I Married Him For Money, But After Marriage Everything Stopped

es My name is Ayo. I am in my late 20’s. I have been married for 3 years. Okay let me start over again, I am writing this story because I want girls to read and learn from my experience. I dated Alhaji for a while, not minding the fact that he has three wives. I was only interested in getting married, and it didn’t really matter who, as long as he had money, and I could be tagged a Lagos big girl. I eventually got married to alhaji, and he promised to buy me a house, car, and startup a business for me. I got pregnant almost immediately and moved to one of his houses. I thought alhaji would buy me a car immediately since I was carrying his baby but he always asked his driver to take me wherever I wanted. Is excuse was that he did not want me to drive around because of my condition. I later mentioned it to him and he told me he was going to get it once I had my baby. Three months after my baby was born, I raised the issue of starting my business and getting my car again, and he just waved it up. After six months I couldn’t take it again because alhaji started giving me just 25k monthly for upkeep and I had to do something. So I called one of my ex-aristos and told him my predicament. He was kind enough to give me 500k I added 200k I had to it and started my business. Alhaji asked me where I got the money from I told him it was my savings. After a while he gave me a 2-door golf car, and I was disappointed because his wives drives jeeps but alhaji would not hear of it, he said that’s what he had for me so I took it. When the shame became too much I started sleeping with aristos again secretly and I am living better now. I went to my family to tell them I want tot leave alhaji, but they disagreed because they all opposed my marriage at first and they all insist I must continue. I am already making plans I have to leave alhaji next year I can’t continue to suffer. I don’t care what you guys think or say about me, I just want ladies like me to read and learn that “All that glitters is not gold”. I married him for MONEY but after marriage everything stopped. He became a new man. 3 years ofmarriage and nothing to show for it

Why I want 20 more years from God, says 114-year-old Chief Ukeredi

…Says ‘Give me the most beautiful woman and I’ll throw her back at you’ BORN in 1898, Chief Daniel Ukeredi, aka Ogbolomo, a retired staff of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, who clocks 114 years on September 16, is the oldest living person in Okpe Kingdom, Urhobo ethnic nationality of Delta State. However, by Guiness World Records, he is only two years away from the oldest living person in the world, Mrs. Besse Cooper, who celebrated her 116th years on the earth, on August 26. Cooper was born in 1896 in Tennessee, United States of America. Nevertheless, there is currently a controversy over whether Cooper is world’s oldest person with the claim by Cuban Juana Bautista de la Candelaria Rodriguez, that she is 127 years old. Her February 12, 1885 purported birthday is, nonetheless, under serious doubt by Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group, which verifies longevity information for Guinness World Records. Ukeredi, who became a chief of Okpe kingdom in 1973, is a member of the Esezi Ruling House, one of the four royal families in the kingdom. It was, nonetheless, palpable that he is sightless, perhaps due to age, as his 30-year-old son, Monday Ukeredi, led him to the sitting room for an interview with Sunday Vanguard in his modest residence at Orerokpe, the headquarters of Okpe Local Government Area. As was later discovered, he has also become partly deaf and one had to shout into his ears for him to hear what you are saying. A peep at his bowl-shaped face and gangling frame will remind a kid of a scarecrow, but the Ogbolomo is an interesting personage. He is far from being the scary creature his image portrays. Indeed, he is helping to resolve crises in the kingdom, including the protest by Ugbokodo women and the feud between members of Ugbokodo executive and community on matters of embezzlement. His son, Monday, served as an interpreter in this engaging encounter. Excerpts: What is your name? Chief Daniel Ukeredi How old are you? I was born on September 16, 1898. I am 114 years old. Is there any birth record to show that your date of birth is true? You came here with the secretary to the Okpe Traditional Council, Chief Charles Edemenaha. He can bear me out that I am 114 years old now How can he bear you out, he was not there when you were born? He would not have accompanied you to my house if he knows that I am not the eldest man in Okpe kingdom and you are coming to interview me for that purpose. This is a kingdom; we know who is senior to who and the eldest amongst us. So how do you determine the eldest man? My elder brother died recently, that was in 2010, two years ago, at the age of 121 years. He was senior to me by seven years. Before he died, he was the oldest person in Ugbokodo. I started my working career in 1933 in the then Nigeria Railway Corporation and retired in 1961, a year after our country’s independence. That should tell you that I was not born today. I am sure that you talking to me was not born when I retired from the Railway. Who is your father? My father is late Mr. Ofore Ukeredi of Ugbokodo in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State. Is that where you were born? Yes, I was born in Ugbokodo, near Jeddo How did you grow up as a child, what things did you engage in? I was a fisherman, I used to cut palm fruits and went to farm for my parents. I lived with them in Ugbokodo before I left for Lagos. What were those odd things you did as a child for which your parents flogged you? I used to fight. I fought a lot when I was a child. At that time, I fought with those I perceived were oppressing other people. I was a very strong person and I took delight in fighting the cause of other people that were not as strong as I was. Which school did you attend? I attended CMS, Ugbokodo What is your level of education? I read up to Standard 3 and went to Lagos in 1929. Things were difficult for us then. In Lagos, I stayed with one of my elder brothers, who was a cook to a white man at that time and I studied at home under the tutelage of a home teacher. The white man, who was a chief mechanical engineer in the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, then gave me a job. Which department did you work in? I worked in the mechanical department What did you do to make the white man give you a job? I told you that my brother whom I was staying with was his cook. Therefore, when they cooked for him, I usually took the food to him in the office and that made the man to develop interest in me. From available information, you are two years younger than the oldest living person in the world, who is 116 years old. What is the secret of your long life? (Surprised at the information that he is only two years away from the oldest living person in the world and laughs) The secret of my long life is that I do not tell lies and I do not take what does not belong to me. How do you know it is because you do not tell lies and take what belongs to others that made you to live this long? If you have any doubt about my answer, then, God will answer you. However, I can tell you that God created me and He knows that reason. Today, I am alive and I still have more years to live by His power. At your age, I believe you will be communing with spirits and not human beings. What kind of spirits do you see in your dreams? As I am sitting here now talking to you, I see many things, which people around me do not see. Therefore, I take them most times as dream. Sometimes, I close my eyes, I, indeed, see spirits; I drink with them and chat with them. Monday: We were with him of recent and he said he was seeing some chiefs and people in the room where we all were sitting. We told him we were not seeing anybody and that only two of us (my sister and I) were with him at that time, he got angry, asking us if we think he did not know what he was seeing. Chief Ukeredi (Interview with Pa Ukeredi continues) Are you a Christian? In the beginning, I was a Christian but I also served juju. I am both a Christian and a traditional worshipper. How can you serve God and juju at the same time? I have told you that God created me and I serve Him How are you sure it is the Spirit of God that talks to you in your dream? I know, the Spirit of God came to meet me. Can you describe yourself as a Christian? There is God and Jesus Christ is the first son of God Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? I have accepted God Has Jesus Christ appeared in your dream asking you to follow Him? He has not appeared Have you had any revelation of heaven and hell? No How many wives and children do you have? I have four wives; three were late before I married my fourth wife. My eldest child is more than 70 years old and second child was born in 1944. My last child is 28 years old. My first wife gave me six children, second wife-2, third wife- 2 and fourth wife- 4. I am sorry, I see you are blind and partially deaf, how do you recognize when they come to visit you? Monday : If somebody that comes to this house before comes, he will know it is the person, but if it is somebody that is new, it will take him after several visits to know that person. Once he has developed a little acquaintance with you, he knows you by instinct. How did this problem of blindness and partial hearing come about because it was not there from childhood? Oh, there is nothing wrong about that. That is how it runs in my family. When you cross 100 years, blindness and partial hearing come. They have to do with age. It affected all members of my family that lived above 100 years. Doctors also confirmed that it has to do with old age. At 114, what are the peculiar health problems you are facing besides blindness and partial hearing, which are normal? God has given me good health; I am living in good health What is your best food? (Laughs) I like pepper soup with fish and unripe plantain/yam Daughter: He likes Banga soup and pounded yam for breakfast What is your best drink? (Laughs) I take all drinks, but I love a particular brand of beer. Why is that so? What do you like about it? The beer enables me to urinate and makes me stronger Are you saying that you still drink beer at 114 years? Try me with it, as I told you, it makes me to urinate and it is good for somebody of my age. Secondly, it makes me strong. What is your advice to younger people who want to live long? They should not tell lies, they should respect their elders, be honest and do not steal. Do the present leaders of Okpe kingdom seek counsel from you? I hold meetings with them, they take some of my advice, and they reject some. What of the Orodje of Okpe kingdom, does he listen to what you tell him? King is king. He is my son. He relates with me constantly and is always bringing me gifts. To have married up to four wives means that you love women, do you still like them? (Laughs) I still like them-o. Can you still perform; I mean can you still carry out your marital role of sex? About sex! Hmmm…! Even if you throw the most beautiful woman to me as a gift now, I will throw her back at you. Generally, what will you say about your life? I am enjoying life, I do not have problem and I am enjoying my beer. Appeal to God However, I am begging God to extend my days so that I will drink and drink my beer. Turning point in my life Life is full of difficulties. My turning point in my life was at my old age. It is at this stage of my life I have come to realize the essence of life. Before now, I did not know or understand certain things, but I now know what life is all about. What is the hardest decision you have taken in your life? The hardest decision I had taken in my life was my resolution not to fight anymore. What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to you? I will like to say that I have seen so many strange things in life and I will tell you about some of them. One was when I saw two snakes making love. I saw them with my naked eyes in the mangrove swamp. I was going for fishing then and, to tell you the truth, I was shocked. Another strange thing that I have witnessed in life was the day I saw two spirit beings – each with one hand and one leg, male and female in the bush. The female spirit was removing lice from the head of the male; when I saw them, I took to my heels. They burst out laughing at me as I ran the race of my life. How many more years would you want God to give you to enjoy life and drink more beer? (Moves and sits back more relaxed on his chair in a reflective mood) I will want God to give me 20 more years. That means I want to live up to 134 years and enjoy more beer. Ukeredi is our Methuselah – Col. Edemenaha (rtd), Scribe, Okpe kingdom COLONEL (Chief) Charles Edemenaha (rtd) is the Secretary to the Orodje of Okpe, Orue I, and the scribe of Okpe Traditional Council. He affirms in this interview that Chief Ukeredi is the oldest man in Okpe kingdom. Excerpts: As the secretary of Okpe kingdom, I want to find if it is true, that Chief Ukeredi is the oldest man in the kingdom and how old is he? There is no falsification about what he has told you regarding his age. Oral history at our disposal confirmed by our elders, some of who had passed on and others alive, show that he is actually 114 years old. Honesty is his virtue I also had the honour of living in his house as a young man and I can attest to his integrity. He is my in-law. Actually, he is married to my auntie. He is an honest man, hardworking and truthful. He hates lies. He worked in the Nigeria Railway Corporation, where he retired and returned home. He contributed to the formation of Okpe Union in 1931 while he was in Lagos. Peacemaker Ogbolomo is a known bridge-builder. Many years ago, there was an Okpe chief residing in Ghana. He had problem with Okpe Union and was to be ostracized. He intervened by leading a delegation to Ghana and, to his credit, the matter was amicably resolved. This is his kind of life. He was made a chief as far back as 1973. Indeed, he is in the third set of our old chiefs. He is the oldest person in Orerokpe, as each community in Okpe kingdom has its oldest person, but we know he is the oldest man presently in the entire kingdom. Traditionally, meetings are held in his house and, as the oldest man, he usually settles local issues. He has many grand children, great grand children. He enrolled in CMS, Adesa, Ugbokodo in 1927 and worked in the Nigeria Railway between 1933-1961.

LP accusses opposition of incitement in varsity, poly

Labour Party on Sunday alleged that the opposition parties in Ondo State had been planning to incite workers of the state-owned higher institutions against the Olusegun Mimiko administration. A statement by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Femi Okunjemiruwa, alleged that workers of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, and those of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, were the targets of the opposition. He said, “It is disheartening to know that opposition political parties in Ondo State have taken their morbid agenda to ‘capture’ Ondo State people and bring them into second slavery to the campuses of the higher institutions in the state.” He also alleged that “there were reports of frenzied activities directed at disrupting academic activities in these institutions in an effort to create the impression that the Labour Party government, through the management of these institutions, was not doing enough for them”. The statement added, “These blatant lies that have no basis in fact had been told of how workers at the institutions were not paid and how students’ bursary were being owed. “The latest in this game of fallacies is the two-day protest by some staff of Adekunle Ajasin University for some non-descript claims which provided the cloak for the selfish agenda of some misguided politicians who cannot understand why universities should be spared the type of instability spurned by their brand of politics. “The Labour Party notes that not only are salaries paid when due in these institutions, but that tuition fees in higher institutions in the other South-West states are several notches higher than that paid at Adekunle Ajasin University and other institutions in the state. “Whereas students of Adekunle Ajasin University, for instance, pay tuition fee at less than N25, 000.00 per annum, their counterparts in the South-West region pay between N150,000.00 and N400,000.00. “We wonder what these opposition parties have to offer to higher education in Ondo State other than to charge high school fees and totally abolish some of these schools as they have been done in other South-West states which they control.”

ORANMIYAN FESTIVAL CONTROVERSY: Alaafin dares Ooni

AS the controversy over the celebration of Oranmiyan deity rages between the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, and the people of Ile-Ife in Osun State, the monarch has decided to go on with the celebration irrespective of the disapproval from Ile-Ife. Though, Alaafin has decided to keep mum over the matter for now, it was gathered that the monarch will still respond to the comments made by a spokesperson for the Ife community, Oba Adebolu Fatunmise, Adagba of Iyanfoworogi, Ile Ife that before any Oba in Yorubaland could worship a deity like Oranmiyan, he should first contact the custodian of the deity which is Ile Ife. While justifying the claim that Ife had the historical superiority to the deity, Oba Fatunmise had said, “the new contraption which they described as metropolitan Oyo only came into existence in 1836 under the leadership of Prince Atiba who they later made the head, that is the nucleus of the Alaafin you have today.” While speaking with Vanguard on phone, yesterday, a reliable source from Oyo town said the words from Ife community should be disregarded. He noted that irrespective of what Ife people said, the celebration of the deity would continue adding that Oyo town was not ready to join issues with anybody over it. Another source who spoke with Vanguard said Oyo town had not been celebrating the deity before now but that the monarch who cherishes Yoruba culture with relish decided to be celebrating the Yoruba deities from time to time. Vanguard asked the personal assistant to the monarch, Prince Azeez Fehintola, to comment on the issue, but he refused stressing that he would not want to pre-empt Oba Adeyemi. He was, however, quick to say that the monarch would make further comments when the time was ripe. Ooni of Ife and Alaafin of Oyo Prince Fehintola said: “Don’t worry. Papa, Alaafin, will speak at the appropriate time. We shall soon invite all of you to come for briefing”.

Adenuga, 148 others to get national honours

Globacom Limited Chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga, has joined the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, among personalities to be conferred with the award of Grand Commander of the Niger. GCON is usually bestowed on the country’s Vice-President. But last year, Dangote made history when he was conferred with the award. A statement on Sunday by the Permanent Secretary (Special Duties Office) in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. Henry Akpan, said 149 Nigerians would be conferred with this national honours on September 17. He said, “The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties Office, have concluded preparations for the conferment of National Honours Award on 149 Nigerians and others. “President Goodluck Jonathan will conduct the 2012 National Honours Award Investiture of deserving Nigerians and friends of Nigeria.” Among the recipients are six Supreme Court Justices (CFR); the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar (CFR); Gabriel Igbinedion (CFR), former Managing Director of UBA Plc, Tony Elumelu (CON); and former Acting Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Kawu Baraje (CON). Also, two retired Supreme Court Justices, Kayode Eso and Andrew Obaseki, will be conferred with CFR. Others are governors Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta) and Danbaba Suntai (Taraba), who will be conferred with CON. Seven serving senators, including Victor Ndoma-Egba, Abdul Ahmed Ningi and Ayogu Eze will also be conferred with CON. Others are Wole Olanipekun (OFR), former Military Governor of Lagos State, Brigadier-General Mobolaji Johnson (retd.) (CFR); Cletus Ibeto (CON), Benin-based lawyer, Omoruyi Omonuwa (OFR), Alex Izinyon (OFR), Labour Party Chairman, Dan Nwuanyanwu (OFR) and an artiste, Teco Benson (MFR). The recipients also include the General Overseer of TREM, Bishop Mike Okonkwo (MFR), Osemawe of Ondo, Obama Victor Kiladejo (MFR) and film director, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe (MFR). Click here for more of the recipients

McIlroy up by 3 after 3 rounds of PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits from the 18th tee during the weather delayed third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament on the Ocean Course of the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, S.C., Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland … Tiger Woods putts on the 16th green during the weather delayed third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament on the Ocean Course of the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, S.C., Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Tiger Woods putts on the 16th green … KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — A frantic final round has begun at the PGA Championship. Rory McIlroy leads by three strokes after shooting a 5-under 67 in a third round that didn't end until Sunday. He was hoping to sneak in a quick nap before teeing off again in the afternoon. Play was suspended Saturday because of rain, leaving several players with more than 18 holes to play Sunday. Tiger Woods finished with a 74 in the third round and trails McIlroy by five shots. McIlroy is at 7 under. Carl Pettersson is in second place. The final round is being played in threesomes off both tees, rare for a major championship.

Billionaire George Soros getting married for the third time

Billionaire investor George Soros and girlfriend Tamiko Bolton are pictured at Soros' residence in Southampton, New York August 11, 2012. Soros had a lot to celebrate on Saturday evening: his 82nd birthday and the engagement to his much younger girlfriend Tamiko Bolton. Soros and Bolton, who met in spring in 2008, formally announced their engagement at a party at Soro's summer home in Southampton, N.Y. attended by a small group of friends and relatives, according to a person familiar with the trader. REUTERS/Myrna Suarez/Handout Billionaire investor George Soros and girlfriend Tamiko Bolton are pictured at Soros' … Billionaire investor George Soros and girlfriend Tamiko Bolton are pictured at Soros' residence in Southampton, New York August 11, 2012. Soros had a lot to celebrate on Saturday evening: his 82nd birthday and the engagement to his much younger girlfriend Tamiko Bolton. Soros and Bolton, who met in spring in 2008, formally announced their engagement at a party at Soro's summer home in Southampton, N.Y. attended by a small group of friends and relatives, according to a person familiar with the trader. REUTERS/Myrna Suarez/Handout Billionaire investor George Soros and girlfriend Tamiko Bolton are pictured at Soros' … (Reuters) - Billionaire investor George Soros had a lot to celebrate on Saturday evening: his 82nd birthday and the engagement to his much younger girlfriend Tamiko Bolton. Soros and Bolton, who met in the spring of 2008, formally announced their engagement at a party at Soros' summer home in Southampton, New York attended by a small group of friends and relatives, according to a person familiar with the trader. Soros proposed to Bolton, 40, a few weeks ago during a weekend visit to the Hamptons, a summer beachside colony on Long Island frequented by New York's wealthy. For Soros, this will be his third marriage and the second for Bolton, who was married briefly in the 1990s. Soros has five children from his previous marriages. Last year, Adriana Ferreyr ,a former girlfriend of Soros, filed a lawsuit in Manhattan state court, alleging he reneged on a promise to buy her an apartment. Soros has filed a pending motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the former Brazilian soap opera star. Also in 2011, Soros, who is an active contributor to politically liberal causes and frequently speaks on world economic events, converted his hedge fund into a family office and stopped managing money for outside investors. Soros rose to fame and fortune two decades ago on a now-historic trade, in which he took on the Bank of England and shrewdly wagered on a devaluation of the British pound. Bolton, who once started an Internet-based dietary supplement business and is now running a web-based yoga education business, has a masters degree in business from the University of Miami. The engagement ring Soros gave Bolton, according to a person close to the trader, is a Graff diamond in a platinum setting on a rose gold band. Among the guests at the party at Soros' summer home were journalist Jane Bryant Quinn and Blackstone's Byron Wien. Earlier this year, Reuters first reported that Soros' son Jonathan, who last September stepped down from day-to-day management of the affairs at Soros Fund Management, had decided to set-up his own family office. In moving to manage his own money, Soros' son also planned to take on key employee of Soros Fund Management, which last reported having about $25 billion in assets. (Editing by Christopher Wilson)

Romney Campaign Requested 'Several' Years of Tax Returns of VP Contenders

CHARLOTTE - Mitt Romney requested "several" years of tax returns from his potential running mates, a senior adviser to the candidate said Saturday, suggesting that those considered for the ticket may have been required to reveal more financial documents that the candidate himself. In a briefing with reporters in Virginia Saturday, senior adviser Beth Myers, who was charged with headed the vice president selection process, declined to specify exactly how many years of tax returns were required, saying only that "several" were requested. Several, by definition, implies more than two years. Romney, who has been under intense pressure to release more of his own tax returns by both Democrats and members of his own party, has so far released his 2010 returns and an estimate for his 2011 returns. The campaign has said that the full 2011 returns will be released sometime before the November election. When asked why he does not put the criticism to rest and just release more of his tax returns, Romney has said that no matter how many he decided to make public, there will always be a call to give more. And while Romney's own father, George Romney, released 12 years of tax returns during his bid for the presidency, the candidate today cites Sen. John McCain as the one who set the precedent to release just two years.

Ryan as Romney’s VP: Axelrod, GOP leaders spar on Sunday morning talk shows

Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate dominated the discussion on Sunday morning's political talk shows. And the reaction to the choice of Ryan, a tea party favorite, fell along party lines. "I'm excited for the ticket," former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who was reportedly on Romney's shortlist of VP candidates, told ABC News' "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos. "I'm excited for Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan. I didn't support Governor Romney because I expected to be vice president, so I'm not disappointed. I didn't get something I didn't expect, but it's a great ticket, it's a terrific pick by Governor Romney, and Congressman Ryan, as you've already seen, is bringing energy to the ticket, and he's got a clear, specific vision, an adult approach to solving the nation's problems, and you don't see that from the president and his team." On NBC's "Meet The Press," Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called Ryan a "game changer." "He relates well to voters all across the political spectrum," Walker said. "I think this is a game changer." [Also read: How Romney picked Ryan for his VP and kept it a secret] "Paul Ryan represents the kind of leadership that people in this country are hungry for," Republican Sen. John Thune (S.D.) said on CNN's "State of the Union With Candy Crowley" on Sunday. "His efforts to not only define the issues that we need to face as we get into the days and the weeks and the months and the years ahead, but also to come up with solutions to those issues, is something that I think that will serve as a great asset to Governor Romney and the campaign." "In making this pick, [Romney] has said, 'I'm going to take the game to my opponent,'" Thune continued. "'I'm not going to sit back and just run the clock out and hold the ball.' I think he's made it very clear that this is going to be a campaign about big issues and about a very different vision, contrasting vision for the future of this country." "I think that what it shows the American people is that Mitt Romney has the leadership and courage to present to the American people a real contrast and a real debate in this country," Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said on NBC. "I think of the 40 headlines that we've seen this morning it's been pretty clear that people have said this is a courageous choice, but it's what the American people deserve." On "Fox News Sunday," Sen. John McCain called Ryan an "excellent choice" and a "new generation of leadership in our party and nation." David Axelrod, senior advisor to the Obama campaign, appeared on ABC, NBC and CNN to curb the GOP enthusiasm. "It is a pick that is meant to thrill the most strident voices in the Republican Party," Axelrod told Stephanopoulos. "But it's one that should trouble everybody else, the middle class, seniors, students, because of Ryan's record. I mean, he is a right-wing ideologue, the intellectual energy behind the Republican caucus there in Congress. He constructed a budget that, like Romney, would lavish trillions of dollars of tax cuts, most of them on the wealthy, would raise the burden on the middle class, would cut back things deeply like student loans, and research and development, and things we need to grow the economy." What does President Obama think of him? "I think that he thinks that he is a perfectly genial and bright guy," Axelrod said on CNN's "State of the Union With Candy Crowley." "He just thinks his theory is wrong. I mean, Congressman Ryan is a right-wing ideologue, and that is reflected in the positions that he's taken." [Related: After Sunday, Romney and Ryan won't appear together until the convention] "He's young, he's articulate, he clearly gave a jolt of energy to Mitt Romney yesterday," Stephanopoulos said. "Are you worried this is going to be a booster shot for the Romney campaign?" "Well, I think it will be a booster shot within his own party," Axelrod said. "I think the Tea Party is excited. I think the social conservatives are excited." "I really didn't think that Governor Romney would go so far to satisfy the most strident voices in his party, that he would pick someone who is so demonstrably a right-wing ideologue," Axelrod said. "But you know, I was wrong about that." But will Ryan help Romney in crucial swing states--such as Wisconsin and Iowa--in November? "Well, that remains to be seen," Axelrod said. "I think it helps voters clarify what this choice is about. And if what you care about is strengthening the middle class and building an economy that's meant to last ... then no, I don't think he's going to help the ticket. If you believe in a woman's right to choose, he's not going to help the ticket. But I think he will help the governor have a more convivial Republican Convention." [Slideshow: How newspapers in swing states reacted to Ryan as VP pick] "In our state, what they want more than anything is people who tell them the truth, who are courageous and willing to take on tough decisions," Walker said. "And Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are exactly the kind of comeback team we need to make that happen." "I think it is a risk for President Obama to have someone like a ticket like a Romney/Ryan ticket where you have actually laid out definitive solutions and answers to America's problems," Thune said on CNN. "This president has kicked the can down the road on every major issue." Axelrod and his fellow Democrats contend that Ryan's budget proposal--which would transform Medicare into a voucher system--will hurt Romney's chances in November. Pawlenty doesn't think so. "I think the American people are smart, and I think the American people respect people who have real solutions to big problems," Pawlenty said. "And so Congressman Ryan and Governor Romney have put together a plan that actually tackles the problem in specific, preserves Medicare and other programs for people who are already on the program, but begins to change it in needed and realistic ways for the next generation. Pawlenty added: "There's only one candidate in this race who's actually cut Medicare and signed such a thing into law, and that's President Obama. Pawlenty also dismissed criticism that Romney and Ryan do not have national security and foreign policy experience. "Don't assume that Governor Romney doesn't have foreign policy and international experience," Pawlenty said. "My goodness, he spent his entire career in global business arrangements, transactions, traveling, and understanding different countries, cultures, geography, and the like. So he gets these issues very well and probably better than the president." "This was a defining choice for Mitt Romney," Axelrod said of Ryan. "And now it's also a clarifying choice for the American people." Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean agreed. "He is going to give [Americans] a real choice," Dean said on ABC. "That's exactly what Romney was trying to avoid before. He was trying to move towards the middle, and Ryan makes it almost impossible for him to do that."