GOP vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is a skilled bowhunter and one-time Oscar Meyer Weinermobile jockey, but according to a proposal laid out earlier this year by Mitt Romney, he probably doesn't have the business accumen to serve as president.
Speaking at a campaign event in May, Romney appeared to endorse a supporter's idea for a constitutional amendment stating that a “president has to spend at least three years working in business before he can become president of the United States."
Romney continued, "You see, then he or she would understand that the policies they're putting into place have to encourage small business, make it easier for business to grow.”
(Video above via BuzzFeed)
Of course, the problem here is that Ryan, doesn't actually meet this criteria. From the Associated Press:
At 42, Ryan has spent almost half of his life in the Washington fold, the last 14 representing a southern Wisconsin district that runs from the shores of Lake Michigan through farm country south of Madison.
While the Romney campaign didn't shy away from noting Ryan's experience outside Washington's political sphere -- it included his experience waiting tables at a Mexican restaurant on Capitol Hill and working as a trainer at an area gym in a bio, for example -- it decided Monday to boost his insider experience as a valuable asset to the campaign.
"I think one of the things that Congressman Ryan brings to the ticket, not only does he know how Washington works, but he also knows how Washington doesn’t work," Romney adviser Kevin Madden said Monday. "Congressman Ryan has an experience knowing what needs to be done to fix the way Washington works."
On Sunday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) also defended Ryan's background.
"First of all, someone will have to tell me what experience President Obama has in the private sector, which he has amply shown he is abysmally ignorant of," said McCain. "But Paul Ryan brings the balance of understanding how the Congress works, understanding how the budget process works and understanding the entire process and established relationships that I think will make him most effective in getting the Mitt Romney agenda through the Congress."
Obama actually has worked for 11 for-profit businesses. His private-sector experience includes time spent as a construction worker, a research assistant job with the Business International Corporation and several jobs at law firms.
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