Rep. Paul Ryan Raises Profile With 'Bold' Budget Plan

Paul Ryan is a badass. He understands the shape we are in financially. He's also willing to step outside of the washington box and take charge, unlike obama who wants to sit on the sidelines and bitch about the big boys who are trying to clean up the mess.

I would probably vote for a ticket where Ryan was the VP...

By Stephen Clark - FoxNews

He's a rising star on the right and a growing target on the left.

Washington is buzzing about Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan's take-no-prisoners approach to budget cuts -- manifested in his budget proposal that would slash federal spending by $6.2 trillion over 10 years and overhaul health programs for the elderly and poor.

As Congress wages an epic budget battle that threatens this weekend to shut down the federal government for the first time in 15 years, Ryan's willingness to offer specifics on how to tame deficits and preserve the American safety net is boosting his profile among Republicans and stirring speculation that he may be on the short list of GOP vice presidential contenders.

"I think that Paul Ryan is the brightest light in the Republican Party right now," said former Sen. Bob Kasten, a fellow Wisconsin Republican who once employed Ryan. "And the courage he's shown is unlike anyone in Washington today, including the president."

"Whether for president or vice president or for further leadership in Congress, he's on everyone's list," he said, adding that the choice would be up to him.

Ryan, 41, is chairman of the House Budget Committee and known as the Republican go-to guy on fiscal policy, a position that has placed him at the center of the most contentious Capitol Hills debates in recent years, including Obama's health care overhaul. But his new budget proposal is elevating him to a new level of fame or notoriety, depending on which side you're on.

He wants to tackle the $14.3 trillion national debt while reducing the deficit by $4.4 trillion over the next decade. He wants to cut the top tax rate for both individuals and corporations from 35 percent to 25 percent. He also wants to transform Medicare into a system in which the government would pay for private health insurance plans instead of paying doctors and hospitals directly.

While Republicans have called it a good starting point, Democrats are dismissing it as an attack on senior citizens.

Ryan says he's not surprised by the reaction.

"I always knew if you put bold reforms out there, you'll have the partisan demagoguery," he told Fox News Wednesday, contending that's why nothing gets done in Washington.

"We can't keep doing that in this country," he said. "We got to stop spending money we don't have."

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