i like ryan, but i take GOP's assessment of his impact with a grain of salt.
these exact voices- including getbiggers - were screaming 4 years ago, telling us just how amazing this palin was, how she was going to be president, save the election, really show biden up, etc. Ryan is a smart man - but funny and decisive and powerful, he is not. As long as the narrative is wonk-ish, he's fine. The minute biden calls him 'kid' and reminds the audience he was making national law and creating jobs while ryan was IN DIAPERS... ryan will have to act tough. that's a fail. He looked limp against protesters.
Ryan needs to stay on message and stay statesmanlike. Biden will get him flustered at some point, and we'll see him a fristrated kid our age at that point.