The impact of the Romney-Ryan ticket

Commentator Hugh Hewitt has long been in Mitt Romney's corner, so it's not a surprise that he likes the selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate. But in his latest column, he makes three salient points that I think are right on the money.

There's this:

A campaign about first principles is ahead. Either you built your business or you didn't. Either the private sector is doing fine or it isn't. Either the president and the Pelosi-Reid congressional Democrats are serious about cutting spending or they are not.

And this:

Not much remarked upon this weekend is the longer-term consequence of Mitt Romney's bold selection: Whether Romney yields his leadership of the GOP in 10 weeks or eight years, his almost certain successor will be Ryan, which means another generation of serious, committed conservative leadership. The party is now firmly and wholly committed to reform. What few Old Guard remain in the committees of the Hill know their days are numbered. The party of the appropriators is truly finished.

And this:

It is reassuring to know that Ryan learned his way around the Beltway from Bill Bennett and Jack Kemp, men not just of excellent ideas but of enduring faith in the American experiment -- a faith Romney wholly shares.

Whoever wins the presidential race in November, the last few years have shown that the country is hungry for reform of the way things are done in Washington. That is sure to be reflected in our politics and by our politicians.