Ryan in Oldsmar speech: 'Floridians, you have a huge say in this'

Voters in Florida are facing "the most important election in your lifetime," Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan told a crowd of supporters in Oldsmar on Saturday.

"This is no ordinary election this is no ordinary time," Ryan said. "We aren’t just picking who is going to be the president for the next four years. We are choosing a path. We are choosing what kind of country do we want to be and what kind of people do we want to be."

The youthful Wisconsin congressman headlined a Republican rally held at R.E. Olds Park, located in a residential neighborhood on Old Tampa Bay. He took the stage just before noon and spoke for about 15 minutes.

"And the basic question is: Do we want four more years of the same?" Ryan asked. "Do we want to go down the path of debt, doubt and decline that President Obama has placed us on, or do we to snap out of this?"

Florida's importance in the upcoming presidential election is reflected in the frequent appearances by the candidates and campaigns around state.

Ryan's appearance came three days after Ann Romney, wife of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, spoke in Largo. Mitt Romney spoke at a news conference in Jacksonville on Wednesday, and President Barack Obama made a Florida swing through Seminole, Kissimmee and Melbourne last weekend.

Obama is expected to visit Tampa next week.

"Floridians, I have to tell you: You have a huge say in this," Ryan said Saturday. "I think you realize how important your state is to the future of our country. We’ve got a plan for pro-growth economics, pro-growth solutions. We believe in growth and opportunity. That’s what the Romney-Ryan plan for a stronger middle class is all about."

Saturday's rally also included appearances or speeches by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, Congressmen Bill Young and Gus Bilirakis, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, former St. Petersburg mayor Rick Baker and Oldsmar mayor Jim Ronecker.

Bondi introduced Ryan, who was accompanied by his 78-year-old mother Betty and wife Janna.

Ryan began on a somber note, mentioning the four American diplomats, including Ambassador J. Christoper Stevens, who were killed in Libya this week, and asking Americans to keep their families in their prayers.

But he quickly moved to common Republican themes of cutting spending, repealing Obamacare and blaming the Obama administration for the sluggish economy, slow jobs growth and mounting national debt.

Echoing a comment Romney made this week, Ryan said the Federal Reserve's new stimulus efforts boil down to printing more money and creating sugar-high economics.

"Something that’s near and dear to my heart is, we have to cut spending," Ryan said. "We can’t keep spending money we don’t have. It’s getting out of control."