The Nation‘s John Nichols joined MSNBC’s The Ed Show yesterday to explain how Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will spin the State of the Union in his official Republican response to Obama’s address. Nichols says Ryan plans to take Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare and “squeeze the life out of them.” He mentions that Ryan has voted for free trade deals that have resulted in jobs leaving America and that Ryan wants to “balance the budget” without putting pressure on Wall Street or the super-rich.

“Paul Ryan is a very Reaganesque figure and folks are actually gonna like him. He’s going to come off very well,” explains Nichols. “You’re not going to hear the Sarah Palin/Michelle Bachmann lock-and-load rhetoric. Ryan will come off very smooth, very appealing but you got to go beyond the style and listen to what he says.”

For more on Ryan, read Nichols’ Nation post, “The State of the Union Responder: Paul Ryan, R-Wall Street.” Also, to read about what Nichols thinks President Obama will say tonight in his State of the Union speech, read Nichols’ most recent post, "SOTU Signals: What Will Obama Say on Social Security, Trade and Green Jobs?"

—Kevin Gosztola