When Mitt Romney announced Rep. Paul Ryan as his choice for  the Vice Presidential nomination,  commentators cheered that Ryan was a  "deficit hawk" and  serious about  taxes and budgets.  But  when Ryan was asked about  a number of his controversial proposals  (especially about changing Medicare and other entitlements), he responded that his own views were no longer important, since  he now supported Romney's  stances.

But if the views of the Vice Presidential candidate do not really matter, then it  does not make that much difference who gets that nomination, since  the platform of the Presidential nominee will prevail.   If so,  the choice of Ryan  is not important, either.

But  the nomination for VP is important for two reasons:

1. Vice Presidents become Presidents:  Of the 16  men who have served as Vice President over the past 80 years,   three inherited the presidency (Truman , Johnson and Ford) and  two others were subsequently elected  President  (Nixon and George HW Bush), so almost  a third  became President .  In addition,  three others  (Humphrey, Mondale and  Gore)  were nominated for President by their party.  So a Vice Presidential nomination is a major advance in a  politician's  route toward the White House. (But the last losing nominee for VP to become President was Franklin Roosevelt.)

So if Paul Ryan becomes Vice President,  he is on his way to the White House. 

2. The Vice President can be influential.  The role of the Vice President   has  grown in recent years,  especially during the tenure of  Dick Cheney  (2001-2009).  Even Dan Quayle, the most  ridiculed  VP in our times,  was instrumental in  President George H W Bush's   wise  decision to seek congressional approval of the Gulf War.  
Al Gore played a vital role in the failure of  Republicans in Congress to impeach and  remove President Bill Clinton.

Although Romney has generally repudiated his own record as Governor of Massachusetts, Ryan  has not repudiated his record in Congress. Since Romney's political views are very flexible, Ryan could have a major influence on them.  .  

Joe Biden, although  one of the most experienced  officials to become VP in recent decades, has been a disappointment.  He speaks without thinking too often, and  for the second highest official of the United States, even once is once too often.  If Biden is re-elected and inherits the presidency,  his policies will be indistinguishable from Obama's.  If he then  sticks to speeches written by someone else,  he would do OK.

If Biden completes another term as Vice President,  he will be 74, so  it is not likely  that he will ever be nominated for President.  

Gerald S Glazer