In my opinion, Mitt Romney chose one of the most charismatic politicians in our nation’s history to be his running mate. He also chose one of the smartest. Democrats are about to learn this the hard way.

Romney has major problems that impact his candidacy. He simply does not connect very well with an audience. Average Americans do not relate well to him. He is too wealthy, and his being a Mormon makes a lot of people uncomfortable. He also is not very good at explaining conservative principles in ways people understand. Romney is brilliant, but he is not brilliant at making his point. He has solved all these problems with the selection of Paul Ryan.

Ryan oozes charisma. If you watch him in a one-on-one interview, you will quickly see that people really like him. For example, CNN played an interview with him by Gloria Borgia. She asked him about the Democratic ad that had someone who looked like Paul Ryan pushing an old lady in a wheelchair over a cliff. His response was beyond brilliant. He just smiled and laughed. His response was that he is a real person with a real family who just happens to work in Washington, D.C., a silly place, four days a week. He totally charmed Borgia. You could tell she liked him in spite of herself.

This is something that Paul Ryan shares with Sarah Palin that the liberal left cannot even comprehend. He is a genuine guy, so he doesn’t need to pretend. He is so comfortable in his own skin that others are comfortable around him. Democrats are going to try and demonize this man, as they always do, but they have a problem:  it’s really hard to dislike Paul Ryan.

Ryan is so obviously one of us. He is that average American, who lives in your neighborhood, attends your church and takes his kids to the soccer game. In this regard, he is the polar opposite of Mitt Romney. He is also the polar opposite of both Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Quite simply, they are politicians pretending to be real people. Paul Ryan is a real person who just happens to be a politician. That makes all the difference in the world.

Ryan seems not only to understand complex issues; he can explain them in terms that everyone understands. Even President Obama listens when Paul Ryan speaks. He is a compelling speaker with a firm grasp of the subject and a unique ability to connect with his audience.

It will not take long for the Democratic attack machine to gear up. We are going to see some really strong ads trying to portray Ryan as an evil villain who sold his soul to exploit the little guy at the expense of big business. Here, again, is their problem:  Paul Ryan. He almost doesn’t have to say anything. He can just smile, with his wife and three kids close by, all bundled up to attend a Green Bay Packers football game, and say, “Were they talking about me?”  “Do I really look like that guy to you?”

No one, especially yours truly, has a crystal ball that will accurately predict the future. But it doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that Mitt Romney made a brilliant choice in his selection for V.P. All of the major problems with the Romney campaign are fixed overnight.

My guess is that Democrats will launch an all-out assault on Paul Ryan, which will be a mistake. For one thing, he is running for Vice President, not President. If they focus on Ryan, that helps Romney; in addition, these assaults, guaranteed to be outrageous and disgusting, are likely to make Ryan even more popular. People will respond viscerally to unfair attacks. Democrats need to demonize Paul Ryan’s ideas without demonizing the man. Good luck with that!

Democrats think they destroyed Sarah Palin, but in reality they turned her into a political rock star. Sarah Palin proved that she is smarter than any of her detractors. While Democrats continue to laugh at her and put her down, when she speaks, elections change course. It is a foolish person who underestimates the political force that is Sarah Palin.

Paul Ryan is Sarah Palin on steroids. He has all of her charisma, without the high voice and the Alaskan accent. He has a superior academic and political resume, and he has something more important—respect; even by people who disagree with him. Sarah Palin has been treated unfairly by nearly everyone. Even Dick Cheney, who should know better, failed to treat her with respect. Sarah Palin needs to waste valuable time explaining to the uninformed why she is worthy of respect. Paul Ryan doesn’t have that problem. Perhaps it is because he is so eloquent in explaining his positions. Perhaps it is because he just looks the part. Whatever the reason, Ryan has it in spades.

Watch out!  It’s time for Ryan’s Song and it just might be a runaway best seller.

TDM