Where Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan Differ
Ryan comes from a southeastern Wisconsin district that has been hit hard by the problems in the auto industry and he joined with just 31 other Republicans in voting for the auto bailout in December 2008 — though he has since said he voted for it because he thought the money would be spent differently.
Romney, at the time, wrote an op-ed in which he opposed the bailout and advocated a “managed bankruptcy” for the industry.
President Obama’s campaign has made the recovery of the auto industry paramount to its appeals in the Midwest, so expect Democrats to point out the incongruity on the GOP ticket.
2. Abortion exceptions
Ryan opposes abortion under all circumstances, unless the procedure is deemed necessary to save the mother’s life. Romney says he would allow exceptions for cases of rape and incest.
Ryan is a co-sponsor of the Sanctity of Human Life Act, which defines a fertilized egg as a human being — similar to recent “personhood” efforts in a handful of states. He also won his seat in 1998 by running to his opponent’s right on abortion and emphasizing no exceptions. Romney has suggested he supports a constitutional personhood legislation, but has also said that he would allow for abortions in cases of rape and incest.
Obama noted in a tweet Saturday that Ryan “would ban all abortions, even in cases of rape or incest,” and the White House has made women’s health a key part of the campaign. Perhaps more than anything else on this list, Democrats will use this against the GOP ticket.