( CNN ) -- Paul Ryan is a bold and risky pick for vice president by Mitt Romney . Forget all the talk about the risk-averse Mitt Romney and his policy-free campaign . Romney just embraced a man whose deficit reduction plans are impressively specific -- and controversial . This is what a game-changer looks like post-Sarah Palin . Unlike many of his fellow Republican congressmen , Paul Ryan has not been content to just demagogue the deficit and debt . He 's had the courage to put specific plans on paper that would actually deal with the problem . And Mitt Romney now owns those plans , for better or for worse . It may be the first time in American history when a nominee has outsourced policy to his VP candidate . Ryan 's budget plan is serious and breathtaking in its scope . It seeks to take Republican rhetoric about reducing long-term deficits and debts and put it into specific policies . Conservatives applaud the combination of vision and details in the plan , which would reset the government 's relationship with individuals on issues like Medicare , moving toward privatization . Ryan believes such changes are necessary to prevent Medicare from becoming insolvent over the long term . But for all Ryan 's deficit hawk credentials , he did not vote for the bipartisan Bowles-Simpson plan , despite serving on the commission -- a serious disappointment . Zelizer : How Ryan could help Romney . Liberals find the plans ideologically odious -- and therein lies the debate we 'll be having over the next three months . It makes this election a real choice between competing philosophies of government -- and that 's a healthy debate to have during a presidential election . On the politics of this pick , Paul Ryan does n't automatically bring a state into the Romney column , like Ohio 's Rob Portman or Florida 's Marco Rubio might have . Ryan 's home state of Wisconsin has been trending safely for Obama , though the pick of the first district congressman will likely tighten that race . Moreover , Ryan is a lifelong politician , someone who embraced life on Capitol Hill at an early age . He was first elected to Congress in 1998 at the tender age of 28 , but he 'd already developed a reputation as a respected policy wonk , writing speeches for 1996 VP-nominee Jack Kemp and numerous congressmen . He has thought deeply about his political beliefs and has learned to explain them in ways that resonate with a swing district in a rust belt state . Not incidentally , this is exactly the kind of voter that Mitt Romney will need to win over to win the presidency . This ticket will invigorate the Romney campaign among the base in terms of both style and substance . The Romney-Ryan ticket represents generational change -- Paul Ryan , born in 1970 , is the first pure member of Generation X to be on a national ticket . It is also the first presidential team to not have a Protestant on the ticket -- Romney , of course , is Mormon and Ryan is Catholic . It is another small sign of how our country continues to evolve . Democrats are said to be `` salivating '' over this pick because it allows them to draft sharp contrasts on politically popular programs like Medicare and Social Security . They believe that as the VP nominee , Paul Ryan makes this election a clear choice , rather than a referendum on President Obama . This is the framing of the election they have long wanted . But Romney 's surprising pick of Paul Ryan shows seriousness about governing and adds policy depth to his campaign . As a sign of the kind of president Mitt Romney might be , it is impressive and confident . And hopefully it will represent a decisive shift in this presidential election -- away from `` attack and distract '' and towards seriousness and substance . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Avlon .
John Avlon : Mitt Romney 's VP selection is a gamble that changes the campaign . Comment: Ryan 's focus on substance is a welcome change for a largely negative campaign , Avlon says .