( CNN ) -- The most important decision Mitt Romney has made in his campaign so far , the selection of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan for his running mate , tells us two things -- and neither bears good news for the middle class . First , Romney has fully and unequivocally embraced the extreme Ryan budget plan . Earlier this year , he called it `` marvelous '' -- now he 's made it his own . The Romney-Ryan plan would throw seniors under the bus and undermine their health security by ending Medicare as we know it . It would increase health care costs for seniors , including those on fixed income , by thousands of dollars a year . The extreme plan proposed by this year 's Republican ticket would bring huge tax breaks to millionaires , paid for by tax hikes on the middle class , and massive cuts to investments that strengthen the middle class -- priorities like education , health care , energy and scientific and medical research . Whether you are a college student trying to pay for school , a veteran worried about your health benefits , or a senior worried about retirement security , the Romney-Ryan plan is bad news . It would have devastating real-world effects on people young and old across the country . By the numbers : Paul Ryan . Romney and Ryan have put ideology ahead of what 's right . They refuse to increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans under any circumstance -- not another dime , ever . Unlike the Bowles-Simpson deficit reduction plan or the president 's balanced plan to reduce the deficit that include asking everyone to pay their fair share , the Romney-Ryan budget would reduce the deficit on the backs of seniors and the middle class . Even the U.S. Conference of Bishops admonished the Romney-Ryan plan . So did a group of nuns who recently traveled by bus across the country with the message that our budget is not just our country 's fiscal map , it is our moral one . They rightly pointed out that , as it says in Corinthians , `` If one part suffers , every part suffers with it , if one part is honored , every part rejoices with it . '' On the political front , Ryan 's selection is yet another sign that Romney is running to the far right and is the most extreme conservative candidate we have had in generations . The embrace of an ideologue like Paul Ryan may appeal to the Republican Party 's Tea Party base , but it will completely alienate independent voters , especially in battleground states . Opinion : Paul Ryan and Gen X GOP . Seniors in Ohio and Florida have every reason to worry what a Romney-Ryan administration would do to them when Medicare is handed over to private insurance companies and Social Security is subject to the whims of Wall Street . Voters should also consider that , even as our nation faces threats of terrorism and remains at war , for the first time in modern presidential history the Republican ticket lacks any national security credentials . It 's no coincidence , then , that its views on national security are dangerous and ill-considered . Any voter wondering about our leaders ' values should consider what they do in the room when the tough decisions are on the table . While President Obama was in the Oval Office , making the toughest calls any president has had to make -- how to save the economy from depression , rescue the American auto industry , bring affordable health care to millions of Americans or take out Osama bin Laden -- Paul Ryan was in a different room . How Romney campaign kept Ryan tap under wraps . He was sitting side-by-side with fellow House Republican ideologues John Boehner and Eric Cantor as they risked the full faith and credit of the United States , regardless of what it would mean for the middle class , jobs and women 's rights . If there ever was a question about what this election is about , today 's announcement answers it . Throughout this campaign , Mitt Romney has lacked a clear vision . Now he 's embraced a radical ideologue with a dangerous one . This election is absolutely a choice between two visions for our country 's future . Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have solidified their roles as rubber stamps for the reckless and failed economic theories of the past . Watch CNN tonight at 7 and 10 ET for an in-depth look at Paul Ryan and the next steps for Mitt Romney 's presidential campaign . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Donna Brazile .
Donna Brazile : Romney 's pick of Ryan running mate an embrace of Ryan 's radical budget plan . She says it 's bad news for middle class ; plan would hurt seniors , poor , help rich on taxes . She says even Catholics object to cuts ; ticket 's lack of national security experience dangerous . Brazile : Romney has shown his vision continues reckless , failed economic theories of the past .