Paul Ryan

With business investments and a family inheritance, Rep. Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin and his wife have accumulated millions of dollars in assets and generated income last year well above his congressional salary, according to his most recent financial disclosure statement. Mitt Romney's newly announced running mate reported assets in the range of $2 million to $7.7 million. The largest was the interest that his wife, Janna, holds in a trust resulting from the 2010 death of her mother, Prudence Little.

It certainly hasn't taken long for the blue-eyed, smiling visage to be scrubbed off Paul Ryan's putative policy masterwork, a federal budget proposal that supposedly would cut the government deficit to a shadow of its former self, as if by magic. Within hours of the Wisconsin congressman's anointing as Mitt Romney's vice-presidential running mate, the budget plan's salient features were being widely publicized: It would deliver a handsome tax cut to the richest Americans while eviscerating the programs and services the rest of the country depends on. These include healthcare services, banking and clean water regulations, road repair and education assistance.

Which designers does Hillary Rodham Clinton wear? An interviewer in Kyrgyzstan got the equivalent of the hand when he asked the secretary of State that question during a panel discussion in December 2010. Clinton's response: "Would you ever ask a man that question?" Her comment went viral Tuesday -- way after the fact -- when Boston Review posted that snippet from the interview on its Tumblr page . What's especially cringeworthy about this exchange is that just moments before, Clinton had addressed a young lawyer's question about how women could succeed in today's world.

OXFORD, Ohio - He can rouse large crowds to giddiness, ascend private jets two steps at a time, and catch a baseball with one hand, sign it, and throw it back to an adoring fan. Can Paul D. Ryan leap tall buildings in a single bound? Not yet, though his swarms of adoring fans might find it plausible. It was only a week ago that Ryan was a congressman from a district of 700,000, known - if he was known at all - for his controversial budget plan. Now, he drives in motorcades that close down miles of highway and can't walk down a street in Iowa without being cheered.

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are primarily known as political satirists, but on Thursday night they were both in fact-checker mode, marking up Paul Ryan's keynote speech with their metaphorical red pens. On “The Daily Show,” Stewart was struck by the contrast between  Ryan's reputation as a policy-focused, “speaker of hard truths” and his speech, which, though well-delivered, was short on specfics and long on the whoppers. Stewart took Ryan -- a.k.a. “Chiseled Chin McNicey Face” -- to task for making misleading claims about Medicare funding and the failure of a proposed bipartisan debt commission.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Just a few hours before Paul Ryan was to deliver his prime-time speech as the GOPvice presidential nominee, he met with fellow "cheeseheads" at a Wisconsin delegation event. "We just wanted to come by to say hi," Ryan told the audience as he took the stage with his wife, Janna. "We could smell the brats down the street. " A live polka band had been playing at the "Beer and Brats," according to the pool report, and Jimmy John's sandwiches and other foods were available at the celebration of all things Wisconsin as the delegates welcomed a favorite son. PHOTOS: Paul Ryan's past Ryan also checked out the convention hall where he would be giving his address -- and essentially introducing himself to the nation.

Los Angeles Times political writers Maeve Reston and Robin Abcarian join Politics Now host Jim Rainey in a chat about Paul Ryan's first days on the campaign trail. Mitt Romney's pick for the Republican vice presidential nomination has been a sensation with conservative Republicans, though he also drew some harsh attacks. The Politics Now team explains how the Ryan choice makes this more a "base" than a "swing" election, argues about whether early polling on Ryan as veep designate means anything and discusses the congressman's controversial Medicare proposal.

The House majority leader said Monday he would welcome a presidential run from Rep. Paul Ryan, the architect of the Republican plan to privatize Medicare, adding that he expects to see the GOP’s presidential contenders embrace the Ryan budget proposal as they seek the White House. “What Paul Ryan is about is real leadership,” said Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the majority leader. The Medicare privatization plan has become a political lightning rod for Republicans as polls have shown Americans are reluctant to make dramatic changes to the popular healthcare program for seniors.

THE VILLAGES, Fla. -- It was Mother's Day in August, as Republican vice presidential candidate Paul D. Ryan deftly turned his 78-year-old mom into a campaign prop Saturday, weaving her into an escalating debate over Medicare and using her as a weapon to attack President Obama on the economy. Betty Ryan Douglas, a part-time Florida resident, made her 2012 presidential campaign debut when her son walked her onto an outdoor rally stage at Florida's largest retirement community. “This is my Mom, Betty.  She's why I'm here.

WASHINGTON -- The Republican running mates, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, agree on most major issues, but present a sharp contrast in background, temperament and outlook. Romney is a businessman who defines himself as a problem solver. His experience is executive, he prides himself on being data-driven and dispassionate about making decisions. He has switched positions on several major issues when that appeared politically necessary. He spent his career outside Washington and at key points in his life - particularly his early move to set up Bain Capital -- he carefully avoided excessive risk.