Tolbert: Paul Ryan Campaigns For Asa Hutchinson
by September 24, 2014 9:36 pm 134 views
Former GOP Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan appeared Wednesday evening at an event in Benton where around 300 supporters gathered for a barbeque with Ryan to support Asa Hutchinson’s campaign for Arkansas Governor. Both men visited with the press before the event, spending much of their time talking about their commitments to fight poverty.
“I really appreciate the work (Ryan) has particularly done in the anti-poverty area in really a national re-evaluation of how we deliver our welfare programs, our anti-poverty programs, and how we are doing things wrong in government and how we can do things better,” said Hutchinson.
Ryan said that despite the federal government spending trillions of dollars fighting a war on poverty, we have the highest poverty rate in a generation.
“What we have learned and discerned in looking at how to do a better job is that we need to listen to local poverty fighters on the streets and in the communities. We need to partner with our leaders in the states who can better customize programs to help people in need and get them from where they are to where they need to be,” Ryan said, adding that Asa Hutchinson is the perfect type of partner needed.
Ryan envisions a system where resources will flow to the state in “block grants” and allow the decisions to be made at the state level to which programs are the most effective.
Hutchinson said he is “anxious to take on this responsibility.”
“Asa is a proven commodity. He is a man of principle. He is man who stands up for what he believes in, but more importantly he is a man who knows how to get things done and that’s the kind of candidate who we need to be our governors,” said Ryan who has known Hutchinson for around 16 years. “I am also familiar with his opponent. I served with him for many years in Congress. He helped give Pelosi the gavel. He helped make sure that Obamacare is the law of the land. I don’t think that is the kind of person we want running our state governments.”
Ryan joins a parade of national Republican leaders who have campaigned for Asa Hutchinson including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney. National Democratic leaders have not yet done the same for Mike Ross. Ryan said he is not sure why that is.
“I can tell you why we are coming – because we know this man. We know he is who he says he is. We know he is a person of conviction and of talent. And we know Asa Hutchinson delivers. That’s why we are here,” said Ryan.
Ryan also plans to appear at events on Thursday for the Congressional campaigns of French Hill and for Bruce Westerman. Next week, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush plans to join the party – also coming into Arkansas stumping for the Hutchinson campaign.