It was no surprise that Mitt Romney’s campaign decided to team him up again on Monday with Representative Paul D. Ryan. As the vice-presidential nominee, he
brings bigger crowds, extra attention from the press and a spark that carries over to Mr. Romney’s own performance on the stump.
The two men reaped those benefits here as thousands turned out for a town hall-style meeting in this battleground state a week before the Republican
convention begins.
But Mr. Ryan also brings a record in Congress that sets him apart from Mr. Romney, and on Monday his opposition to abortion, even in cases of rape and
incest, offered a reminder of the political dangers that sometimes come from embracing a running mate and his record. Already, Mr. Ryan’s proposals to
change Medicare had drawn attacks from President Obama and his Democratic allies.
The ticket was forced to address abortion after Representative Todd Akin, the Republican Senate candidate in Missouri, said in an interview on Sunday that
women’s bodies had ways to block unwanted pregnancies. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down,” Mr.
Akin told KTVI-TV.
The comments caused a political firestorm as Republican leaders condemned the comments and sought to push Mr. Akin out of the Missouri race.
Mr. Romney has long said abortion should be legal in cases of rape. His campaign on Sunday quickly distanced him and Mr. Ryan from Mr. Akin’s remarks, and
Mr. Romney twice called them indefensible on Monday. That might have been enough if not for Mr. Ryan’s record.
Mr. Ryan’s different position on abortion has given Mr. Obama’s team an opening, much the way his proposals for turning Medicare into a voucher program
have provided new ammunition for Democrats to attack the Republican ticket as they try to appeal to seniors.
“As a Republican leader in the House, Mr. Ryan worked with Mr. Akin to try to pass laws that would ban abortion in all cases, and even narrow the definition
of rape,” Lis Smith, a spokeswoman for Mr. Obama, said in a statement Monday.
The president himself said Mr. Akin’s remarks were “offensive. Rape is rape. And the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types
of rape we’re talking about doesn’t make sense to the American people, and certainly doesn’t make sense to me.”
Aides to Mr. Romney’s campaign have praised Mr. Ryan’s positive impact on fund-raising, which received a significant bump in the days after his selection
was announced on Aug. 11. Polls have been less clear, showing little bounce for Mr. Romney nationally or in battleground states since the announcement.
What is clear is that Mr. Romney enjoys campaigning with Mr. Ryan. At their appearance on Monday, at Saint Anselm College, the energy between them was a bit
lower than it was in the days after Mr. Ryan joined the ticket. But as the questions came, their pep picked up.
Both wearing blue shirts with rolled sleeves and business slacks (pleats for Mr. Romney, flat front for Mr. Ryan), the two men acted like a tag team,
answering questions one after another. After a question about policy toward Israel, Mr. Romney offered to let Mr. Ryan go first, saying he did not want to
hog the spotlight.
“Paul, I’ve been taking all these first. It’s not fair. So you take this one, and I’ll take the next one,” Mr. Romney said, chuckling.
At one point, Mr. Ryan rescued Mr. Romney from an awkward attempt at humor. “This better be a good question,” Mr. Romney said to a man in a Yankees T-
shirt. A former governor of Massachusetts who often plays up his allegiance to the Boston Red Sox, he told a story about campaigning in South Carolina with
the punch line: “It proves one thing. We all hate Yankees.”
The crowd groaned, and there were a few boos. Mr. Ryan saved the day. “But not you, sir,” he said. “We love you.”
Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan were scheduled to separate again as the campaign tries to cover more ground and raise more money in the final days before the
convention in Tampa, Fla. Mr. Romney was headed to New Orleans and Texas for fund-raisers, and Mr. Ryan to Pittsburgh.
Mr. Romney answered a question about the national debt, then turned to Mr. Ryan, beaming like a conductor cuing his virtuoso soloist. “I want to hear what
he has to say on this topic,” he said. “He’s been working on this the last 14 years.”
When another questioner challenged the candidates to say how they would get a budget passed, since a gridlocked Congress has not passed one in three years,
Mr. Romney replied: “Good question. Paul?”
“We’re going to follow the law,” Mr. Ryan shot back.
“You guys ever heard of a guy named Harry Reid?” he then asked, laying blame at the feet of the Democratic majority leader of the Senate, which has blocked
two of Mr. Ryan’s House budget proposals. “O.K., you have,” Mr. Ryan said as the crowd booed. “I rest my case.”
Perhaps the most symbolic moment came as Mr. Ryan was concluding his remarks with a promise to “elect leadership.” Just then, the bells in the college’s
tower began ringing, leading Mr. Ryan to say, “At the 11th hour!”
When Mr. Romney came to the stage, he was beaming.
“Paul, you’re terrific. Thank you,” Mr. Romney said. “Only a Catholic guy would be able to get the bells to toll just at the right time at Saint Anselm’
s.”
Mark Landler contributed reporting from Washington.
Family ties: The family of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula covered their faces as they were led out of his Cerritos, California, home early on Monday morning
