Notable & Quotable

 Editor Josh Kraushaar blogging at National Journal, Aug. 13:

Watching Mitt Romney on the campaign trail this weekend after he tapped Paul Ryan as his running mate, it was hard not to be struck by how significantly the

candidate's message and delivery improved. Romney was newly energized, almost sounding like an evangelist preacher as he preached the merits of capitalism

and the free market.

His rhetoric was sharp and specific as he contrasted his policy vision with that of President Obama's. With Ryan, he looked confident in his sit-down

interview with CBS' Bob Schieffer.

It was as if the ghost of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie entered the cautious, often-awkward pol's body, to great effect. (Indeed, like Christie, he even

challenged a heckler at last night's event in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.)

This is the type of change that's very tough to measure in even the best polls and focus groups. Romney overruled his top consultants in picking Ryan; they

wanted him to go with a more cautious choice, like Tim Pawlenty.

But Romney clearly felt a kinship with the younger Ryan, and the chemistry was undeniable on their first couple of days on the campaign trail. Romney felt

unshackled, and felt free to play to his biggest political asset—a fiscal conservatism that's been the one consistent hallmark of his career, from working

at Bain Capital to the Salt Lake City Olympics to his tenure as governor of Massachusetts.

This carries risk, of course. Romney's hallmark of his campaign so far has been his cautiousness. . . .
Even Christie, known as the blunt political truth-teller to his fans in New Jersey, was a much more cautious pol when he ran against Gov. Jon Corzine in

2009. Indeed, his campaign was rapped for not offering specific plans, resorting to anti-incumbent generalities. It wasn't until he was elected that he

developed his persona as a straight-talking reformer.

In a sense, Romney is one-upping Christie, and placing the even riskier bet that calling for major changes is a political winner in the middle of a heated

presidential race. High-risk, high-reward, indeed.