Belmont's Reaction to Paul Ryan as Romney's Choice

The national cable news networks flew into hyper-drive and political websites issued hourly bulletins as Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney confirmed Friday night that he had made a decision on his choice for vice president.

When the word came that Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin congressman, was Romney's man, another wave of information – ranging from substantive to trivia – swept over viewers and readers.

And finally, when made a joint announcement on a retired battleship in Virginia on Saturday, the event was covered by nearly all the news networks except for those broadcasting Olympic coverage.

While little villages in far-off Wisconsin are readying themselves for the arrival of the Republican team tomorrow, Sunday, Romney's home town for the past 40 years reacted to the news as it has nearly every major event in his campaign for President.

It shrugged.

Ted of Belmont was standing in line at Belmont's first-ever Mexican restaurant – Burrito Cafe's grand opening was Saturday – watching the television as Romney and Ryan appeared on the screen.

When asked about the scene he was watching, Ted – who coincidentally came to see the movie "Ted" starring Mark Wahlberg at the movie theater next door – said he wasn't paying attention to the news.

"He picked who he thinks can help him win. That's about it," Ted said.

Outside , the Belmont Center ice cream shop, a couple said they thought Ryan looked like one of Mitt's sons.

The lack of a reaction from most residents to the Ryan choice could have something to do with Romney's favorable in this progressive town – President Obama received nearly 70 percent of the vote in the 2008 general election – and also when the announcement occurred: smack dab in the middle of summer. According to town officials, up to 10 percent of the town's population will be away on vacation or traveling during an average summer week resulting in requests for comments going directly into telephone message systems.

But to be fair, there were some residents who did respond to the announcement.

"I am thrilled by Gov. Romney's choice," said , who will be with Mitt at the Republican National Convention in Tampa in two weeks time; she's a delegate.

"Paul Ryan is a smart man with substantive ideas for dealing with the issues facing our nation. Voters will have a real choice this election between the Obama-Biden record and Romney-Ryan's plans for restoring fiscal responsibility and economic prosperity," she said.

"Great candidate, solidifies the agenda," said resident Al Gutterman, "but I would have left Ryan in the congressional leadership to help a President Romney."

On the other end of the political spectrum, , Belmont's only current legislative representative, felt the choice will help elevate the political debate in the final months before the general election.

"By choosing Paul Ryan, a person of intellectual substance, Mitt Romney may give  his campaign an ideological clarity that it has so far lacked," said the first term state senator who is up for re-election in November. 

"Hopefully over the next few months we'll see the real conversation about the direction of the country that we really need to have."