RI Democrats take aim at Paul Ryan

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- Local Democratic leaders are criticizing Mitt Romney's pick for Vice President, Rep. Paul Ryan .

The presumptive Republican nominee for president made that announcement Saturday, and it did not take long for Rhode Island politicians to respond to the selection.

Congressman Jim Langevin released a statement on his Republican colleague being named to the national ticket saying in part, "By choosing Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate, Governor Romney has demonstrated his wholehearted support for the House Republican budget authored by Congressman Ryan. This proposal ends the Medicare guarantee as we know it and gives more and more breaks to the very wealthy, Wall Street and special interests, which our nation can't afford..."

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse offered this assessment saying, "With the decision to put Paul Ryan on the ticket, the Republicans have decided to double down on the extreme policies that hurt middle class Rhode Island families. Paul Ryan is the architect of the radical Republican plan to end Medicare as we know it and has proposed making drastic cuts to the Pell Grant and Social Security."

Congressman David Cililine also took at aim at Ryan's controversial budget proposal. His office issued a statement saying, "The fact that Mitt Romney just selected the architect of the plan to end the guarantee of Medicare to be his running mate shows just how far-right the Republican Party has become.

Sen. Jack Reed was not as harsh in his criticism, saying "It is an interesting choice. I think Representative Ryan is very talented and telegenic, but I think a lot of his views are outside the mainstream."