 42 now consecutive months of unemployment above 8 percent, 23 million Americans unemployed or underemployed, wages are down, health care costs are up, college tuition costs are up, fuel costs are up. The economy as a whole is really in very, very rough shape. And I think that is something that this president has to own. It is his economy.
But I do believe that Governor Romney in making this pick has said, I'm going to take the game to my opponent. I'm not going to sit back and just run the clock out and hold the ball, I think he's made it very clear that this is going to be a campaign about big issues and about a very different vision, contrasting vision for the future of this country.
So I think it is good for Governor Romney. I think it demonstrates leadership and decisiveness on his part, but more importantly it's good for the country to have this debate.
CROWLEY: Do you agree that there is a risk to this pick when you look to the general electorate, and how would you describe that risk?
THUNE: Well, you know, I think that it is going to be described that way. Obviously, people are going to say that this represents, you know, a direction for the country in picking somebody like Paul Ryan who is very identified with certain policy prescriptions for Social Security and Medicare for example, and people are going to describe it that way, but I don't view it that way at all. I think it is a risk for President Obama to have someone like a ticket like a Romney/Ryan ticket where you have actually laid out definitive solutions and answers to America's problems. This president has kicked the can down the road on every major issue. He's not somebody who has provided the leadership that the country needs to get the economy back on track and get people back to work or to deal with this trajectory that we have right now of year over year trillion dollar deficits.
So I think the risk -- I think this is a bigger risk for the president, because they are going to attack the Romney or the Ryan budget as cutting Medicare, but the president is the only one in this campaign who has cut Medicare to the tune of $700 billion. So I think that there is a considerable risk for the president to have this ticket opposing them in the fall campaign.
CROWLEY: Sure.
On the other hand, you know how elections work. They are not always the best formats for lengthy discussions about line by line bills and what it would and wouldn't do. And if you look at history in terms of candidates who talk about privatization of Social Security, partial privatization, who look at Medicare and say, we have to change the way we are doing business, that is almost certain to be something that will shake up seniors, even as you try to tell them it is not going to affect them, because they are already receiving benefits.
How would you suggest that they approach what is already the criticism that Paul Ryan simply fits in with Mitt Romney's plan to make the middle-class and now add seniors to that, take all of the burden on?
THUNE: Well, I think that you always have the challenge when you are explaining something like that to be able to help people out there, American public, understand, educate them on what is at stake. I think that the biggest risk for the country is doing nothing. That is what ends Medicare as we know it is doing nothing. You have to have a plan to fix it. And I think that Paul Ryan, to his credit, whether you like it or not, has come up with a plan that puts Medicare on a more sustainable fiscal path going forward.
Now...
CROWLEY: Do you think it could cost them Florida? THUNE: Now are there going to be independents across the country -- well, I don't think so. I think that frankly if you get out to explain that and people understand. You know they always talk about Florida, but senior citizens, people over the age of 55 are not going to be impacted by this, it's people younger than the age of 55 who would have more options and more choices and greater competition and hopefully more affordable health care in the future.
So I think part of his explaining it, and there is no better person to do that than Paul Ryan. He is the man who best understands these who best understands the budgetary implications of doing nothing as well as laying out a specific plan that will save and strengthen Medicare for the future. So I think that this is a very -- it is really a strong move by Mitt Romney. I think it shows his desire to make this campaign about big things as well as to create a very clear distinction and contrast between someone who wants to fix the problems and face the challenges of the future and someone like President Obama who for three-and-a- half years now not only made the matters worse, but has not laid anything forward in terms of a plan to address these big issues.
CROWLEY: You know, if you could give me a quick answer to the following. One of the big hole in the numbers that we see when you look at Mitt Romney's approval rating is women and minorities. Does the addition of Paul Ryan to the ticket add a thing in terms of attracting either one of those demographics?
THUNE: Well, frankly, I think that most women across the country care like everybody does about the issue, and that's jobs and the economy. So if the Romney/Ryan ticket can articulate a clear vision for how they're going to get the economy growing and expanding again and get people, get Americans back to work, I think that will attract the women voters.
I think right now, people are holding back, their waiting for this fall campaign to get under way, and they are going to have a very clear choice in front of them.
CROWLEY: Senator John Thune, thanks for getting up this morning to join us. We appreciate it.
THUNE: Great to be with you. Thanks, Candy.
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