Paul Ryan on losing

Story by Yahoo News

In his first national television interview since the 2012 election, Congressman Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., better known as the vice presidential nominee, says losing came as something of a surprise.

"We thought we had a very good chance of winning. You know, the polling and the data and all the people who are the smart people who watch this stuff -- they had a pretty optimistic view on the night," says Ryan. "So as you can imagine, it was a bit of a shock when we didn't win."

But as soon as the final numbers on Virginia and Ohio began coming in, says Ryan, "we knew."

In an interview earlier this week in Wisconsin, the congressman said one reason Obama won was because his campaign drove up turnout in urban areas.

"I'll let the pundits decide exactly how he won," says Ryan. "The point is, he got more votes than we did. That's how he won."

The voter turnout for Obama went beyond urban areas, the president also won non-urban areas in New Hampshire and Iowa.

"The president deserves kudos for having a fantastic ground game," says Ryan. "And the point I'm simply making is, he won. He won fair and square. He got more votes. And that's-- that's the way our system works. And so he ought to be congratulated for that."

But will the chairman of the House Budget Committee work with the re-elected president? Particularly on the thorny issue of raising taxes for couples that earn more than $250,000 per year? And what does Ryan see as the "upside to losing"?