Ahead of Rep. Paul Ryan’s prime-time speech at the GOP convention on Wednesday, the Obama campaign released a black-and-white video, shot in the style of old-time newsreels, alleging that Mitt Romney’s running mate is a man with “out-of-step views from a bygone era.”
The nearly two-minute-long video is an upgrade from the usual clip job campaigns typically roll out, complete with a newsreel-style narration, retro spinning graphics, and the action seemingly shot with a hand-cranked camera.
At one point, there is a scene of two men playing cricket as an unidentified speaker talks about tax cuts for the wealthy.
The video hits Ryan on the usual themes: the overhaul of Medicare, cuts to Pell grants, and the “forcible rape” language in bills Ryan sponsored.
The narrator concludes: “It’s clear that Paul Ryan’s vision for America is one that will take the nation back to a very different era.”
Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Ryan, responded via e-mail that Obama is merely offering "tired and misleading attacks" — though he did not specify what is misleading in the video — to shift attention away from his record. Ryan and Mitt Romney, on the other hand, have "offered common-sense reforms to strengthen Medicare for current and future retirees," he wrote.
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