Ryan offers a break, albeit brief, from the political name calling

It's probably too much to ask. No Las Vegas bookmaker would make odds on how long it might last.

But wasn't it refreshing, if ever so fleeting, to see the presidential campaign stray into a battle of issues?

The weekend announcement of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as Mitt Romney's running mate has been the defining moment in Campaign '12. The decision immediately moved the media to conclude the presence of the budget hawk Ryan on the campaign trail would force the political conversation in a serious direction that emphasized issues over sound bites and scare tactics.

And it did, for about one 24-hour news cycle.

Ryan, in Las Vegas on Tuesday for a rally at Palo Verde High School and a fundraiser with controversial GOP mega-donor and billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, was an inspired choice that is sure to invigorate the base - of both parties.

Tuesday afternoon's swelter was punctuated by a parking lot appearance by Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley, flanked by sign-carrying Sen. Dean Heller supporters. Berkley warned of the dangers to the elderly and women by Ryan's vision. But the event belonged to Romney's running mate. 

Ryan's entry at least temporarily defines the showdown as a clash of ideologies. Each side defines the role of government differently. Each side has distinct approaches to health care coverage and Medicare reform.

His much-studied budget proposal makes a dramatic change in Medicare by creating what is essentially an insurance voucher system for citizens 55 and under. Instead of receiving Medicare, they would have a stipend to buy health insurance from a competitive company. (I can almost see the Geico health insurance ads now.) But if health care costs rise, critics argue, the difference would be picked up by the senior citizen policyholder.

Meanwhile, the president's Medicare revamp also makes changes to the system by borrowing $716 billion from it to help pay for the Affordable Care Act. The president's campaign and administration have done a mediocre job reassuring a skeptical and confused public of the plan's strengths.

Ryan has strong, conservative beliefs, fiscally and socially. His style is a welcome counterbalance to Romney's squishy political approach. (Like a long-lost Marx brother, he designed and implemented Romneycare as governor of Massachusetts, then audaciously vilifies Obamacare, which is patterned after Romneycare.) Where Romney has been all over the map, Ryan's staunchly conservative vision has been clear.

Ryan, for instance, is squarely against abortion rights, even in cases of rape or incest. While Democrats argue that puts him out of touch with women and out of step with the nation, it is an unambiguous difference that is now an indelible part of Team Romney.

While the candidates continue to try to fire up their ideological bases, they've allowed their favorite political pitbulls to do much of the barking and biting in recent days. Senate Majority Leader and self-appointed tax expert Harry Reid spent a week assaulting the veracity of Romney's annual government tithing. Of late, former House Speaker and GOP presidential groomsman Newt Gingrich on national television has heralded the arrival of Ryan and vilified the opposition.

Notice the refreshing relative silence of polarizing GOP national caricatures Donald Trump, Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin. Republican leaders would be wise to close the doors of the party's version of "Evening at the Improv" for the remainder of the campaign season.

Obama leads Romney in swing-state Nevada in recent polls, but the race isn't a sure thing for the president. It's hard for Obama to make much hay with Nevada's large segment of out-of-work blue-collar Democrats. Their future might be lighted by solar power, but their present includes home foreclosures and unemployment lines in the state with the nation's highest jobless rate. Will a Romney-Ryan ticket fire them up?

In the end, you had to know the brief focus on issues such as the future of Medicare wouldn't last. As I write this, it's being replaced by 30-second commercials featuring sepia tones and ominous theme music. With so much money available, the campaigns can't resist spending millions on ads that might give Stephen King himself nightmares.

We now return to our regularly scheduled political programming, but wasn't this fun while it lasted?

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Email him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 702-383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith. Follow him on Twitter @jlnevadasmith.