The Florida papers are destroying Paul Ryan. So much so that a distraught and panicked Village believes "Mitt Romney is in big, big trouble" for selecting the man who wants to pull the plug on Grandma.

The very first available headlines from the all important swing state of Florida are devastating.

Rolling out your vice presidential nominee is one of the most crucial aspects of every campaign, and judging from the headlines, Romney has completely blown it.

On the evening news, a visibly shaken Chuck Todd reported the 2012 campaign has not touched on Medicare, but now, all of the sudden, it is front and center, and it will be a big part of voters' decisions in November.

Todd is the quintessential political reporter. He phones around Washington and interviews the establishment players, who are largely Republican and then synthesizes their inside views and reports it as conventional wisdom.

The professionals and insiders view Ryan as box office poison. Said Todd:



Ryan's plan to make cuts to Medicare have been very unpopular when they’ve been tested with focus groups.

... when you look at older voters, this issue is a big, big problem for Romney, that he’s going to have to figure out how to deal with

Adding to the despair and dread felt among those paid to elect Republicans, Todd continued:This is the perfect wedge issue. This desperate, panicked move by Romney to quell the teabag base has now placed John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and the House in jeopardy.

It unites our side and divides their candidates. Are they going to stand with Ryan and Rush Limbaugh or will they stand with seniors? Are they with them or are they against them? If you pick seniors, the base stays home. If you pick the base, then seniors poke them with a pitchfork.

The entire Republican party faces, yet again, another Bataan Death March. For the next 90 days they're going to be pummeled by either the base or by seniors. It's a lose-lose situation with Team Obama applying relentless pressure, as they did again today, pushing how Ryan plans to kill Medicare, along with Bubbie and Zayde, on all the Sunday shows.

And just wait until October when the Romney abortion profiteer ads begin running, further demoralizing the base.