Presidential politics: The campaigns & how Paul Ryan has changed the race

Hour 1

It’s been a hot summer on the presidential campaign trail. Lately it’s the heated rhetoric that is defining the race, as accusations and charges fly back and forth between the candidates and their running mates. Democrats have been hammering at Mitt Romney’s refusal to make public his tax returns and Paul Ryan’s controversial budget, which would slash Medicare and turn Medicaid over to the states. Republicans, who meet early this week to finalize their platform, say they welcome the Medicare debate and will tackle the issue head-on. We’ll start off the hour talking presidential politics with JILL LAWRENCE, managing editor of the National Journal, who has covered every presidential election since 1988. Then, MATT KIBBE of Freedomworks, who is considered a significant force in the Tea Party movement, and JOHN NICHOLS, Washington correspondent for The Nation, weigh in on the role Paul Ryan is playing in the campaign.

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[audio: 082012_100630.mp3]