The possibility of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) being chosen as Mitt Romney's running mate was a hot topic on The Ed Show this week.
Ed endorsed the idea on Wednesday, saying Ryan would be a politically "great choice for the Democrats" because his budget is so controversial.
"It completely guts Medicaid and dismantles the social safety net," Ed said. "And as we've reported here on The Ed Show time and time again, Americans don`t like Republicans gutting their social safety net."
Wednesday's panel, including Republican strategist Susan Del Percio, seemed to agree that picking Ryan would be politically advantageous for Democrats.
"I think that there's a lot of conservatives out there that like Paul Ryan, that would like to see him," Del Percio said. "However, politically speaking, he will not be -- I cannot see how he can possibly be on the ticket."
Why not?
"Because he's too divisive," she said. "This should not be an election about Paul Ryan."
Democratic strategist Keith Boykin said picking Ryan would be a "wonderful idea for Democrats."
"You have a guy who proposes this budget which basically eviscerates Medicare, turns it into a voucher program, tells senior citizens you`re on your own," he said. "And this is the guy that the Republicans want to put up against Barack Obama and Joe Biden?"
Ed tried to sell Ryan one last time to Del Percio, but she firmly turned back Ed's recommendation:
"If you`re saying that Paul Ryan is probably the best thing for the Republicans, I`m saying that's probably not a good thing for Republicans."
On Thursday, Sister Simone Campbell, leader of nine-state Nuns on the Bus tour protesting the Ryan's "immoral" budget plan, called the idea of a Romney-Ryan ticket "very scary."
"It would indicate a strong preference for those at the top," she said. "The fact that we are not going to be the nation that we have always been of we, all the people, as the Constitution says, it`s we the people together. And it also says that this individualistic isolationist approach of Congressman Ryan is being endorsed by Governor Romney. That`s a very scary thought for who we are as community in our nation."
Then on Friday, conservative stalwart Richard Viguerie told Ed that while Ryan is a good man, Romney needs a running mate with "more energy than a Washington insider." He also said Ryan's budget doesn't go far enough.
Ryan's "budget is not as bad as Obama, but it's bad," Viguerie said. "He's going to increase spending $4 trillion in the next five years. He doesn't balance the budget for 28 years. America is looking for something more serious than that."
Viguerie declined to recommend a specific alternative, but said senators Mike Lee, Marco Rubio and John Thune, plus former Sen. Rick Santorum and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal would all be better than Ryan because "they don't bring the inside Washington culture that Paul does."
By Saturday, the pick was official: Paul Ryan.