Mitt Romney's running mate isn't going to be making very many people happy this afternoon thanks to a few choice words about the U.S. being "a country in decline" and an exclusive report from The Nation about how in 2010, Ryan asked for a grant from the Obama administration which was funded by Obamacare--which his ticket has promised to dismantle should they be elected.

Let's start with that Obamacare grant. The Nation's Lee Fang has a report on how "Paul Ryan Quietly Requested Obamacare Cash," or more specifically, how Ryan wrote a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services to recommend a grant for a community health center in his district. "The grant Ryan requested was funded directly by the Affordable Care Act, better known simply as health care reform or Obamacare," writes Lee. Of course, asking for money from Obamacare for his district rather undercuts Ryan-Romney's tough talk and vow to repeal Obamacare. And this inconsistent talk-action brings to mind a story from last month when we found out Ryan had asked for stimulus money in 2009, despite campaigning against stimulus spending in Congress. 

There's something else Paul Ryan did today that is rubbing people in the Obama camp the wrong way. In Adel, Iowa Ryan reminded supporters that the national debt has surpassed $16 trillion. "That's a country in decline," Ryan was quoted as saying in the AP report. That isn't too much different than what Ryan has been saying on the campaign trail so far, but it touched a nerve with the Obama campaign's traveling spokeswoman Jen Psaki. "What a pessimistic comment to come from the Republican ticket at a time when we're continuing to recover. More work needs to be done..." she told reporters aboard Air Force One. No word yet if Psaki has seen that Nation report. 

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Alexander Abad-Santos