Responding to the State of the Union is an odd honor. You become the face of the opposition for 10 minutes but you have to immediately follow extraordinary rhetoricians at their chosen sport. House Budget Committee Chairperson Paul Ryan gets the job this year. –JCL

Los Angeles Times:

Republicans have tapped Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan to deliver the party’s response to President Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, party officials said Friday.

The choice of Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, is meant to signal the party’s commitment to deficit reduction, the officials said. Ryan will deliver the GOP response from the Budget Committee’s hearing room.

“Paul Ryan is uniquely qualified to address the state of our economy and the fiscal challenges that face our country,” Speaker of the House John Boehner said in a statement. “We’re broke, and decisive action is needed to help our economy get back to creating jobs and end the spending binge in Washington that threatens our children’s future. I’m pleased that Paul will be outlining a common-sense vision for moving our country forward.”

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#house budget committee#paul ryan#rhetoric#speech#state of the union#wisconsin