Ryan visits Pa. to blast Obama on jobs, economy

The Republican candidate for vice president came to West Chester, Pa., to take aim at the Obama-Biden record.

Congressman Paul Ryan says President Barack Obama gave lawmakers from places such as Pennsylvania a no-win choice when it came to the federal budget — they were faced with either cutting defense spending or raising the burden on small business.

“So it’s either lose defense-related jobs in Pennsylvania or put small businesses further at a competitive disadvantage competing in the global economy and losing small-business jobs,” Ryan said. “I’ve got a good idea. Why don’t we take away President Obama’s job and create jobs for everybody, no matter what industry they are in?  That’s a good stimulus project.”

Several thousand supporters were at the American Helicopter Museum Tuesday to hear Ryan’s message on behalf of Mitt Romney and the Republican ticket for the White House.

Outside the event, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey presided at a rally of about 50 Obama supporters. He had a message for Ryan.

“We’re here to tell him to get out of the Philadelphia-South Jersey region and go back to his land of make-believe,” Lautenberg said. “And this is the reason — people rely on Medicare, and Ryan has been trying to kill Medicare for years.”

Democrats contend a Romney-Ryan administration would hurt seniors.

Ryan also told the crowd that he supports greater use of natural resources.

“We have energy in this country, let’s use the energy in this country, all of it — coal, shale, oil, gas, nuclear, renewables, all of the above that creates jobs,” Ryan said. “That’s one idea that gets people off the unemployment line and in to good-paying jobs, like working on the Keystone Pipeline.”

Ryan was planning to attend a fundraiser in Philadelphia Tuesday night.