Paul Ryan Stumps in Pennsylvania

The Republican presidential campaign stopped in Pennsylvania Tuesday as vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan courted GOP votes in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Speaking at the  in West Chester, Ryan fired at President Obama's camp with words from the 2008 campaign.

"Remember last time around when Obama said people in states like Pennsylvania cling to their guns and their religion?" Ryan told the crowd of several thousand. "Well, as a Catholic deer hunter consider me guilty as charged. That's what freedom really is."

Ryan told the Republican faithful that the Obama adminstration is out of touch, that Obama doesn't understand the needs of the American people.

“Government is important to a society,” Ryan said.  “But it is not the nucleus.  The nucleus is ‘We the people.’”

He added, “Government’s job is not to pick winners and losers in the economy.  That job is for our entrepreneurs, our investors, our risk-takers.”

Ryan shared the stage Tuesday afternoon with several southeastern Pennsylvania Republicans including Congressmen Jim Gerlach and Charlie Dent as well as Chester County Commissioner Ryan Costello.

“I know you all believe in hope and change like I do because I hope for a change in the White House this November,” Costello said.

Ryan and the other speakers said that this election could define a generation, and that the idea of what America would be in the future was at stake.

“America is not just a place,” Ryan said. "It is also an idea.”

Ryan added, “The idea of America is that our rights come from nature and God, not government.”

About 25 protesters used the occasion as an opportunity to compare Ryan's ideas to the president's.

“As Paul Ryan prepares to roll in here, I’m proud to stand here too,” said West Chester Mayor Carolyn Comitta, a Democrat.  “Obama and Romney represent two separate visions for seniors, for students and for the poor.”

Congressman Jim Gerlach said that because of his stance on Medicare, the Democrats like to portray Paul Ryan as “the man who would push grandma off a cliff in her wheelchair.”

“By picking Ryan, Romney shows that he is serious about turning the country around,” Gerlach said.

“I want to earn your support,” Ryan said.  “I want to reaffirm our nation’s founding principles so that we can get people back to work.”

The listeners liked what they heard.

"I like what Romney and Ryan represent," said West Chester resident Bob Whetstone who attended Tuesday’s rally. "Small government, a controlled economy—all the things I'm concerned about."

Bob Gross, a former Marine, said he’s “tired of the nonsense in Washington.”

“Where do you begin,” said Gross, also of West Chester.  “The country is $6 trillion in debt.  We’re socializing and nationalizing our businesses, and we’re wasting billions on companies like Solyndra that go bankrupt in a couple of days.”

Ryan did not mention abortion or the much talked about inflammatory comment from Rep. Todd Akin's (R-Mo.) that "legitimate rape" victims rarely get pregnant. The topics were brought up on protesters signs.