Presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, moving aggressively to defend his running mate’s budget blueprint, charged that President Barack Obama has weakened Medicare while his party is working to save it.

Romney used an appearance in Florida -- home to the nation’s largest population of seniors -- to wade into a politically risky debate over the government health program for the elderly, citing the Medicare plan offered by his vice presidential pick, Representative Paul Ryan, as an example of the contrast between the Republican ticket’s vision and Obama’s.

Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman Romney chose Aug. 11 to join him on the Republican ticket, has “come up with ideas that are very different than the president’s,” Romney told voters at a rally at Flagler College in St. Augustine. “The president’s idea, for instance, for Medicare was to cut it by $700 billion. That’s not the right answer. We want to make sure that we preserve and protect Medicare.”

Read more on Newsmax.com: Romney in Florida: Obama Devastated Medicare