Posted 3:18 PM by Scoobie Davis

Will Paul Ryan's Miami of Ohio Connection Help Him in the Buckeye State?
Paul Ryan is speaking at his alma mater Miami University today.  I'm also a Miami of Ohio grad.  Will being a grad of a state university in Ohio help Ryan and Romney with the state's  voters?  Paula of the Redstate blog thinks so: 

. . . Paul Ryan is a graduate of Miami University in Ohio. He graduated in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in in economics and political science. While it probably won’t make a major difference in terms of peeling off Ohio votes, having a connection to the state certainly won’t hurt in this important swing state. Miami is a well-regarded university here, located in Oxford, Ohio, near Cincinnati. When I graduated from high school (a few years before Ryan), Miami was where the smart, preppy kids went to college – the kids who wore Izod sweaters and had goals in life. He can certainly use it to name drop and sell himself as the smartest kid in the room.

I think this is wishful thinking. Sure, a lot of Miami grads who live in Ohio are more likely to vote for the ticket. However, what do Ohioans think of Miami U.? I think most people in Ohio acknowledge that it's a good school academically.  However, it also has a reputation for being insular and whitebread--the very type of place that Miami students like Ryan pick up his Ayn Rand worship. When I tell people that I'm a Miami grad, I often add, "but I'm not a snob."