Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is expected to refer to his irish roots and his ancestors' struggles to make it in America in his convention acceptance speech tonight.
He gave a preview of his remarks while speaking to thousands of supporters in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin.
Ryan spoke movingly of his ancestors' journey from Ireland to the United States and his vision of a community centric America.
Ryan, a fifth generation Irish American, joked about his heritage saying he must have “67 cousins” in his hometown.
Although the VP candidate rarely speaks about his own background, he told the crowd about his family’s history saying it “is not that different from most Americans’ stories.
“You know, back in the 1850s, the potatoes stopped growing in Ireland, so our great-great-grandfather, with the shirt on his back, made his way to Boston, worked his way on the railroad to get enough money to buy a farm.
“And that brought him to the outskirts of Janesville, Wisconsin. And he looked around, and it was summertime, and he said: ‘This looks just like Ireland.’”
He said immigration to America was not just a journey to “a piece of geography” but to an idea.
Ryan continued, “The reason our family came here and the reason everybody else’s family came here is because of what this country stands for…You know, it’s the only country founded on an idea, and that idea is precious.”
Read more: The Paul Ryan American dream -- fleeing famine in Ireland to Vice Presidential ticket
During the speech Ryan continued on this idea of an ideal “American Dream”. He told the 2,000 plus crowd, “We live together in freedom. And what we do in our communities is we look out for one another. That’s what’s so special; that’s what government can’t replace or displace.”
Referencing local charities and organizations he told the crowd, “There are the things we do in our communities that bring us together to help our neighbors in need.”
“You know, they call it civil society. I call it Janesville, Wisconsin. And what is important is that our government respects this, that our government honors this, that our government works for the people, and not the other way around, so that we can do this.”
The VP candidate’s “send-off” speech, at his alma mater, Joseph A. Craig High School on Monday, acted as a preview to the speech he will give at the Republican National Convention in Tampa this week.
He was joined on the stage by his wife Janna, and his three children - Elizabeth, Charles and Samuel. His mother, Betty, was also at the rally. His brother Tobin, who recently spoke about his family's Irish ancestry, introduced his brother to the crowd.
It seemed that this visit home was an emotional one. According to the Washington Post Ryan choked up as he caught the eyes of friends and family in the crowd.
As Ryan heads down to the Republican Convention in Tampa on Tuesday he’s made it clear what his message will be.
He told WISN on Tuesday “What we want to accomplish in Tampa is to put a very clear contrast with where the president has taken the country ... we show the country our specific solutions for how to get the country back on track."
"Mitt Romney and I feel that we must honor the people of this country by letting them choose which direction you want to take the country."
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Eschetic | Aug 31, 2012, 04:35 PM EDT
Poor Congressman Ryan. When even Fox "News" is observing how poorly "fact checked" the acceptance speech was, it's time to forgo a few hours in the House Gym working on those admirable abs and spend a few more making sure your writers are doing their job. You were nominated for the pretty face and the right wing legislation the top nominee *hopes* the nation won't look too closely at, but a few more speeches where even the right wing press says you are dissimulating and it will all be for naught!
irishcoffeekid | Aug 30, 2012, 10:16 PM EDT
he's delusional if he thinks that alone is going to get him votes!! If you watch the feedback from the farse of a speech him and dumbo made last night, thats all i needed to know who not to vote for - its a bit like the irish government. a useless shower going forward - we'd be better off with 12 housewives running the White House - they at least are used to managing budgets, making ends meet and keeps the peace - I'm so sick of the rubbish on the adverts here i'm switching channels rather than listen to the guff coming out of them!!! Bush wasnt great (let's face it) but he's better than Romney ever will be - he's a complete airhead when it comes to public diplomacy!!
Frosty38 | Aug 30, 2012, 08:46 PM EDT
This is a FARSE tonight. These folks on telling thier story that is so ppe done
ciaradexy | Aug 30, 2012, 05:02 PM EDT
Ah here we go again! Anyone who votes for someone because they know someone irish is a tool. Ryan, You are not irish! Your family member who left here was, you are not!
travelmpq | Aug 30, 2012, 04:35 PM EDT
Nice call, Cathy. Ryan didn't mention Ireland once. Where did you get you prognostication skills?
EphraimKibbey | Aug 30, 2012, 02:13 PM EDT
If I was totally uninformed or if I had a vested interest in his agenda, I would call Ryan's speech inspiring. Too bad for him so many people have seen behind the GOP curtain and now realize that the "Wizard" is a sham. When your whole reason for being is a LIE, when every point you try to make is a LIE, it will be hard to convince intelligent, informed, independent voters to follow you Paul.
susan724 | Aug 30, 2012, 12:19 PM EDT
Ryan isn't Irish - he has no heart...
McNamara31 | Aug 30, 2012, 11:08 AM EDT
BulldogMania "President Romney can restore the nation to job creation and wealth creation" You must be jokin...Romney, the Gordon Gecko of Wall St who made his "major" money breaking down troubled companies and raiding them for profits is going to restore the nation? He'll restore the nation ok, to that of the ilk like himself. And about the Rape of medicare that has been found to be an outright lie like much of the GOP platform. The medicare gains (Ryan mentioned last night) will be achieved by systems to be put in place to make hospital and healthcare facilities more cost effective.
BulldogMania | Aug 30, 2012, 10:15 AM EDT
Great speech, but I wish he would have talked more about the RAPE of Medicare. My mother will be losing her Medicare Advantage insurance, along with 12 MILLION other seniors. Obama has been a total failure...has provided ZERO leadership on the issues that matter to America...JOBS JOBS JOBS! I'm disappointed the Republicans haven't been doing a better job highlighting the failures of the Obama administration. They have a HORRIBLE record and everyone knows it...I guess that's why the mainstream liberal media keeps talking about extreme cases of the radical social issues of the dumbocrats...like calling abortion healthcare and anal sex true love deserving of marriage. NONE of these things matter if no one has a job! We are headed for the cliff at 80 mph...some say it's already too late, the damage done by Obama has been too much...but I'm hopeful President Romney can restore the nation to job creation and wealth creation. Who needs a safety net if you have a job! Do we need a safety net...of course...but we don't need a net that holds everyone. Some of us have to work...but to do that we need JOBS!
McNamara31 | Aug 30, 2012, 09:27 AM EDT
Paul Ryan’s acceptance speech at the Republican convention contained several false claims and misleading statements. First he Accused President Obama’s health care law of funneling money away from Medicare “at the expense of the elderly.” In fact, Medicare’s chief actuary says the law “substantially improves” the system’s finances, and Ryan himself has embraced the same savings. He Accused Obama of doing “exactly nothing” about recommendations of a bipartisan deficit commission — which Ryan himself helped scuttle. Also claimed the American people were “cut out” of stimulus spending. Actually, more than a quarter of all stimulus dollars went for tax relief for workers. Faulted Obama for failing to deliver a 2008 campaign promise to keep a Wisconsin plant open. It closed less than a month before Obama took office. Ryan Blamed Obama for the loss of a AAA credit rating for the U.S. Actually, Standard & Poor’s blamed the downgrade on the uncompromising stands of both Republicans and Democrats.
Tom Mo | Aug 30, 2012, 09:16 AM EDT
Note that Ryan never mentioned Ireland or the Famine, or slavery, or chains. Not once. He just spoke of America and OUR future. God Bless Him.
McNamara31 | Aug 29, 2012, 10:56 PM EDT
EphraimKibbey So true about McCain and war.
EphraimKibbey | Aug 29, 2012, 09:44 PM EDT
Something else for me to worry about! I just watched McCain's speech. Normally I have high regard for his opinions though not always his solutions. This time I was completely shocked and, by the scant applause, so were many in the room. By my count, he mentioned 5 places that we should have already sent our troops. He thinks we should be in FIVE MORE WARS! How many more American lives do the GOP want sacrificed on the Neocon alter? I could just pass it off as his view alone except that Romney/Ryan have about 15 foreign policy advisors that are retreaded W foreign policy people. It looks like the GOP not only want to take us back to Cheney/Bush economically but also militarily. Combine that with their social policies out of the 50's and we have a very backward looking party platform. I think the country is ready to throw off the shackles of the do nothing congress and move forward to a new age of prosperity not back to failed policies that we know have disasterous consequences.
hollabackgurl | Aug 29, 2012, 09:22 PM EDT
Paul Ryan's immigrant forefathers were driven out of Ireland by the kind of top-down economic polices that their great grandson is now pursuing. And of course he's anti-immigrant too. His ancestors have had no end of trouble from immigrants ever since they came to this country, I imagine.
McNamara31 | Aug 29, 2012, 08:55 PM EDT
Thanks mayoman...and a good night to you.
McNamara31 | Aug 29, 2012, 08:55 PM EDT
paddyRanger Read my post again; you totally misread it. Who mentioned seniors? Don't be so quick to call the next person a liar when you're so obviously wrong.My post addresses the food stamp program and what I posted is fact.
cillowen | Aug 29, 2012, 08:34 PM EDT
took the shilling type - Likud MK Miri Regev, who came under fire last week after calling African migrants “a cancer” in Israeli society, apologized for the first time for her comments on Sunday, opting, however, to leave the migrants out of her apology. ------ A dysfunctional people like the Irish have little sense as to what or who they are - they're missing that poodle bit of their nation by which they might be whole. Nice work Sasanach overlord. Your divide and conquor keeps on working to great effect.
seanomelb | Aug 29, 2012, 07:41 PM EDT
Was this Christie's 2016 convention acceptance speech? He said 'I" 37 times and uttered nearly 2000 words before mentioning Romney!!!
Eschetic | Aug 29, 2012, 07:34 PM EDT
The Bull Sh*t Meters must have been off the charts in Florida on Tuesday when the "Key Note" Speaker, New Jersey's (my) Governor Chris Christie used the typical demagog's trick of putting words never said in an opponent's mouth and STILL couldn't stay on message (he admitted that his father used help from the G.I. Bill - well justified government assistance - to build his future). If Congressman Ryan rightly brags about his Irish Heritage, good for him - he should be proud of how far his father brought their family and the hard work he's done from that comfortable base - but listen close to the details of what he wants for the FUTURE and how much it will practically pave the road for OTHERS' success who aren't already millionaires or make life better for those who don't share his narrow theological perspective! Except for those who have "drunk the Cool-Aid" and refused to check their facts like "paddyRanger," however, we Republicans haven't gotten our money's worth out of this Convention (no wonder the Chairman of the National Committee doubts the modern Convention's worth!). As hard as our favorite country club wife tried to make her family "relatable" and Gov. Christie tried to bolster his faltering re-election chances (New Jersey voters with kids in high school or college are fully aware that he has built his "balanced budgets" on the backs of STUDENTS and their PARENTS not his hated teachers' unions the way he'd like us to think), thus far it looks like few legitimate "swing voters" are buying the snake oil.
seanomelb | Aug 29, 2012, 06:26 PM EDT
bleeding heart Ryan reminding us of his families early struggle, then abandons the poor,the sick and the middle classes. What a hypocrite I notice there's only one dissenter below the usual teabagger who wishes to tax himself to give the rich a tax break.
mayoman | Aug 29, 2012, 05:51 PM EDT
paddyRanger: Your blatant ignorance of the facts doesn't make McNamara31 a liar. If Paul Ryan gets his way, and wrecks Social Security and Medicaid as he plans, you will rue the day you ever stood up for the cretin. Make no mistake about it: Ryan is looking out for the rich and the big corporations. He doesn't give a damn for the average American worker or retiree, despite his insistence that he does.
CALGINTY | Aug 29, 2012, 05:49 PM EDT
The Potato Famine was in the 1840's - worst year 1847. I guess ryan doesn't know his roots (or forgot them)!!!!
paddyRanger | Aug 29, 2012, 05:11 PM EDT
McNamara your a liar....Ryan is not taking 10 million away from seniors..Obama is the one robbing seniors !
paddyRanger | Aug 29, 2012, 04:59 PM EDT
Mcnamara, time to return a persons self respect back to them, the self respect that has been stolen by your welfare society.
Frosty38 | Aug 29, 2012, 04:51 PM EDT
He has been to Ireland????
DaIrishbDumb | Aug 29, 2012, 04:40 PM EDT
Ryan is as dumb as they come. Typical Irish arse.
faberm1 | Aug 29, 2012, 12:11 PM EDT
Interesting that McNamara31 thinks he/she has the right to say how all Irish people must think. Paul Ryan is the ONLY politician right now who has proffered ANY plan at all.
McNamara31 | Aug 29, 2012, 09:12 AM EDT
What part of his roots taught him it was ok to take $10 million from the food stamp program, and pass it on to those as a $245,000 tax cut for millionaires? The only thing Irish about Ryan is the green in his wallet.