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<p><img style="margin: 10px 10px 5px 0px; float: left;" alt="Mike Honda press conference" src="http://myngp.com/BCEImages//UploadImages/1447/be6d840f-4220-42b8-91f2-aedef973ce55.jpg" height="225" width="336" /></p>
<p>Make no mistake:&nbsp; Ryan’s ascension to the GOP presidential ticket signals the death knell of the Republican moderate.&nbsp; Ryan has had a seat at the table for major bipartisan negotiations, but has jettisoned or undermined any compromise in favor of Tea Party extremism.&nbsp; This lurch to the right, combined with the House GOP’s obstinacy, has led to the most dysfunctional, least popular Congress in our nation’s history.&nbsp; Ryan and his cronies deserve the credit for that.</p>
<p>Ryan has built the case for his so-called “Path to Prosperity” budget proposal on the politics of fear, by speaking of doomsday scenarios and dire crises, then offering his radical plans as the only possible way out.&nbsp; The problem for the Republican ticket is that Ryan’s house of cards is built on a lie.&nbsp; His extreme solutions aren’t the only way out.&nbsp; We don’t need to end the Medicare guarantee, cut Pell Grants, or make the middle class pay more taxes to reach budget balance.&nbsp; No one will deny that we’ve got big challenges ahead, but positive solutions are still within reach — solutions that don’t ask the middle class to sacrifice while giving more handouts to the wealthy.</p>
<p>President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Democrats in Congress have put forth proposals and tried to work across the aisle to find constructive pathways forward that don’t undermine our nation’s sacred commitments.&nbsp; We believe our nation’s seniors deserve affordable, stable health care coverage and retirement security as they age.&nbsp; We believe in safe communities, vibrant classrooms, and world-class infrastructure.&nbsp; Simply put, we believe that we can get our fiscal house in order without undoing every crowning achievement of the 20th century.</p>
<p>Mitt Romney’s selection has made the choices all the more clear for this November.&nbsp; I believe the American people will choose positive solutions over fear.</p>
<p>“My colleague and friend Mike Honda is an outstanding leader, thinker, and advocate for equality. I’ve worked alongside Mike on the House Budget Committee where we both fought to protect important programs from the draconian cuts in the Ryan Budget, on the House Appropriations Committee, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and during our time as Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively, of the Democratic National Committee. Mike works tirelessly toward his goals of bettering America and ensuring equality for all; he is a bold and thoughtful leader who understands the complexities of representing a constituency as diverse and nuanced as California’s 17th District. He is a champion for education, equal rights, American manufacturing, and the technological innovation for which his Silicon Valley district is known. For these reasons, I am proud to endorse Rep. Honda.”</p>
<p>In response, Congressman Honda makes the following statement:</p>
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<p>“It is an honor to receive such a glowing endorsement from my friend and colleague Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. I have had the pleasure of working with the Congresswoman in various capacities, witnessing her unparalleled work ethic as both a manager and a collaborator. I am touched by her kind words and unwavering support. I thank Rep. Wasserman Schultz for her camaraderie and her own dedicated efforts to strengthen the Democratic Party as well as the nation as a whole, and look forward to continuing to work together toward these ends.”</p>