Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: Why Romney picked Ryan

Look at the pre-Ryan analysis to see why Romney went with the guy who wants to end Medicare as we know it:

TPM:

An explosive Priorities USA ad has dominated the campaign this week, though it hasn't aired once on TV. It is, however, still getting play in some crucial swing states.

Of the half a million who've clicked on the ad on YouTube, most come from precisely the states Priorities USA hopes will see it.

WaPo:

With polls showing Mitt Romney losing ground to President Obama and some conservatives publicly fretting that he has lost the summer, the presumptive Republican nominee is heading into a critical stretch under pressure to alter the course of his campaign.

AP:

Mitt Romney faces urgent tasks as he heads into a new phase of the White House race. He's trying to repair an image damaged by negative Democratic advertising and shift the trajectory of a campaign that's seen him lose ground to President Barack Obama.

Alexander Burns:

A tough, tough riff on the Romney campaign from Laura Ingraham on her show today:

I might be the skunk at the picnic but I'm going to say it. I'm going to say it clear. Romney's losing. I don't like to start a Friday show with this, but I feel like I must. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I know one thing: conservatism wins. When you are debating the other side on substance, when you are attacking with substance, when you are laying out a vision with passion, that marries conservative ideals to the problems of the day, you will win.

Romney-Ryan: Because what a boring candidate needs is to privatize Medicare.
' @EricKleefeld via web
Burns and Haberman:

Mitt Romney has nearly lost control of public perception surrounding his VP decision.

So much for Mitt Romney's discreet, low-drama vice presidential selection process.

In the runup to his choice of a general-election running mate, the former Massachusetts governor has nearly lost control of public perception surrounding his decision and is now at the center of an unwanted expectations game. A once-quiet hunt for a number-two has been transformed in recent weeks into an exceedingly open debate within the GOP and the media over Romney's potential VP options.

The Veepstakes short list comes down to the three "P"s: Portman, Pawlenty or a panic choice.

Nate Silver:

But the case to make a high-risk, high-reward pick is at least defensible. And if Mr. Romney really were down in the polls by four or five points right now instead of two or three ' I don't think he is ' it would be a little stronger.

If Mr. Romney did want to 'go bold' with his choice, however, there would be another direction apart from picking someone like Mr. Ryan.

In fact, he could go in the opposite direction: picking someone who has credentials as a moderate, and who could reposition the Republican ticket toward the center ' at the risk of deeply annoying his base.

Woh! @FiveThirtyEight found a Moderate Republican http://t.co/...
' @LOLGOP via TweetDeck

Nate Silver:

And yet, despite all that, I think the importance of these new polls could easily be overstated ' and probably will be by some in the news media.

And yet, sometimes there's more to campaigns than just the numbers. I agree with Nate that the polls alone don't change that Obama was already ahead, by a little before this week, and by a little more after, but it's a buzz changer because the media now gets what Nate (and some of us) already understood. For example:

National Review:

AUGUST 10, 2012 5:15 P.M.
Don't Panic
By The Editors

Translation: Panic.

Washington Examiner:

At this point, the question is not if Romney is losing, but why he is losing. In the paragraphs below, I explain what currently is a failing Romney campaign.

Henry Decker:

For Romney, the most troubling finding of the polls is his damaged reputation. While Obama's favorable/unfavorable spread is +14 in the CNN poll and +12 in the Fox News poll, Romney's is just -1 and +1, respectively. The CNN poll shows that 48 percent view Romney unfavorably, up six points from last month. His unfavorable rating in the Fox News poll is at 45 percent, up five points from last month. This suggests that Obama's string of negative ads attacking Romney are resonating with voters, and should be a major concern for the Romney campaign.