janesville, wisconsin, is where i was born and raised, and i never really left it. it's our home now. for the last 14 years, i have proudly represented wisconsin in congress. there i have focused on solving the problems that confront our country, turning ideas into action and action into solutions. i am committed, in heart and mind, to putting that experience to work in a romney administration. [ applause ] this is a crucial moment in the life of our nation, and it is absolutely vital that we select the right man to lead america back to prosperity and greatness. that man is standing right next to me. his name is mitt romney, and he

will be the next president of the united states of america. my dad died when i was young. he was a good and decent man. there are a few things he would say that have just always stuck with me. he would say, son, you're either part of the problem or part of the solution. well, regrettably, president obama has become part of the problem and mitt romney is the solution. the other thing my dad would always say is that every generation of americans leaves their children better off. that's the american legacy. sadly for the first time in our

history, we are on a path which will undo that legacy. that is why we need new leadership to become part of the solution, new leadership to restore prosperity, economic growth and jobs. it is our duty to save the american dream for our children and theirs. i believe -- i believe there is no person in america who is better prepared because of his experience, because of the principles he holds, and because of his achievements in excellence in so many different arenas to lead america at this point in our history. [ applause ]

let me say a word about the man mitt romney is about to replace. no one disputes that president obama inherited a difficult situation. and in his first two years, with his party in complete control of washington, he passed nearly every item on his agenda, but that didn't make thins better. in fact, we find ourselves in a nation facing debt, doubt, and despair. this is the worst economic recovery in 70 years. unemployment has been above 8% for more than three years, the longest run since the great depression. families are hurting. we had the largest deficits and biggest federal government since world war ii. nearly one out of six americans

are in poverty, the worst rate in a generation. moms and dads are struggling to make ends meet. household incomes have dropped more than $4,000 over the past four years. whatever the explanations, whatever the excuses, this is a record of failure. president obama and too many like him in washington have refused to make difficult decisions because they are more worried about their next election than they are about the next generation. we might have been able to get away with that before, but not now. we're in a different and

dangerous moment. we're running out of time. we can't afford four more years of this. politicians from both parties have made empty promises which will soon become broken promises with painful consequences if we fail to act now. i represent a part of america that includes inner cities, rural areas, suburbs and factory towns. over the years i have seen and heard from a lot of families, from a lot of those who are running small businesses and from people who are in need. but what i've heard lately, that's what troubles me the most. there's something different in their voice, in their words. what i hear from them are diminished dreams, lowered

expectations, uncertain futures. i hear some people say this is just the new normal. higher unemployment, declining incomes and crushing debt is not a new normal. it is the result of misguided policies. next january, our economy will begin a comeback with the romney plan for a stronger middle class that will lead to more jobs and more take home pay for working americans. america is on the wrong track, but mitt romney and i will take the right steps, in the right time, to get us back on the right track.

i believe that my record of getting things done in congress will be very helpful compliment to governor romney's executive and private sector success outside of washington. i've worked closely with republicans as well as democrats to advance an agenda of economic growth, fiscal discipline and job creation. i'm proud to stand with the man who understands what it takes to foster job creation in our economy, someone who knows from experience that if you have a small business, you did build that.

at bain capital, he launched new businesses and he turned around failing ones. companies like staples, bright horizon, sports authority just to name a few. mitt romney created jobs and he showed he knows how a free economy works. at the olympics, he took a failing enterprise and made it the pride of our entire nation. as governor of massachusetts he worked with democrats and republicans to balance the budget without increasing tacks, lower unemployment, increase income and improve people's lives. in all these things, mitt romney has shown himself to be a man of achievement, excellence and integrity.

janna and i think america is a place where if you work hard and play by the rules, you can get ahead. we look with success at one another's pride, not resentment, because we know that as more americans work hard, take risks, succeed, more people will prosper. our communities will benefit. individual lives will be uplifted and improved.

america is more than just a place, though. america is an idea. it's the only country founded on an idea. our rights come from nature and god, not from government. that's right. that's who we are. that's how we built this country. that's who we are. >> usa, usa, usa, usa! >> that's what made us great. that's our founding. we promise equal opportunity, not equal outcomes.

and this idea was founded on the principles of liberty, freedom, free enterprise, self-determination and government by consent of the governed. this idea is under assault. so we have a critical decision to make as a nation. we are on an unsustainable path that is robbing america of our freedom and security. it doesn't have to be this way. the commitment mitt romney and i make to you is this, we won't duck the tough issues, we will lead.

we won't blame others. we will take responsibility. we won't replace our founding principles, we will reapply them. that's what we will do. we will honor you, our fellow citizens by giving you the right and opportunity to make the choice. what kind of country do we want to have? what kind of people do we want

to be? >> free. >> we can turn this thing around. we can. we can turn this thing around. real solutions can be delivered, but it will take leadership and the courage to tell you the truth. mitt romney is this kind of leader. i'm excited for what lies ahead. i'm thrilled to be a part of america's comeback team. together we will unite america and get this done. thank you. thank you very much. thanks. thank you. ♪

>> all right. so listening to a little kid rock in the background there, born free. the families coming up, the romney family and the ryan family. it's going to be a beautiful picture up there, two beautiful families. this the first time we're seeing both families come together. this the ticket. there you see his wife janna. there you see the three ryan kids, liza, charlie, and sam. obviously we've seen ann romney

on many, many occasions with her husband, mitt romney, their five sons and many, many grandchildren as well. that's the republican ticket for the race for the white house. 87 days to go. it's on november 6th. we're going to get to know a lot more about paul ryan, republican congressman from wisconsin. we're going to get to know a lot more about his wife janna originally from oklahoma. a lot to know about mitt romney and ann romney over the last several years. pretty important speeches from both paul ryan and mitt romney, even though mitt romney self-acknowledged a little bit of a blunder there when he introduced paul ryan as the next president of the united states, unfortunately for him that was a mistake. he came back and said i've made mistakes before. i'm really talking about the next vice president of the united states. stuff like that happens all of the time. we'll play that clip for you later. let me bring john king, gloria, candy crowley into the

conversation. we've got our analyst standing by as well. they obviously staged this, john, very, very carefully for millions of americans. it's really the first introduction of paul ryan. >> that's part of the two big challenges. number one introduced a guy most of the country doesn't know. maybe they have heard his name, heard of the budget, this is the first time people are getting a lo at it. part is the personal introduction. the other part, what are you going to say, what do you want this to be about. you heard paul ryan here saying we know what we want to do is tough, also controversial, but we're going to have an honest conversation before the american people, put the tough choices before them and making the case president obama has failed to do in his three plus years in the white house. beginning of the romney narrative, switches election. mitt romney up to this point tried to make this about president obama period, not about him. this makes it pretty clear they decided that approach wasn't working. we're now going to have a choice.

if that means a great policy debate about the faces to govern in january, that's good. >> that's good. >> gloria. >> doesn't this change the election to a senior romney aide, more about mitt romney and not president obama. this aide said to me, no, this is still about barack obama. but i think what they are trying to do is say, you know what, he hasn't made the tough choices we need to make in a serious way to save the economic future of this country. so i think the debate is going to shift onto a very substantive ground. but i'm looking in my in box. of course you know, the democratic congressional congressional campaign committee chairman steve israel sent out a note that said that this match of paul ryan and mitt romney will be a nightmare for seniors who've earned their med care benefits. you see the debate, predictable as it is already starting. >> we heard paul ryan say this

will be a good partnership. he'll bring things to the table that maybe mitt romney doesn't bring, but mitt romney brings private business experience that paul ryan doesn't bring -- >> paul ryan has inside washington experience. stylistically to me, there's always something about mitt romney that's a little bit hesitant with his words. you always are kind of on the edge thinking where is he going with this? there's a force of words that paul ryan has, that's -- that was very clear i think in this speech. doesn't mean he'll overshadow him. i think we saw in the speech he doesn't intend to. three-quarters was about mitt romney and the other quarter was about what the election is about. so i think he bring ascertainty and power to the words that sometimes mitt romney seems to be searching for the next way not to get in trouble that doesn't seemed to be that with ryan and he'll be a power on the campaign trail. but he's not joe biden. and that's what's going to be --

joe biden we have seen him now for however many years, joe biden is smashing the opposition. i don't think that the is the attack dog number two. >> newt gingrich the former house speaker, former presidential candidate is joining us on the phone right now. mr. speaker, thanks very much. give us your immediate reaction to the romney/ryan ticket. >> well, we're very, very happy. my wife has known paul ryan, his work on the budget is extraordinary. it is a real decision by governor romney that this is going to be a very substantive fall campaign, going to be an enormous choice for the american people. and i think ryan is going to be very effective. he represents a midwestern industrial district. he's gotten re-elected by big margins explaining his policies. he knows how to campaign in places like michigan, ohio, indiana. i think he's going to be a very, very big asset. >> you know, i know it got a lot

of buzz when you were running for the republican presidential nomination when you were on "meet the press" and you said this at the time. you subsequently explained what you meant. let me play the clip. let's go through it because you know there's going to be a lot of people talking about what you said then vis-a-vis presumably paul ryan. listen to this, mr. speaker. >> i don't think right-wing social engineering is any more desirable than left-wing social engineering. i don't think imposing radical change from the right for the left is a good way for a free society to operate. >> was that criticism of paul ryan and his budget plan? >> i think paul ryan listened carefully and he worked with ron wyden and they have introduced a medicare plan that allows you the choice, you can stay in the current system if you want or go to the new system. but it's your choice. and i felt in our conversations over a period of months that paul was listening very carefully and was contemplating

exactly how to do the right thing the right way. we're operating in a world where barack obama has ended medicare as we know it. by taking $700 billion out of the program. i mean, for democrats to run pretending they're going to defend a program that they have gutted is the ultimate hypocrisy. >> because a lot of people probably don't remember that after ryan -- paul ryan came out with the original plan he worked together with democratic senator ron wyden of oregon to come up with an alternative of that plan which is what you're talking about. medicare. but even a lot of republicans -- you remember donald trump, he was very critical of republicans for even talking about medicare because he thought politically that would be -- that would be destructive. >> well, i think -- but i think you have to first of all put it in context. barack obama has taken hundreds of billions of dollars away from medicare. and obama care represents in effect the end of medicare. for the democrats to campaign dishonestly and pretending

something is not true, this fall campaign is going to be an interesting contest between the simple straightforward truth and paul ryan is going to be very factual and knowledgeable. but he's going to calmly and directly tell the truth. you'll have the democrats who cannot defend their record. running the most democrat agojic campaign of all times. you saw the lead editorial that said they can't find any truth out of the obama campaign. it is pathetic how bad they have become. >> look ahead to the debate that will take place in october between paul ryan and joe biden. you have seen them both in action. i'm excited about it. what about you? >> oh, i think it will be terrific. i think that ryan's command of the facts, his understanding of reality, his ability to talk in a language of janesville, wisconsin, it is going to be very interesting to watch that debate. but i think between now and then, paul ryan is going to have

an impact on the campaign trail. you have a 42-year-old really committed, competent person who's enthusiastic, energetic, has a beautiful family. has a very faithful catholic, he's going to have a big impact in the community which currently feels it is under siege, at war with the catholic church. i think ryan has many different positive impacts. i think it was a tremendous decision by governor romney. >> well, joe biden is a catholic as well, so two catholics running for vice president of the united states. as you look ahead to what's going to happen over these next 86, 87 days, it looks to me like this race now is going to be much more substantive, dealing with serious economic related issues as opposed to some of the frivolous stuff. >> well, i think that was a deliberate choice by governor romney. governor romney wants to have a debate over public policy and i think he knows that he may or may not win his campaign on

personal attacks but going to win the campaign based on public policy. >> newt gingrich, we'll stay in close touch with you, the former speaker, the former republican candidate. we'll take a quick break. we have an exclusive, something you will see and only hear on cnn. beth myers, the woman who helped mitt romney put this ticket together. she speaks to our open gloria borjer. hnology on the biggest networks. i mean look at these smartphones. whoah! will you show them? absolutely. we've got great 4g lte smartphones like this droid razr by motorola from verizon. wow verizon? you bet. you love the price. he loves the phone. let's dance! get unlimited talk, unlimited text and shareable data with verizon's new share everything plan. and now get the droid razr by motorola from verizon for only $89.88 on america's fastest 4g network. now at walmart. on america's fastest 4g network. one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity,

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breaking news continues.

mitt romney is praising his new running mate, congressman paul ryan, as a man of character and judgment who will help him lead the nation to economic growth. you saw the formal announcement in norfolk, virginia, live here on cnn just moments ago. paul ryan, the house budget committee chairman, telling the country that president obama has a record of failure and that mitt romney has what it takes to unite and uplift america. it was a patriotic setting to be sure for what many consider to be a bold announcement in front of the old battleship, the uss wisconsin. named after ryan's home state. but it began with a glitch of sorts. mitt romney mistakenly introducing ryan as the next president of the united states. he later corrected whhimself an he joked about it. listen to this. >> join me in welcoming the next president of the united states, paul ryan.

every now and then, i'm known to make a mistake. i did not make a mistake with this guy. but i can tell you this. he's going to be the next vice president of the united states. >> very nice recovery from obviously a gaffe there. that small error though. is it necessarily a deal breaker? it wasn't for the president of the united states, president barack obama. listen to his announcement of joe biden as his running mate four years ago. >> let me introduce to you the next president, the next vice president of the united states of america, joe biden. >> sometimes you say things you don't necessarily -- could happen to anybody, i must say. it happened obviously to president obama when he was running for the white house and it's now happened to mitt romney. let's bring in our chief political analyst, gloria