Paul Ryan: the media may get sidetracked by social issues, not the GOP

House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan appeared on CBS This Morning Tuesday to discuss the remaining front-runners in the Republican presidential primary, and ease viewers against the mass hysteria forwarded by some in the media that GOP candidates have pushed the campaign dialogue exclusively to social issues. The Wisconsin Republican argued that there are some social issues that must be discussed in the forefront, such as the President forwarding legislation which infringes upon the liberty private employers, but the idea that all other issues have been sidetracked is more of a media and DNC creation rather than the focus in the field.

"I think what these candidates are mostly talking about are the fiscal issues, the economic issues and the choice of two futures that the country's going to have to make in the fall," Ryan said. "When it all comes down to it, I think, we're going to be really talking about the economic issues which are the driving issues of the front of the minds of the American people. So I don't think we're going to have a sidetrack into social issues."

Rep. Ryan has not endorsed a candidate and would not predict a winner in today's Michigan GOP primary, but gave some praise to the economic plans put forward by both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.

"They've been fantastic on spending; they've been fantastic on entitlements; and they're now advancing really good pro-growth economic policies," Ryan said. "So as far as I'm concerned, no matter who emerges from this primary season — which might take awhile — we're going to have a sharp contrast about what it takes to get this country growing and about reclaiming American exceptionalism with the president, and I'm comfortable with the direction that both these campaigns are headed."

(H/T: The Hill)