they're beginning through the republican speakers now, other republican politicians from wisconsin. you see a big crowd behind me. trust me, it runs out this way and this way as well. this is the wisconsin homecoming. paul ryan said he's been flying into the airport in milwaukee for the 14 years he's been in the united states congress, never has he returned home for a welcome like this. he now will be the republican vice presidential nominee. we're in a state, gloria, as you know, there's been democratic politics and presidential politics for a long time. these republicans here think because of the romney pick of paul ryan and the election buzz in this state, the republican governor survived the bruising recall election. they think it's possible. a big homecoming for paul ryan here in wisconsin. the american people are just getting to know the congressman, the house budget committee chairman sometimes controversial house budget committee chairman that mitt romney has asked him to join the ticket. the republican ticket traveled here from high point, north carolina, another state that the president, barack obama carried four years ago. mitt romney leads the ticket but as we get to know paul ryan better, let's listen a bit earlier in high point, north carolina. >> we have a clear choice of two futures. are we going to accept the status quo, accept the path that president obama has put us on with government taking over health care, government taking over all these different aspects of our economy, washington picking winners and losers in our economy. putting us on a path of debt, putting us on a path of doubt and decline or are we going to get america back on track, get baqubahing to work and leave our children a better future? >>. [ cheers and applause ] >> we can turn this around. we can do this. we can get this country back on track. we can get people back to work. we can get our debt paid off so our children inherit a better standard of living than what we got. that's what our parents did for us. >> reporter: so there you hear paul ryan earlier today. you'll hear the excitement building in this crowd. this is the critical part of the state, gloria. milwaukee votes democratic. these are the suburbs around milwaukee, reliably republican. they don't just need margins but they need turnout. john mccain carried this county. i can tell you, we'll see how it plays out in the 86 days ahead. this crowd here tonight thinks with the energy paul ryan brings to the ticket in this state, we might have an interesting race, gloria. >> i think he's also bringing some money in for them, according to the campaign toght, they've raised about $4.8 million. since ryan has been on the ticket. i don't know about you, in watching mitt romney he kind of looks relieved, doesn't he, like he has somebody else standing next to him to carry the message? >> paul ryan is the same eighth as mitt romney's oldest son. there's a little bit of a generational signal here. a lot of republicans yesterday as the optics of this, the introduction in norfolk, virginia. paul ryan seemed to get looser as the day went on, north carolina today, wisconsin tonight and paul ryan will break off, see him solo tomorrow. they know there will be huge debates about federal spending priorities, the about ryan budget which would trim the medicare spending. we'll see if this man is up to the challenge and what the republican ticket believes already they've changed the tone and tenor of the debate to make it about bigger issues. this will be about bigger issues now. >> one thing we know for sure is that paul ryan got the attention of barack obama today. the president mentioned him by name at a fund-raiser. so he's clearly aware and i think he's looking forward to talking about paul ryan a bit. take a listen to this. >> yesterday morning my opponent chose his running mate, the ideological leader of the republicans in congress, mr. paul ryan. i want to congratulate -- no, no, no. i want to congratulate congressman ryan. i know him. i welcome him to the race. congressman ryan is a decent man. he's a family man. he is an articulate spokesman for governor romney's vision. but it's a vision that i fundamentally disagree with. >> john, it seems to me like the president cannot wait to start talking about paul ryan's vision. .question of medicare. seniors are a very, very, very important constituency. the democrats lost in the 2010 midterm elections and they're dying to get them back. they see this as a huge opening. >> it's fascinating, we stopped by the organizing for america, the obama campaign's office here. they expect to be beat here in the suburbs. one of the volunteers said we need more information on paul ryan's record so i can rebut people when i meet them who say i'm so proud for the state of wisconsin. his campaign staff had a new script. they were saying you might like paul ryan or think this is good for wisconsin but we urge you to take a look at his budget, specifically what it does to medicare. the script has changed already. the debate much more about the ryan budget plan now than it was about other issues just 24, 48 hours ago. gloria. >> today david axelrod, senior adviser to the president came out and called paul ryan a right wing ideologue. it seems to me they're trying to put ryan at the top of the ticket as opposed to being number two. they wanted to find mitt romney by the ryan budget plan and romney's people are saying, no, no, mitt romney's going to have his own budget. >> what david axelrod is trying to do is motivate the left base, the democratic base. what governor romney is doing with the selection of paul ryan is signaling he, toob with thinks this will be a base election. which party could best motivate its base between now and election day from conventions to election day and on election day turn out voters. this is looking like that race more so than the mccain/obama race. some people think this could be as close as another race, bush v. gore. they believe the middle of the electorate is increasingly shrinking. >> one of the problems i think the romney campaign has in trying to destroy paul ryan is romney called himself an outsider. paul ryan is somebody who's a product of washington, i think most people will agree. today mitt romney tried to describe paul ryan as a reluctant candidate, somebody who put his own private career on hold to serve in washington. but he made him try and sound like he wasn't really as interested in washington as we've seen here, from where i sit. take a listen to this. >> his career -- his career ambition was not to go to washington. that is not what he wanted to do. but he became concerned about what was happening in the country. and wanted to get america back on track and so he put aside the plans he had for his career and said i'm going to go and serve. he's gone there and he's put the country and policies to get america right again ahead of ambiti ambition. he planned on doing something else with his career but you know, he looked at the country and recognized the real challenges we had and decided to go and try and make a difference. and so he went to washington, not to get along with everybody but instead to bring new ideas. and to help bring people together on both sides of the aisle. >> john, does he seem a reluctant washington person to you, paul ryan? >> you know, not so much. look, paul ryan served as a staff member on capitol hill for wisconsin republican senator. he served jack kemp and bill bennett at the republican think tank in power america back in the 1 80s. when he was a young man in his early 20s, he was elected to congress when he was 2 years old. when he was younger than that, he told people he'd build a washington experience and go home and run for congress. when he was in his early 20s, he was planning to come home to janesville, wisconsin but to come back to washington. to call him a reluctant warrior in washington is a bit of a stretch, so to say. paul ryan has been in public service for 14 years now. he's there because he wanted to be there and he want to be there at a young age. we're told the romney/ryan bus is on its way here, about five minutes away. a large crowd here, cheeseheads eag eagerly awaiting the arrival of the republican ticket. >> when i asked paul ryan about this ticket months ago, he didn't turn it down and say, we'll have to take things as they come. it's clear to me that paul ryan is somebody political. he's ambitious, nothing wrong with that. was even thinking about running for the presidency himself. and now, john, i think he's going to have a homecoming in a few minutes like none he has ever seen before. as you say, the bus is just a few minutes away. we're going to stay here and wait for his return. joining the republican ticket, coming home to the state of wisconsin. i think four years ago, who could have imagined paul ryan rising to these heights. we'll take a look at who he is and listen to him and listen to mitt romney, right ahead. you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air. it's a great ticket. it's a terrific pick by governor romney. congressman ryan as you've already seen is bringing energy to the ticket. he has a clear, specific vision, an adult approach to solving the nation's problems. >> welcome back to our cnn special, paul ryan in depth. you saw there tim taua lpawlent. governor romney called him first among those he considered several days before he considered telling him he decided to go in a different direction. governor pawlenty saying he'll continue to fight on for what is now a romney/ryan ticket. the romney/ryan campaign bus arrived here in waukesha, wisconsin just moments ago to welcome paul ryan home. this his first rally in the state since governor romney announced him as his choice. the people of this state know paul ryan well. but to most americans paul ryan is largely unknown. mitt romney introduces him yesterday. the first stop at the "uss wisconsin" get that, in norfolk, virginia, paul ryan discussing his family. >> janesville, wisconsin is where i was born and raised and i never really left it. it's our home now. for the last 14 years, i have proudly represented wisconsin in congress. there i have focused on solving the problems that confront our country. my dad died when i was young. he was a good and decent man. there are a few things he would say that have just always stuck with me. he'd say, son, you're either part of the problem or part of the solution. well, regrettably, president obama has become part of the problem and mitt romney is the solution. >> reporter: now, that was paul ryan in norfolk, virginia at the unveiling. here we are in waukesha, wisconsin, they're waiting for him to speak here. why would governor romney put paul ryan on the ticket? number one, no question on his knowledge of the federal budget. he wants to have a debate about the deficit and the country. he's energized the conservative base. you see that in the republican suburbs of milwaukee. 42 years ole. he brings youthful vigor to the ticket. the question going forward is is that enough? many will question his experience and proposals. the two candidates are at this rally site. this could be our first test case. if they can move the numbers here in their favor, you may see how much of an impact paul ryan can have. >> i think there was thinking in the romney campaign, john, if they were going to win the election by saying that president obama's economy is bad, they would have been higher in the polls than they are right now. i think the decision was made that they needed to do -- to have another plan and that would be to have a vision for the future and go big. which is what they're doing with paul ryan. they're not only saying, okay, president obama's economy is bad, but here is our long-term plan for the future. and i guarantee you that at some point they're going to be saying to president obama where is your long-term plan to save entitlement programs important to senior citizens? where is your long-term plan on tax reform. by the way, paul ryan is for tax reform but we're not quite sure what taxes he would raise as a part of that. so i think this is a way that they can say to the obama campaign, okay, guys, we need to get you on record on certain things that are important to voters, particularly independent voters in this country. >> i think that's exactly right. race was very competitive. the polls drifted in a bit in the president's favor, especially the national polls in recent days. the romney campaign made a calculation to make the race about something bigger and different. we've had what i'll call the bain versus solyndra debate. mitt romney, wethy man. the president says he won't release his taxes, what is he hiding? that's what the president has been saying. governor romney has been saying mr. president youad three years. your approach was a stimulus program that fail. it was sometimes petty and often personal debate. now what do you have? by embracing paul ryan, governor romney says he's not embracing everything in the ryan budget but he's making this a bigger campaign now. the question is can ty keep it as a big campaign? the republicans may lose this election but if they make it about the economy's in trouble, the country's in trouble, it's time to make big, tough choices, the raynes believe they can win. the reason they believe that is they look at 2010. the recall election here when governor walk her a run-in with the labor unions. he did cut back on their benefits and won that election, even though labor and the democrats poured that money in. it's tough choices. some of these choices are controversial. some of them may hurt but they need to be made. if they keep it it up here and not in the weeds of the ryan budget, they think they can change the tenor of this race. >> in the week after that walker win, paul ryan's chances for vice presidential nod certainly got a lot better, don't you think, john? if i'm a republican -- >> it sure did. >> i'm looking at that win in the state of wisconsin and going maybe we can win thatstate, maybe paul ryan is the guy who can do it for us. okay, john, it's been an extraordinary week. as we know for paul ryan. we're waiting for the bus to ll up with him. right after this, we're going to show you the conservative congressman as you've never seen him and his life may never be the same. who was paul ryan before joining the republican ticket? more on the politician and the family man, straight ahead. >> so god bless you for coming today. tin® because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec®. love the air. [ sneezes ] i'm john king live in waukesha, wisconsin. welcome back to "paul ryan in depth," paul ryan, mitt romney's choice to be the vice presidential ticket to speak at this boisterous rally momentarily. speaking now is the republican senator, ron johnson. a 2010 tea party favorite, proof that he told this crowd wisconsin could become a red state again. wisconsin has a big role in our national politics this year. up next, reince priebus, the national chairman. he happens to be from the state of wisconsin. then scott walker, the republican governor will speak. he's known across america because of the recall battle. governor walker will introduce the man mitt romney hopes will be the next vice president of the united states. a large crowd, gloria, here. gloria borger joins me from washington. it is interesting to see this state in national politics that's been democratic for so long, having so many republican faces. reince priebus now taking over. they want to change this state red come november. >> they hope they can make the state of wisconsin red. it is not anything that the romney campaign was counting on. but now i think they have it in their sights. everybody in wisconsin knows who paul ryan is. but most of the country doesn't. he's only 42 years old. and he's somebody who never felt he had a lot of time to accomplish his goals. and given his family history you can understand why. and ryan is a man in a hurry. in washington he bunks in his congressional office. it's cheaper, near work and closer to the house gym, which is good since he's a fitness buff who got some of his colleagues hooked on a gruelling exercise routine called p90x. >> it's a great workout. >> in a way he owes his devotion to fitness to his father. in particular, one day when the younger ryan was still a teen. >> your dad was 55 when he died and you were -- >> 16. >> 16 years old. >> yes. >> how did that affect you? you say you're more sensitive. >> i was a young kid working at mcdonald's that summer. my mom was visiting my sister who got a job in denver. i went to wake him up in the morning and he wasn't at live. >> you found him. >> i basically had to sink or swim. my grandmother who had alzheimer's moved in with us at the time. my mom and i took care of her. my mom went back to school to learn a skill. i did a lot of growing up very fast. it made me very initiative prone, live life to its fullest. you never know how long it's going to last. >> you had the opportunity to run for president at the age of 41 if you're in a hurry. and you said -- >> nice boomerang on that. >> you said no. >> sure, because i think there are other good people who can do this job. but there are other good people who can't raise my kids. >> that didn't stop the push to dry and draft ryen to run. the argument is simple, he's proven he can take on the president. >> paul -- >> is this a difference of philosophy. >> no, no. t. is. it is. >> this is an important point. >> bill bennett says ryan flashed on to the president's radar after some fiery exchanges at his health care summit. >> you could tell barack obama took notice. he took the measure of him. paul ryan was in his brain a little bit. >> actually, a lot. the white house seated paul ryan right up front at the president's budget speech in april and then proceeded to denounce his plan. >> it ends medicare as we know it. >> what i was thinking going into that speech, we're getting divided government to work. we're compromising, getting things done. what i got out of that was political mode, you know, demagoguery and try to nullify the notion that there's an aalternative path for this country. >> with neither side budging, ryan has settled in. >> paul ryan is the right guy! >> he's a hero to republicans and a devil to the democrats. he's okay with that. >> they had an ad of me pushing some older woman off a cliff or something like that. >> doesn't bother you? >> no, not really. look, we have a normal life in janesville. my wife and i, three beautiful kids, soccer on saturdays. we have cub scouts. we have a normal life like everybody else. i go to washington four days a week which i call the silly place. it's two different kind of worlds. and if we don't tackle these big problems they're going to tackle us. >> you know, john, he's a very attractive candidate there. but he does have some down sides that people have been talking about. that he's never really run statewide, never anything more than a congressional race. he has no foreign policy experience. some folks are going to question whether somebody who's 42 years old is actually ready to be commander in chief. but john, i think the big question is, whether he can sustain the attacks that the democrats are going to wage on him about going after entitlements like medicare or raising the retirement age for social security. >> and gloria, that's the question. he's going to get many punches. he's been in the middle of these fights for years as the ranking member when the repuicans are in the minority, as the budget chairman now. he's had these debates face-to-face with president obama. he'