THE WAY TO DO IT – AT 9:52 A.M. ET:  I've been impressed by Paul Ryan's first week of campaigning.  First, he has guts.  Second, he doesn't make serious mistakes.  Third, most important, he does in fact speak over the heads of the press and he takes issues directly to the people.  From WaPo:

THE VILLAGES, Fla. — In a speech that appeared intended to quell doubts among seniors about his proposal to overhaul Medicare, Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan took a deeply personal approach Saturday morning in describing what he and Mitt Romney have in mind for the health insurance program for the elderly and the disabled.

Taking the stage with his 78-year-old mother at this sprawling central Florida retirement community, Ryan told the crowd stories of his family as he made the case that he and Romney would not change the benefits of current seniors. He offered few specifics about his own plan but went into the greatest detail yet in hammering President Obama on the issue.

Brilliant stroke - campaigning with mom.  Let the Dems now say that Ryan wants to push mama over the cliff.

The Palm Beach Post reports:

...two Florida polls conducted since Ryan’s selection suggest that voters who are 65 and older support Ryan and his budget plan more than younger voters do. A third Florida poll released this week doesn’t include an age breakdown, but finds the state’s voters agreeing more with Ryan’s description of his budget and Medicare plan than with Democratic criticisms that it would “end Medicare as we know it.”

COMMENT:  The big guns won't begin to fire until the conventions are over.  When they do fire, the Dems will go all out with a scare campaign basic on Medicare and Social Security.  They are experts in these campaigns, and they often work.  Scaring people is far easier than informing them. 

The Republican convention begins in Tampa on August 27th.  That's eight days away.  The GOP will present its candidates and platform, and must put on a convincing show.  The press will go into high Obama-love mode, and Republicans must start to push through that serious barrier to election.

August 19,  2012