GOP Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan visited Adel, IA yesterday morning for his second stop in Iowa this week. A crowd just shy of 1000 gathered outside the Dallas County Courthouse and Congressman Paul asked Iowans if they were better off than they were four years ago.
He mainly focused on President Obama’s jobs record. Pointing out that unemployment has consistently been above 8%. “The president did inherit a tough situation when he came into office. In any fair measure of his record, you have to acknowledge that,” Ryan said. “The problem is, he didn’t make anything better.”
He contrasted President Obama with former President Bill Clinton who spoke last night at the Democratic National Convention to President Obama. Congressman Ryan said that Democrats will likely be discussing the past, “My guess is, we’re going to hear a great rendition of how good things were in the 1990s, but we’re not going to hear much about how things have been in the last four years.” Paul reminded those in attendance that President Clinton signed the bipartisan welfare reform bill into law which President Obama waived the work requirement in the law by executive order this summer drawing criticism from a number of conservatives who said it was illegal for him to do so.
Ryan also criticized President Obama for cuts he said has been made to Medicare in order to pay for his healthcare reform law. “Obamacare is the greatest threat to Medicare,” Ryan said. “Obamacare is a great threat to job creation and so for the sake of Medicare and the sake of creating jobs, we are going to repeal and replace Obamacare.”
Iowa is a battleground state and not certain territory for President Obama who won the state in 2008. President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will be in the state visiting Iowa City on Friday following a recent trip to Urbandale and Sioux City. Mitt Romney will be in Orange City that day.
You can watch Congressman Ryan’s speech below:
