President Obama's re-election team wasted no time going on the offensive against Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan on Thursday, just hours after the Wisconsin congressman gave a 40-minute speech that Obama's team said was "blatantly false."
The Obama launched a web video along with a statement from campaign manager Jim Messina that also called Ryan's speech "factually challenged."
"He lied about Medicare. He lied about the Recovery Act. He lied about the deficit and debt. He even dishonestly attacked Barack Obama for the closing of a GM plant in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin -- a plant that closed in December 2008 under George W. Bush. He also failed to offer one constructive idea about what he would do to move the country forward," Messina said.
He added, "Don't roll your eyes. We can't just groan and shrug and remark to our like-minded friends that this is ridiculous, because this is a significant moment in this campaign."
The video was a montage of clips from several media outlets that attacked Ryan's speech for inaccuracies.
"Paul Ryan: Wrong for the middle class," the video concludes at the end.
The video, as well as several media outlets, singled out Ryan for "factual shortcuts."
Among them was Ryan's criticism of Obama's proposed cuts to Medicare, which Ryan himself proposed in his own budget plan last year, to an even more drastic degree, as well as Ryan's criticism of the 2009 stimulus plan, which he sought funds from.
Ryan also accused Obama of being indirectly responsible for the closing of a GM plant in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin - when the plant actually closed before Obama took office, under the administration of President George W. Bush.
Lastly, Ryan came under attack for accusing Obama of ignoring the recommendations of a bipartisan debt commission, when he also opposed and helped kill the proposal that developed from the commission's work.
The Obama video also reminds viewers that the president did incorporate some elements of the commission's recommendations into his proposed budget.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Political News
May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.