Ryan launches VP campaign with attack on big government

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., launched his campaign for the vice presidency on the GOP ticket Saturday with an attack not only on the Obama administration, but on big government as well.

"We have the largest deficits and the biggest federal government since World War II," Ryan said in an appearance with Romney in Norfolk, Va. 

"America is more than just a place, it’s an idea," Ryan added. "It’s the only country founded on an idea. Our rights come from nature and God, not government. We promise equal opportunity, not equal outcomes. This idea is founded on the principles of liberty, freedom, free enterprise, self-determination and government by consent of the governed. This idea is under assault. So, we have a critical decision to make as a nation."

Ryan said his "record of getting things done in Congress will be a very helpful complement to Governor Romney’s executive and private sector success outside Washington." He said he had worked in a bipartisan fashion to "advance an agenda of economic growth, fiscal discipline, and job creation."