Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan stumped through f Florida Thursday with a final stop in Fort Myers where he criticized the President’s policies on healthcare, the economy, Medicare, and education to name a few.
A crowd of about 3,600 supporters came out to Hammond Stadium in South Fort Myers to hear the House Budget Chairman’s address. Ryan criticized President Obama’s economic plan saying it will create a two trillion dollar tax increase, raise taxes on small businesses and increase the debt from $16 trillion to $20 trillion. “All of this borrowing, all of this spending, all of this debt; one study says it’s going to cost middle class families $4,000 dollars in higher taxes just on the interest,” said Ryan. “We can’t keep doing this. We can’t keep going down this path.”
Ryan likened Mr. Obama’s economic policies to those of financially struggling European countries.
The House budget chairman appealed to senior issues when he called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act “the greatest threat to Medicare. Obamacare takes $716 billion from Medicare to pay for Obamacare and then after all that, President Obama gives all this power to this Obamacare board that he now puts in charge of Medicare. If he gets re-elected, he appoints these people next year,” said Ryan.
On education, Ryan said giving parents a greater ability to choose their children’s’ school should be a priority and he also criticized Mr. Obama for cuts to military spending.
Musician Lee Greenwood performed his 1984 country music hit “God Bless the USA” and comedian and political commentator Dennis Miller also made an appearance to warm up the crowd. Miller opened his comments with an anecdote about Ryan’s reputation for fitness. Miller joked that he and Ryan had had a sit-up contest moments before the rally.
“I bailed out after three. He’s on 6,732,” joked Miller. “The guy’s got six percent body fat. I just met him. Biden’s got 12 percent between his ears.”
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, State Republican Party Chairman Lenny Curry, and several GOP state house contenders from the region also gave speeches.
Earlier Thursday, Ryan made a campaign stop in Ocala followed by a private fundraiser in Naples. Romney and Ryan will hold a joint rally Friday in Daytona.
