( CNN ) -- The election of 2012 is a critical juncture in the history of this nation . We now have to decide if we love our country enough to do the responsible thing -- rein in out-of-control spending , cut the debt and reform crumbling entitlement programs . This will not be easy , but it 's right and what 's necessary for the preservation of our republic . Rep. Paul Ryan is the right choice for such a time . The president has not led ; Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will lead , and ultimately , they will lead us back on the path to prosperity . Ryan 's path to vice presidential nominee is a culmination of decades of outspoken conservatism . Early on , only a few of his colleagues at Empower America , a conservative , free-market Washington think tank , like Jack Kemp and me , heard him . Now , the entire country will hear him . The effervescent congressmen from Wisconsin , who leads Congress in grueling P90X workouts most mornings , first emerged onto the national political scene with his Roadmap , a first of its kind detailed plan to reform America 's budget , tax code , health care system and Social Security system . He said what few politicians would say -- America has overspent , over-promised and under-delivered . Opinion : Is Paul Ryan for or against Ayn Rand ? Over time this young budget guru , who once told me he relaxes by kicking back with actuarial tables , began to master the U.S. budget in a way that few ever have . He was appointed to be a member of the president 's Bowles-Simpson Commission , but , not yielding to political pressure , voted against its recommendations because it failed to adequately reform Medicare . So , together with Alice Rivlin ( Bill Clinton 's former OMB director ) , Ryan co-authored the Ryan-Rivlin plan to seriously reform Medicare ( although she did n't support the version of it he included in his all-encompassing budget ) . Their plan fell largely on deaf ears , but just because Washington was n't listening , Ryan did n't stop leading . He joined forces with Sen. Ron Wyden , D-Oregon , to co-author a bipartisan plan to reform Medicare . Their plan leaves Medicare intact for existing recipients and those approaching eligibility and offers future enrollees a chance to enroll in the traditional Medicare government option or enroll in a premium support plan , where seniors can choose from a variety of competitive plans that work best for them . During his tenure as House Budget Chairman , Ryan has penned several of the House budget plans . Although his 2012 budget did n't pass the Democrat-led Senate , it garnered far more votes than President Obama 's budget , and proposed far more serious reforms . Donna Brazile : Ryan 's dangerous vision . Ryan 's conservative credentials are unquestionable . Republicans will never forget how he grilled President Obama at the health care summit in 2010 . But , equally important , if not more , is his record of bipartisan leadership . When the time comes and Democrats demonize Ryan 's Medicare reform plans , he can hold up Wyden and Clinton-era welfare reformers as his defenders . More than budget and economic expertise , and he has a lot of it , Ryan brings to the Romney ticket a clear , detailed vision forward for America , a vision that stretches across party lines . Ryan adds youthful optimism and a dash of Jack Kemp 's infectious charisma to Gov . Romney 's business prowess and management skills . For Romney this is the bold action many in his party have been waiting for . All the cards are now on the table . Two competing visions of America 's future -- one a nation governed by a large , intrusive caretaker and the other a nation of small government and individual autonomy -- are at stake this November . As has been well said about our founding , we are a nation of choice and reflection . If the American people listen to Romney and Ryan and their serious proposals to restore American prosperity , Romney and Ryan have a chance at winning . If the American people listen to political pandering and ad hominem attacks , they will probably lose . Romney and Ryan will now make the case ; the American people will decide . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of William J. Bennett .
William Bennett says choice of Paul Ryan puts the cards on the table before voters . He says Ryan has committed himself to balancing the U.S. federal budget . Bennett says Ryan has proposed innovative solutions and has worked with Democrats . He says voters can choose between competing visions of the size and role of Congress .