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GOP VP Hopeful Ryan Brings Economic Prosperity Message to Greeley

Grace Hood
/
KUNC

After visiting Northern Colorado just one month ago, Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan made his case to voters in the Republican stronghold of Greeley Thursday.

The short speech to hundreds at Island Grove Regional Park criticized Obama’s failed policies and stressed job creation and the economy.

Standing near a hay bale imprinted with the Colorado flag, Representative Ryan criticized President Barack Obama’s idea to create a new Secretary of Business cabinet position

“We already have a Secretary of Business, it’s called the Secretary of Commerce,” said Ryan, who underscored the Romney campaign’s “less is more” philosophy when it comes to government bureaucracy.

The Romney campaign has stepped up criticism of the idea since President Obama mentioned it on MSNBC earlier this week. Obama said he would like to have one cabinet secretary overseeing sometimes overlapping programs aimed at job creation and boosting the economy.

"I’ve said I want to consolidate a whole bunch of government agencies. We should have one Secretary of Business, instead of nine different departments that are dealing with things like getting loans to SBA or helping companies with exports. There should be a one-stop shop," Obama said on MSNBC.

For as much as Thursday’s event was aimed at criticizing Obama, it also kept a laser focus on Romney’s five point economic plan. In energy-rich Colorado, Ryan said that could translate into opening up more drilling opportunities.

“We’ve got so much energy in this state and in this country, let’s use that energy in this state and in this country to create jobs,” he said.

Ryan’s rally featured a pre-event performance from musician Lee Greenwood and speeches from Republican 4th Congressional Representative Cory Gardner and Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway.

Ryan’s speech spanned just 15 minutes, much of it with a voice that was hoarse from an intense schedule of last-minute campaigning.

But it was enough to resonate with Loveland resident and retired businessman Tom Nauman.

“I think we need to change where our economy is going. We need to change our attitude from government about business and if we don’t, we’re going to have a problem,” he said

Nauman said he hasn’t yet voted, but plans to cast his ballot for the Romney/Ryan ticket.

Early voting numbers released by the Colorado Secretary of State on October 30 show Republican voters like Nauman having the edge over registered Democrats by 27,261. In that data set, 241,294 early voters were unaffiliated.

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