Ryan hits Obama on energy, jobs in Ohio and Pennsylvania

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan emphasized energy and jobs in campaign stops in rural Ohio and Pennsylvania on Saturday.

On his way to an appearance in Belmont, Ohio, Ryan stopped at a rally in Moon Township, outside of Pittsburgh, Pa., and spoke to supporters about President Obama's spending, high gas prices and Obama’s “war on coal,” saying that 1,200 coal jobs were lost in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia last month.

Ryan boarded a van for the 90-minute trip to the Belmont rally where he told the swing-state crowd they could be the “linchpin” of this election. Urging them to vote early, he focused on coal, better education and training to ensure jobs for young people and taxes he said would continue to move businesses overseas.

''What is so great about this,” Ryan continued, “This is not just about jobs, this is not just about the economy, it's about the meaning of America. We are America.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday that Pennsylvania had the largest payroll increase in the country, with nearly 18,000 new jobs added. Conversely, Ohio had some of the largest decreases – with almost 13,000 jobs lost. Yet, Ohio still has a 7-percent unemployment rate, which remains lower than the national average.

At both stops, he vowed to not spend the next four years, if elected, “kicking the can down the road.”

At points, Ryan stopped to admire the beauty of the Valley View Campground, where the Ohio event was held. He spoke about the Great Lakes, and how his camouflage and orange cell phone cover reminds him of how he will be able to take his daughter out for her first deer hunt “after Mitt Romney is elected.”

Shortly after the rally, Ryan returned to his van and drove back to the Pittsburgh International Airport to make his way to Newark, N.J.

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