U.S. Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan has promised an end to “excuses and idle words” when it comes to the economy if voters elect the party's presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the November election.
Ryan gave a strongly-worded acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, Wednesday night.
He told the convention that “fear and division” is all the Democratic party has left, chastising President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats for spending the past four years blaming others for problems instead of finding solutions.
Ryan said he and Mr. Romney will “meet serious challenges in a serious way” but warned the country's economic problems are so big that there is not much time to fix them.
The 42-year-old lawmaker from Wisconsin has energized conservative activists, even though he has come under fire for his proposals to impose deep cuts in social programs.
Earlier, former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice echoed the party's stance on strict budgeting, saying “the world knows that when a nation loses control of its finances, it eventually loses control of its destiny.”
She also warned that the world is “chaotic and dangerous” when friends and foes do not know “clear and unambiguously” where America stands on issues of global importance.
In Virginia Wednesday, President Obama called the Republican convention a “pretty entertaining show,” but said voters will not hear Mr. Romney or other Republican party officials offer “a clear, serious path forward.”
Mr. Obama also defended his health care policy, called “Obamacare” by Republicans. The president said he calls Mr. Romney's plan “Romney doesn't care.”
The president spoke at about the same time Mr. Romney addressed war veterans at an American Legion Convention .
The Republican presidential candidate bashed Mr. Obama's record on jobs, saying “this president's greatest failure” is that he's not delivered jobs. Romney promised that if president, he would “get America to work again.”
The Democrats will hold their convention next week in Charlotte, North Carolina.