Anyone who’s watched the game “Texas Hold ‘Em” knows the term “all in.”  When you’re “all in,” you’re betting everything you’ve got on the hand you’re holding.

Mitt Romney just went “all in” on economic conservatism with Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his vice presidential pick.  He placed a bet that the American people want bold action on the national debt, Ryan’s signature issue, even if that means making significant sacrifices.

There are other candidates who may have added more to the Romney ticket electorally, and who almost certainly would have posed less political risk to him. I argued in this space just last week for South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as a long-shot pick. But no candidate could have defined the ticket as sharply asHouse Budget Committee chairman Ryan now does.  In that, Romney’s selection  is a game changer.

Mitt Romney — and the entire GOP — knows the hits are coming. Those scoundrelRepublicans want to cut everything,Democrats from coast-to-coast will say from now until Election Day. They’ll take food away from our children, the wheelchair out from under grandma, and they’ll invest our Social Security dollars in Halliburton and AIG — all to help those greedy millionaires and billionaires.

http://preferredmode.com/tag/21-speed/ The rest of this column is available at Newsday.  Thanks for readng!