The American Spectator

Several of my conservative friends warned before the fact that choosing Paul Ryan as his running mate would hurt Mitt Romney’s chances. Democrats would criticize Ryan’s budget proposal and ideas about Medicare, they warned. I counseled them to be of good cheer and to think cool thoughts.

First of all, the other side would demagogue whoever Romney picked. If Romney had chosen to run with St. Francis of Assisi, Democrats would have alleged that the saint in fact cooked and ate the birds he claimed to love. And the reasons why Ryan is a serious choice for a serious race in serious times have been well covered.

Sure enough the Democrats rolled out the “He’ll shove Granny over the cliff” narrative against Ryan. But this doesn’t seem to have gotten any traction so far in Florida, which has its share of folks on Medicare.

A Purple Strategies poll taken after the Ryan choice shows Romney leading Obama in Florida 48-47. A post-Ryan Rasmussen survey shows Romney ahead 45-43. These are similar numbers to what we saw before the Ryan pick.

After getting a look at the choir boy that is Paul Ryan, many Florida seniors (who are registered 43 to 41 percent Republican over Democrat) have concluded that anyone afraid of this guy should sleep with a night light. Democratic spin-meisters have their work cut out from them demonizing Ryan. Florida remains in play. And Granny is doing fine.