Ryan Choice a 'Gamble,' But He's No 'Robot Nerd'

Reactions are rolling in from the left and right over Paul Ryan as VP pick—some of it predictable, but a few tidbits stand out either for defying political allegiance, unveiling Mitt Romney's strategy, or using a lot of exclamation points:

• Romney "has decided to try to win the mega states of Florida and Ohio without the help of the favorite sons—Sens. Marco Rubio and Rob Portman, respectively," writes Gerald F. Seib in the Wall Street Journal. And Romney is gambling that "in an election dominated by the economy, he didn't need to pick a running mate with foreign-policy or national-security experience to offset his own shortages in that area."
• "Ryan has many flaws," writes Andrew Sullivan in the Daily Beast, but Ryan is not (as Ezra Klein called him) a "robot nerd." Watch this video of Ryan's speech today, and "you'll see Ryan sell Romney much better than Romney sells himself."
• Ryan has dismissed Ayn Rand's worldview as cold and atheistic, but Objectivists seem upbeat about the VP pick, Politico reports. “I think the announcement is great news,” says Atlas Society CEO Aaron Day. “The influence of Rand on Ryan as it relates to the role and nature of government is a huge step forward for the liberty movement.”
• No real surprise here, but many in Hollywood aren't happy with Ryan's conservatism, reports USA Today. "Romney's VP pick voted against equal pay for women and repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell," tweets Eva Longoria. "We can't go backward." Tweets Michael Ian Black: "Romney/Ryan = same initials as Ronald Reagan. THINK ABOUT IT!!!"

See why Politico's Mike Allen says Romney isn't playing it safe. (More Mitt Romney 2012 stories.)