Congressman Paul Ryan is a workout warrior

Rep. Paul Ryan did an on-camera interview with Politico recently that included an in-depth look at our Congressman's daily fitness routine. Ryan does a workout call "P90X," which Ryan describes as "muscle confusion and cross training." Among his exercies: pull-ups, sit-ups, push ups, cardio, karate, yoga and jump training.

Ryan says in the video he was a fitness trainer after he got out of college, and this exercise routine helps break through the "plateau" of doing the same exercises every day. Ryan also reveals he's 6-foot-2 and 163 pounds, and he wears a heart monitor while working out.

Here's the two-minute video:

Libertarian Joseph Kexel running against Ryan, again

Paul Ryan, R-WI, 1st District, gained a second opponent today, should he decide to run for a seventh term in Congress.

Joseph Kexel, the Libertarian candidate in the 2008 Congressional election who received 1% of the vote, announced today that he is running again. Paulette Garin of Kenosha, who came in second in the four-way Democratic primary that year, losing to Marge Krupp who got 35% of the vote in the general election, has also talked about a re-run.

Kexel, 45, a self-employed information technology consultant of Kenosha writes:

I am running for Paul Ryan's congressional seat. I am running as a Libertarian, so I will not be kicking Paul from the ballot. If he is on the ballot in November that is up to him and the voters in the Republican primary. Personally, having spoken with him at forums during the 2008 campaign, I like him. He would make a great neighbor, but having served over a decade in Washington he has become a career politician. If you ask me what my profession is, I would tell you it is being a businessman. Currently, that is in Information Technology support. Do you really think Paul Ryan could say anything else than Congressman?

As a Libertarian I have a very strong opinion that liberty must extend as far as possible. I, also, feel that responsibility is the powerful counter-balance to that liberty. Owning a gun may be a right, but society can hold you responsible for murder or improper use of your firearm. Only virtuous people can be allowed to be free for they can govern themselves.

As for my run for Congress, my platform is pretty much the Constitution of the United States. I have reviewed many of the votes Paul Ryan has made. Some I am sure you agree with, some I am sure you don't. However, I have to ask the question, "Are these even authorized by the Constitution?" If Congress stayed true to the Constitution, Paul Ryan would be paid at most $50K and have a real job back here in Wisconsin!

Much that Washington does is supposed to be done by the states. We have two important tasks ahead of us. We must get back to the Constitution and successfully petition our state to do its job without federal money.

I have mailed in my Declaration of Candidacy to the state election board and will likely be in the database next week.

Paul Ryan gains prominence with plan to eliminate Medicare, privatize Social Security and cut taxes for the wealthy

You may have heard lately that Rep. Paul Ryan is kind of a big deal.

Our Congressman is getting major national play as the Republican Party's leader on federal budget issues. Ryan wrote a budget proposal that was embraced by conservatives as a bold step toward eliminating deficits and reshaping some fundamental government programs. President Obama even called his plan a "serious" proposal.

Here comes the backlash. While Ryan's budget was introduced with great fanfare, Democrats are sinking their teeth into the plan. A few ideas Ryan is proposing include:

* Tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans
* Tax increases for anyone who makes less than $100,000 per year
* Cutting federal spending to what it was in 1951
* Cuts to Social Security
* Cuts to Medicare

Ryan's goal is to pay off the federal debt by 2080, but a recent analysis by a non-partisan tax agency determined the proposal would significantly increase the national debt over the next 70 years. Ryan said the analysis only suggests numbers need to be tweaked in his proposal to reach a more favorable outcome.

The Economist, an international magazine typically sympathetic to Ryan's idea, ripped his proposal to slash (and eventually eliminate) Medicare and "balance the budget on the backs of poor seniors." Here's an excerpt:

Mr Ryan has put forward a serious proposal for shrinking medical-cost inflation and hence shrinking the long-term federal budget deficit. It does so by ending America's provision of first-rate health care to all seniors. Rich seniors will still be able to afford high-quality medical care. Poor seniors won't. They will suffer more and die younger.

Then there's his plan to privatize Social Security, which is similar to President George W. Bush's unpopular proposal. A columnist in the LA Times described Ryan's Social Security proposal, which allows workers to invest in stocks instead of diverting money to the current system, as such:

What is Ryan really up to? His Roadmap would achieve a goal that conservative opponents of Social Security have cherished for decades: killing the program by undermining its broad base of popular support. It would sap Social Security's resources, increase its complexity and hammer a wedge between the currently retired or near-retired (who would be guaranteed their current statutory benefits) and younger workers and the future workforce (who would be increasingly on their own). The term for this is "divide and conquer."

Ryan himself said his entire proposal, called the "Roadmap for America," was only meant to stir debate and get national leaders talking about new ways to control federal spending and reduce the national debt. He seemed surprised people were upset over his plan to dismantle popular programs that benefit middle-class and poor Americans to help pay for a tax cut for the wealthy.

"The reason I did this was to try and stir debate and encourage others to do this as well,” he said. “What I’m finding is that’s probably not going to happen because of all the demagoguery ... It tells them, ‘Don’t stick your head above the foxhole or else you’ll got shot.’ ”

There's no chance Ryan will face a serious challenge for re-election this November. But it'll be interesting to see if his extreme proposals register at all with local voters. If nothing else, Ryan's ideas should embolden Democrats to take a stronger stance against the six-term incumbent.

But fawning media coverage, sweetheart deals, and Ryan's genuine charm make him a lock for political stardom. With that stardom, he'll push radical proposals that could fundamentally change our way of life. I wonder if he'll also keep serving pancakes at Pancake Days?

Update: Here's an interesting look at the debate between Ryan and a wonky policy group over Ryan's proposal. Ryan accuses the policy group - led by a higher-up in President George W. Bush's administration - of partisan analysis. The group responds that Ryan misstates numbers and can't cover up the fact that he wants to cut taxes for the super-wealthy at the expense of benefit cuts and tax increases for average-income Americans.

Ryan opposes reconciliation after he supported it; Feingold opposed then and opposes now

Update: A commenter wondered about Sen. Russ Feingold's stance on reconciliation. Below is an excerpt from a speech Feingold gave on reconciliation in April. Short version: He opposed reconciliation when Republicans did it, and opposes Democrats using it to pass health care reform.

Feingold's speech:

However, there are some features of this resolution with which I take exception, most notably the use of reconciliation as a tool to expedite health care reform. The arguments over the use of reconciliation are familiar to this body. Sadly, a tool intended to streamline the painful process of deficit reduction has been used to clear a path for major policy changes that have, at best, only a passing relationship to reducing the budget deficit. This is not the first budget resolution to abuse the special budget procedures to ease the enactment of significant and potentially controversial policy changes. Perhaps the grossest misuse of reconciliation was to pass sweeping changes to the Tax Code in 2001 and 2003 that far from reducing the deficit actually exploded annual budget deficits and government debt. Indeed, we are still living with the downstream effects of those fiscally reckless measures that have left us less able to meet either the current economic crisis or our long-term fiscal challenges.

I had hoped that with a new President in the White House and Democrats in control of both Chambers we could restore a respect for the proper use of budget procedures. But while the budget we pass today is a huge improvement over those submitted by the previous administration, both with respect to honest budgeting and the fiscal path it embraces, its misuse of reconciliation to advance policy priorities is regrettable.

I opposed using reconciliation when it was abused by the other party to enact fiscally reckless tax cuts and when it was attempted to be used to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling. I opposed it earlier in this debate as a way to expedite climate change legislation, and I oppose it now as a vehicle to fast-track health care reform.

Congressional leadership indicate they may not need to use reconciliation to enact health care reform, that it will be used only as a last option to ensure Congress acts on that vitally important issue. That may be, and I certainly hope this body will pass a health care reform measure under regular procedures. Health care reform is long overdue, and I look forward to the Senate finally acting on an issue that is so important to my constituents. But let's not kid ourselves. It is no more appropriate to use reconciliation as a hammer to push through health care reform under regular procedures than it is to use it directly to enact those reforms. Both are abuses. Both undermine its original intent. Both invite even greater abuses in the future.

Here's another Feingold speech on the breakdown of decorum in the Senate. He heavily quotes Republican senators as models of honorable conduct.

Original post: Just a few years after Rep. Paul Ryan supported the use of an obscure procedural motion to pass President Bush's tax cuts, he's criticizing Democrats for doing the same to pass health care reform.

Ryan is crowing about Democrats using "reconciliation" to pass health care reform through the Senate. The procedure allows the Senate to approve legislation without a filibuster-proof majority. Normally, the minority party in the Senate can derail legislation by refusing a bill to come up for a vote.

Put another way, most bills need 60 votes to pass the Senate to stop the opposition from stalling the proposal, but reconciliation only requires 51 votes. Ryan told the National Review:

“This is a massive abuse of power. The reconciliation process was designed for the budget and to help reduce deficits and debt. Now it’s being used to create new entitlement programs. The Democrats hijacked the rules in order to exploit a procedure.”

Ryan, who opposes Democrats' health care reform plans, is upset with reconciliation because it makes it easier for the bill to pass the Senate. But he was OK with reconciliation when President Bush and Republicans were in power. (Ryan may argue the Bush reconciliation votes were over the budget, while Democrats plan to use reconciliation for "entitlements," though Democrats counter that health care reform has critical budget implications for the country.)

And this isn't to just pick on Ryan. Democrats complained about Republicans using reconciliation under Bush, but now they're set to do the same. It's a sad commentary on a system that repeatedly proves: There's no honor in politics.

Democrats and Republicans follow an important rule when they're in power: Get while gettin's good. President Obama and Democrats know their time in the majority is limited, and they're trying to push through health care reform while they have the chance.

No doubt Republicans will do the same when it's their turn, just as they've done in the past.

JT gives Ryan last word on protest, may get protested itself

Protestors the JT covered this week may be targeting Racine's newspaper next week.

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, the head of the Hispanic-advocacy group Voces de la Frontera, is attacking the paper for refusing to publish a commentary she wrote as a response to Rep. Paul Ryan's commentary published on Thursday's Opinion page.

Neumann-Ortiz is claiming Ryan's commentary contained inaccuracies that Voces de la Frontera hoped to correct.

At issue is Ryan's alleged relationship with the Federation of American Immigration Reform, an organization labeled a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Voces de la Frontera is claiming Ryan granted the organization an interview and appears on their website.

The JT previewed and covered a protest outside of Ryan's office on Tuesday. We had photos of the event, too.

Ryan responded to the protest, and the JT's coverage, in a commentary in Thursday's paper. He said the alleged interview had nothing to do with immigration reform - only health care and football - and wasn't even with someone from FAIR. Here's an exerpt:

We were first made aware of this confusion last week after being contacted by a representative from Voces de la Frontera. We quickly clarified the situation with Voces de la Frontera, and my name was subsequently removed from FAIR's Web site, where it had been incorrectly listed. I was surprised that Voces de la Frontera decided to go forward to protest something that I did not do, but more troubled by the coverage of the event.

[snip]

I understand that there are new pressures to break stories and turn things around at a moment's notice. But I'd ask that in the future, The Journal Times makes certain every effort is made to ensure accuracy prior to publication - and once the facts are made clear, that they are expressed in an even-handed manner.

After reading the commentary, Neumann-Ortiz said Voces de la Frontera drafted their own commentary and asked the JT to run it. The newspaper refused.

Voces de la Frontera is now considering another protest, this time in front of the JT's offices, Neumann-Ortiz said. She said the newspaper's refusal to run their commentary amounted to censorship, and that the newspaper should allow Voces de la Frontera's commentary as a matter of fairness.

After the JT refused to publish the commentary, Neumann-Ortiz sent it to RacinePost. The commentary is published below.

For what it's worth, it appears a couple of issues fanned this fire's flame. First, if we take Ryan at his word, then it appears FAIR overstated his involvement in a recent "Hold Their Feet to the Fire" event. Ryan said he only talked about health care legislation, not immigration reform, though his name was proudly listed on FAIR's website as an example of the group's influence on immigration issues.

Second, Voces de la Frontera used the reference to point out Ryan's record on immigration, which they oppose.

Third, the initial JT story didn't include Ryan's explanation of his appearance at the FAIR event. Ryan's office was closed Monday because of Columbus Day.

Fourth, the JT gave Ryan free space to further explain his side of the story even though reporter Paul Sloth explained the issue well in a story covering the protest. This, in turn, created reasonable expectation in Voces de la Frontera that they would get unfettered access to the Opinion page to explain their concerns about Ryan's stance on immigration reform.

The JT, which has an exclusive deal to publish Ryan's commentaries, decided to give Ryan the last word on the issue. Voces de la Frontera, which is good at organizing protests, appears determined to not let that happen.

Here's the commentary the JT declined to publish:

Voces de la Frontera responds to Congressman Ryan’s editorial

Voces de la Frontera is pleased that Congressman Paul Ryan has disassociated himself from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a Washington DC organization widely recognized as a hate group.

Mr. Ryan’s statement on the matter, however, is inaccurate when it alleges that Voces de la Frontera was advised of this by his office prior to the rally. That is simply not true.

It is also important to recognize that the Journal Times cannot be held accountable for the fact that Congressman Ryan’s name was listed on the event website of the organizers as a participant, whose “…presence at Hold Their Feet to the Fire is also a recognition of the important role that FAIR plays in the immigration policy debate.” At this time his name still has not been removed. This raises serious questions about Congressman Ryan’s position on immigration reform and his relationship to this anti-American hate group.

Despite this confusion, it would be easier to believe Congressman Ryan’s denial if his position on immigration reform had not shifted over time. He has gone from someone who was willing to engage in an honest dialogue with the immigrant community and who supported comprehensive immigration reform to supporting repressive, anti-democratic legislation like HR 4437. If passed, 4437 would have turned labor unionists, teachers, priests and doctors into felons for not reporting undocumented immigrants to federal authorities.

Many of the students that participated in Saturday’s protest came to ask why Congressman Ryan had turned his back on them by not cosponsoring the DREAM ACT, legislation allowing earned legalization for students aspiring to purse higher education. Besides his co-sponsorship of Ag Jobs this year, which helps agricultural workers achieve legal status, he has to date refused to provide the leadership necessary to move a broader bill forward, that is essential in making Ag Jobs a reality.

Congressman Ryan’s position on immigration reform has shifted from one based on American principals of justice and equality to one that caters to the blindest prejudices.

As a grassroots community organization dedicated to protecting the rights and opportunities of all workers and families in Wisconsin, regardless of race or background, Voce de la Frontera continues to ask Congressman Ryan to sign a pledge affirming his principled stance to not affiliate with hate groups, whether it be FAIR or one of their other front groups.

Moreover, we ask Congressman Ryan to engage in a constructive dialogue aimed at passing the DREAM ACT this year. Our goal remains: We want Congressman Ryan to work with the immigrant community to secure immigration reform legislation that protects the rights of workers, keeps families united, and provides an earned path to citizenship.

In closing, we respectfully ask Congressman Ryan to sign the following pledge:

As a representative of the first district of Wisconsin, I pledge to take a stand against hate. Specifically, I will not associate with nor participate in events organized by groups that have been designated as hate or white supremacy groups, which have known alliances with such groups, which accept funding from such groups or that publish materials that are hateful or racist in nature.

Furthermore, I recognize that using the rhetoric of hate in political debate stands in the way of progress on important issues like immigration reform. I will not participate in the scapegoating of immigrants. Instead I commit to working toward practical and humane long term solutions to fix our broken immigration system; solutions which will give undocumented people an earned path to citizenship, protect US and immigrant workers, keep families together and enhance our nation’s safety and security. I commit to work toward building a world that is inclusive of all people and to oppose those who would exclude others just because of their race, religion or sexual orientation.

The struggle for equality and citizenship in this country has a long and proud history beginning with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We are writing our chapter, our future, like every other generation that has come before us seeking a better life in America; Congressman Ryan which side are you on?

Local group protests Ryan's Racine office over connection to hate group

About 100 75 people, including many high school students, protested outside Rep. Paul Ryan's Racine office on Tuesday over an incident they say showed the congressman appeared to support a hate group.

Ryan conducted a radio interview with the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has singled out for its anti-immigration stances. Ryan has since distanced himself from FAIR and clarified he only participated in a radio interview with the organization. (See the JT's full coverage of the issue here.)

We stopped by briefly on Tuesday for photos of the protestors in action. A good-sized crowd carried signs outside of Ryan's office and delivered a proclamation demanding Ryan no longer meet with the group. Ryan wasn't at the office, but Teresa Mora, an aide in Ryan's office, was there.

The event was largely peaceful. Police showed up briefly to keep protesters on the sidewalk (not in the street) and to ensure the crowd kept the door open as they walked into Ryan's office.

Horlick teacher Al Levie, known for organizing high school students in political movements, was part of the crowd. Here are more photos:

A protester holds a sign demanding Ryan cut any ties with FAIR. Ryan said in a statement his ties to FAIR were minimal. Ryan is listed in one article on FAIR's website as part of a list of U.S. representatives in support of preventing illegal immigrants from benefiting from health care reform.

The crowd outside Ryan's office.

Police (right) showed up briefly to keep the crowd on the sidewalk.

Update: Here's a statement about the protest released Wednesday from Voces de la Frontera:

Ryan Backs Away from FAIR, Students Push Him to Sign a Pledge Against Hate, Co-Sponsor DREAM Act

Yesterday, more than 75 protesters with signs reading "Hate has no home in Racine" and "No Legitimacy to FAIR" picketed outside Congressman Paul Ryan's office in response to his recent interview with the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a group which has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. As a result of the protest, Ryan has since issued a statement distancing himself from FAIR and clarifying that his name will be removed from their website.

Kennia Coronado is a sophomore at Horlick High School in Racine and a member of Students United for Immigrant Rights (SUFRIR). She and other members of SUFRIR and their partner group Students United in the Struggle (SUITS) organized the rally yesterday. She says, "It's a good thing that Paul Ryan backed away from FAIR and asked to be removed from their website. Now we need him to be a leader. Yesterday we brought a pledge against hate to his office, we want him to sign it."

Racine Voces de la Frontera coordinator Maria Morales also sees this as a victory. "FAIR is a thinly veiled hate group that too often gets into the mainstream media as a legitimate counterpoint of view. When Representatives like Ryan disassociate themselves from FAIR it helps to discredit them," she explains. "Now we need Ryan to do more. Many families in Racine are suffering because of a broken immigration system. We need him to work with us towards comprehensive immigration reform."

A delegation of youth and community members met with Ryan's staff during the rally to explain their demands. Christian Alvarez, a junior at Walden High School was part of the delegation and reports "I was really angry when I heard that Ryan interviewed with FAIR and it is great our rally got him to move away from them." However, he is not satisfied with just a move away from FAIR. "There are other important things I'm concerned about that I brought up to his staff. Congressman Ryan used to support the DREAM Act and now he has turned his back on it. My friends need the DREAM Act. I asked his staff why Ryan is not supporting those students. They promised a response from the congressman and I am eager to see it."

Congressman Ryan's office is expected to give a response on the pledge and to clarify his position on the DREAM Act and immigration reform within a week.

Ryan's office helped spread Racine Democrat's personal information online

An email circulating nationally that's led to threats against a Racine Democrat originated from Rep. Paul Ryan's office.

Kelly Gallaher, a key local leader in President Obama's campaign, wrote an email to members of Community for Change laying out plans for the group to attend Ryan's listening sessions on health care reform.

The email was faxed Aug. 21 from the Yard Arm Bar and Grill to Ryan's office. The exact same fax, identified by Ryan's fax number handwritten and circled across the top, appeared on RedState.com and Milwaukee radio host Mark Belling's website.

The fax included Gallaher's email address and home phone and cell phone numbers. As a result, Gallaher and Racine's Community for Change have received threatening calls and emails from people all over the country opposed to health care reform.

Gallaher complained about the email to Ryan's staff on Tuesday, and a new version of the fax with Gallaher's personal information was redacted was posted on RedState.com and Belling's website. (You can see the redacted PDF here.)

UPDATE, Aug. 30: Community for change has posted its version of the incident, and copies of the original fax as well as the redacted version. We've put the image of the two faxes at the bottom of this post.

But the damage was done. Gallaher was still receiving calls Thursday and participants at Ryan's recent listening sessions openly intimidated Gallaher as she attempted to promote a counterpoint to Ryan's stances on reform.

During Ryan's listening session on Thursday, Ryan Gleason, of Community for Change, questioned Ryan on his office's role in working with RedState.com to spread Gallaher's personal information. Ryan denied a role in the incident, despite Gleason showing him the email faxed to his office was the same email that appeared on RedState.com.

Conservatives around the country held up Gallaher's email as an example of Democrats trying to "disrupt" listening sessions on health care reform. Ryan himself said Gallaher's efforts to "overwhelm" the forums threatened civil discourse, which was ironic given Gallaher's treatment at earlier forums.

Conner Sweeney, Ryan's press secretary, said after Thursday's listening session that he had no specifics on the fax or how it ended up on RedState.com.

Ryan's listening session Thursday at Roma Lodge drew a packed crowd with police turning away hundreds of people because the building was already over capacity. (A Roma Lodge employee turned this RacinePost reporter away at the door despite letting in a JT photographer a minute earlier. To Sweeney's credit, he tried to vouch for me, but the Roma Lodge employee refused to agree.)

One person was kicked out of the listening session. Miles Kristin, of Racine, grabbed the microphone from a speaker and attempted to ask Ryan if the country would have more money for health care if it wouldn't have invaded Iraq. Ryan cut off Kristin and had him removed.

Outside of the forum, Kristin described himself as an "independent activist" who was neither a Democrat nor Republican. He said he had no stance on health care reform, other than to say whatever is passed will favor corporations over people.

Meanwhile, dozens of cars approached the forum hoping to get in to hear Ryan talk. But authorities started turning people away at 1 p.m. - a half hour before the session was scheduled to begin. Ryan's staff moved the forum to Roma Lodge after initially scheduling the session for Gateway Technical College in Racine. (One political veteran noted it was an odd move because Roma Lodge does not allow women to be full members. For that reason, campaigns generally avoid the club for events.)

Inside the forum, it's safe to say a majority of the crowd joined Ryan in opposing Obama's proposed health care reform. It's also safe to say the time and location (mid-day, the middle of Mount Pleasant) stacked things in favor of retirees and people who can get away from a job for awhile. Several older residents stopped to give the latest Obama zinger (Do you know why Obama's plane is going to crash? It has two left wings.) or to accuse the president of being a communist-socialist foreigner determined to fire every doctor and nurse in the country.

But for all that, Ryan played it cool. He's quick to say reform is needed, he just doesn't think Obama's plan is the way to go. The Janesville Republican is so smooth even liberals said after the listening session they were applauding at least some of his comments.

But given the treatment of Gallaher's email, it's also clear Ryan is ready to play hardball with anyone speaking up in favor of Obama's plan. Here's one of the hundreds of emails Gallaher received after her personal information was sent around the country:

If one of your uneducated, government dependent, whining assholes lays one hand on me, comes within 3 feet of me or shouts anyone down, they better get off their lazy asses and find a job, because they will need health insurance after I am done with them.

I am not putting up with you people any more. You people have absolutely no clue what is going on. Every one of you is so co-dependent on a nanny state it isn't even funny. Some of you should learn how to think instead of just reading and repeating. You might be amazed what you find out.

Once again, keep your assholes away from me, or they will be gumming their food for months.

You have been warned.

Update: Here's a transcript of Gleason's exchange with Paul Ryan at Thursday's listening session.

Unknown Speaker: I’d like to introduce my friend Ryan Gleason (RG).

Paul Ryan (PR) OK That’s interesting. Ryan, how many friends do you have in the audience?

RG Hi Thank you for taking our question. My name’s Ryan Gleason. I’m with…

PR I’m just kinda curious. How many people do you have helping you with that? Gotcha

RG We have an important issue I think that needs to be addressed. That’s why I’m here to…My name’s Ryan Gleason, I’m with Community for Change.

[Crowd noise]

PR Everybody please. I know there are organizations and groups coming here being represented. They have just as much of a right to talk as anyone else does. Ryan I know you‘ve got differing opinions. It is your mic … I want to hear it. But if you don’t mind keep It kinda brief so we can get to other people.

RG Absolutely

PR Community for change, is that it?.

RG And we’re here because we organize around the community. We are unpaid volunteers. And we just care about reform quite honestly as does Congressman Paul Ryan. What we’ve witnessed in this past week though has been something that’s been very unsettling.

Kelly Gallaher which I partner with on many of these events that we do, has endured a character assassination from a couple of blogs and we’ve discovered that that information actually came from your staff.

PR Uh..I’m not so sure about that. We’ve gotten. Is this this email that’s going around?

RG There is en email.

RG This was posted on Red states blog. That we were going to come here and disrupt your entire …

PR Yes I saw that email.

RG Which we have not. Our intention was to come here and ask questions, get people to come here and get involved.

[Crowd noise]

PR Do you have a question or a comment.

RG What happened was your campaign office.. your staff ..and I have the fax right here with the number on it ..sent this to Red State and Mark Belling and since then Kelly has been getting..her personal information was on this thing . She’s been getting phone calls, being harassed from all over the country and our email box has filled up. She cannot even be here tonight.

PR Allright so..I’ve read this email. Gotten 4 or 5 copies from constituents at town hall meetings about this emailthis Email has gone viral. It has come to us from many different sources. We’ve been asked for copies of it. We’ve redacted pieces of it. And yes we have received this. And we have shared this with people who have asked us for it. This has been going around. We got this from some in the media.

RG Went to the Yardarm and talked to the lady that sent it to your office. I’ll tell you what

PR Let me just say this. Point is yes there was an email that was going around that threatened…um um it wasn’t a very kindly written email, we’ll put it that way. And it wasn’t an email that led one to think that we were going to have civil discourse on this issue. It is because of the way the email was written. Because of the kind of uncivil discourse it was proposing. Shouting, overwhelming, things like this.

None of those things are in the email. I have it right here.

I’ve seen two versions of this email. I’ve seen the version which was cleaned up and I’ve seen the original version which has been sent to us. The point is.

It is fine with me if organizations …whether it is OFA DPW, C4C it’s perfectly fine with me if you want to come to our town hall meetings. If you’re a constituent and even if you’re not. You’re invited.

The problem is…Let’s not try and disrupt people …let’s not try and shout up other people. Let’s give every citizen an equal chance to have access to their representative to state their views. That’s exactly what we’re doing here today.

[Crowd noise]

[New voice…more money for health care….
Crowd noise…join the army…get a job]

[Cheering...]

Paul Ryan to host African-American forum on Sept. 1

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, will host an African American Community Issues Forum and listening session with Insider News Publisher Ken Lumpkin at the Flatiron Mall, 1661 Douglas Ave., on Tuesday, September 1st from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm.

Here's a description of the forum from Ryan:

The forum will provide a venue for discussing matters of federal concern to constituents, including those that have an impact on the area’s African American community. This gathering will also offer an opportunity to First District Residents to share their views on the health care reform and other important issues facing Congress.

“This forum offers a great chance for area residents and community leaders to gather together to voice concerns, share ideas, and get information on issues that affect the day-to-day lives of African Americans in southeastern Wisconsin,” Ryan said.

People who would like more information about this community issues forum can call Paul Ryan’s office via the toll-free constituent services hotline: 1-888-909-7926, or Ken Lumpkin at 262-632-9370.

Local group writes open letter to Rep. Ryan on health care reform

Community for Change sent the following open letter to Rep. Paul Ryan regarding their health care forum planned for July 26 in Racine:

Dear Congressman Ryan,

During a listening session in Racine last February, a Community for Change member described a non‐partisan health care event being planned for Racine this summer and asked if you would attend. Your reply was yes, if your calendar allowed. Your office was then contacted several times informing your staff we would schedule the event per your calendar. The response each time was a form letter stating prior commitments, though no specific date had been put forward. It turned out there was no convenient time in July or early August for you.

By June the planning committee set a date in late July for the forum. We contacted your staff in Janesville one more time to see if you could attend. On July 10th, the State Director of Organizing for America also contacted your Washington office respectfully requesting your attendance. Each request yielded the same form letter as before stating prior commitments.

We understand your busy schedule and your need to commit time fairly. However, we are left to wonder if you ever actually meant to attend.

Our pursuit of your presence stems from your appearances on national media discussing the Independent Health Record Trust Act wth, however, virtually no time in Wisconsin to talk locally about these issues. There is no better opportunity for you to learn and listen to the people in your district than by attending our forum on July 26, 2009 from 1 to 4pm at the Racine Masonic Center, 1012 Main Street. We wish to learn more about this important legislation and will gladly schedule any appropriate time for you to address the foum.

The Community Conversation on Health Care Reform: Expo and Public Forum is the result of hundreds of hours of planning by Racine volunteers. There will be sixty health organizations from Racine and Kenosha Counties attending an Expo that honors their hard work and edcates the public on the services they offer. Comprised of community organizations, health care businesses and individuals, the expo brings together your constituents who are on the front lines of local health care. In addition to the forum, we will host a public discussion with community leaders ‐‐ Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Volunteers will also coordinate a learning center with updates on developments in Washington and how they might be affected, and allow the opportunity to submit feedback to elected leaders. This is a free event with no corporate sponsors -- simply the people.

As the date for The Community Conversation on Health Care Reform: Expo and Public Forum draws near, we want to once again extend an invitation for you to attend and participate in this exciting and educational event. Tricia King in your Janesville office has our contact information and we look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Kelly K. Gallaher
& Community for Change Health Care Forum Team

Letter to the Editor: Ryan part of the tax problem

By Paulette Garin
http://paulettegarin.blogspot.com/

Paul Ryan’s recent editorial, We need to move from frustration to revitalization (May 6, 2009, Kenosha News) is just another slick example of how our Congressman supports his corporate cronies while disguising himself as a champion for his constituents here in Wisconsin’s First Congressional District. He proposes eliminating the corporate income tax and replacing it with a business consumption tax. This does not eliminate the tax burden, but simply shifts the tax burden to the end user – the consumer who will pay higher prices. The business will include the consumption tax in its Cost of Goods Sold, increase its sales price, and pay no tax on the profit/net income derived.

Good for Business, Bad for the Average Working American.

While we may have one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, the effective rate (the rate at which the business actually pays) is one of the lowest. How so? The generous loopholes and unfair tax breaks a corporation has access to that the Average Working American does not. Corporate America does not pay its “fair share” of taxes now. Ryan wants to eliminate the corporate tax before the Obama Administration eliminates the tax loopholes.

Ryan blames the Obama Administration as continuing to advance the dangerous precedent set by the Bush Administration. Wait a minute. Didn’t our Congressman support the Bush Administration 94% of the time with his extreme conservative voting record for the past decade? Ryan is correct when he says, “Crony capitalism has never looked uglier and the consequences have never been more painful,” except he fails to acknowledge he is part of that problem and not the solution.

Ryan applauds Obama's budget director

Rep. Paul Ryan had nice things to say today about Peter Orszag, Barack Obama's choice to head his Administration's Office of Management and Budget. Here's Ryan's statement:

"I offer Dr. Peter Orszag my sincere congratulations on his nomination. I can’t think of a more qualified candidate to lead the Obama Administration’s Office of Management and Budget.

"During his nearly two years as director of the Congressional Budget Office, I believe Dr. Orszag has proven his mettle as one of our nation’s leading experts on the federal budget. He and I have enjoyed a strong, productive working relationship, and I have been particularly impressed with his understanding of the looming entitlement crisis, and the critical need for action."

Ryan skeptical of simpler plan to help banks

Rep. Paul Ryan is weary of a new plan emerging in Washington to infuse cash into banks to get them to lend money again. The new plan is a much simpler, and more direct, plan than the one at the core of the $700 billion bailout passed by Congress last week.

But the new plan, which is similar to the one used in Great Britain, also amounts to the government buying a share of the banks. It's this government ownership that worries the free-market-minded Ryan. Here's his quote to the Wisconsin State Journal:

"It has to be non-voting stock and that's what we put in the (law). You can't get the federal government into the boardroom and start running these companies and I want to make sure that is adhered to."

The problem with Ryan's worry is that it may be too late. The initial bailout plan is being criticized as too complicated, slow and ineffective to impact the financial markets.

That could lead to the ironic result of the conservative Bush administration taking the ultra-liberal step of nationalizing an industry. It'll be interesting to see if Ryan sticks with his principles on this one, or goes along with the plan in an attempt to save the economy.

Paul Ryan takes heat for supporting $700 billion bailout

Rep. Paul Ryan is taking heat for supporting the $700 billion bailout of the U.S. banking industry. Ryan said the plan "sucks," but he voted for it to help the economy. That principled response is causing some grief for the Janesville/Kenosha/Racine/Milwaukee Republican.

The J-S carries the flag on this one in today's paper. The article is kindly headlined: "Ryan's vote for bailout went against his principles." That's a nice way of saying he's trying to have it both ways.

“This bill offends my principles,” the Janesville Republican said in an impassioned speech Sept. 29, before Congress’ first attempt to pass the measure. “But I am going to vote for this bill in order to preserve my principles, in order to preserve this free-enterprise system.”

Here's the local reaction from the J-S:

George Meyers, a member of the Racine Taxpayers Association: “It’s not going to help the people it’s purported to help,” he said, adding that he was disappointed by Ryan’s position. “It’s basically a bailout of some wealthy bankers who made some mistakes. . . . We’re going to get shorted on our money.”

County Executive Bill McReynolds: "I probably had the natural reaction the constituents in this area had from a layman’s sense," he said. Now, "I can understand why Congressman Ryan probably had to vote for it. This shows what type of courage he has."

Robin Vos, a Republican who represents Racine County in the state Assembly, also gave Ryan credit for trying to shape the rescue package, then taking a vote that could hurt his standing among some of his constituents.

"The easy answer would have been to say ‘That’s too hot a potato,’" he said.

BTW, anyone seen Marge Krupp lately? Rumor has it she's running for Congress ...

Ryan wanted tighter regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

As I was reading about the financial crisis today, I recalled early in his career Rep. Paul Ryan served on the House Financial Services committee, including a subcommittee that dealt with banking issues. (As a reporter at the JT, I wrote stories about Ryan receiving campaign contributions from banks.)

I've been taking a look back at Ryan's record on banking issues. One the assertions is that lax oversight of the banking industry by Congress led to the current meltdown. I have no idea if that's true; it certainly could be a Democratic talking point trying to blame Republicans for the mess. (But then again, someone was asleep while Lehman Brothers, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, AIG, etc. were tanking.)

One of the first articles I found was a Wall Street Journal piece on Ryan proposing greater oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This makes some sense, because conservatives like Ryan hate the quasi-public nature of the mortgage giants. Ryan would much rather private companies handle home mortgages.

Here's the WSJ piece. And here's the part involving Ryan:

Or consider the experience of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, one of the GOP's bright young lights who decided in the 1990s that Fan and Fred needed more supervision. As he held town hall meetings in his district, he soon noticed a man in a well-tailored suit hanging out amid the John Deere caps and street clothes. Mr. Ryan was being stalked by a Fannie lobbyist monitoring his every word.

On another occasion, he was invited to a meeting with the Democratic mayor of Racine, which is in his district, though he wasn't sure why. When he arrived, Mr. Ryan discovered that both he and the mayor had been invited separately -- not by each other, but by a Fannie lobbyist who proceeded to tell them about the great things Fannie did for home ownership in Racine.

When none of that deterred Mr. Ryan, Fannie played rougher. It called every mortgage holder in his district, claiming (falsely) that Mr. Ryan wanted to raise the cost of their mortgage and asking if Fannie could tell the congressman to stop on their behalf. He received some 6,000 telegrams. When Mr. Ryan finally left Financial Services for a seat on Ways and Means, which doesn't oversee Fannie, he received a personal note from Mr. Raines congratulating him. "He meant good riddance," says Mr. Ryan.

In the meantime, there's more out there on Ryan's record on banking issues. It seems like most of the major banking deregulations came before Ryan took office, so there's a good chance he wasn't involved in the underlying causes of our current mess. But he's our Congressman, and it's worth checking.

Krupp wins right to challenge Ryan in 1st District

Late results give Marge Krupp of Pleasant Prairie the victory in the Democrats' 1st Congressional District race, winning the right to oppose Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan in November.

We've updated these results through Tuesday evening. The county totals come from the various county clerks, and the overall total from WTMJ. The state won't canvass the partial totals and officially declare a winner until Sept. 20. The county totals below don't equal WTMJ's totals because precincts in Milwaukee County and Waukesha County haven't yet posted their results online.

WTMJ reports 100% of the votes tallied:

Marge Krupp 5,832
Paulette Garin 5,015
Mike Hebert 4,315
John Mogk 655

Racine County reports:

Mike Hebert 941
Paulette Garin 1,259
John Mogk 133
Marge Krupp 1,492

Complete Racine County results -- all parties, precincts and local races -- are here. The summary is here.

Rock County reports:

Paulette Garin 606
John Mogk 51
Marge Krupp 686
Mike Hebert 238

Kenosha County reports:

Mike Hebert 2,289
Marge Krupp 2,126
Paulette Garin 2,191
John Mogk 287

Walworth County reports:

Marge Krupp 329
Mike Hebert 197
Paulette Garin 262
John Mogk 25

Journal Sentinel endorses Krupp of 1st District Dems

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has endorsed Marge Krupp in the 1st Congressional District's Democratic primary, over Paulette Garin and Mike Hebert. Winner of the Sept. 9 runoff gets to take on Republican incumbent Paul Ryan, who many believe is unbeatable regardless how low President Bush falls in the polls.

The Journal Sentinel said: "Krupp brings the strongest combination of relevant experience, knowledge of the issues and enthusiasm to the race... (she) has done an impressive job of raising money and garnering endorsements... Garin and Hebert have good ideas and enthusiasm, but Krupp's broader experience and grasp of the issues make her the best of three good candidates."

The latest campaign finance reports show Krupp has raised $100,846; Garin has raised $15,473; Hebert reports nothing -- on par with his efforts two years ago (when he came in second in the primary to Dr. Jeff Thomas). Ryan reports $1,281,587. (Does the term "lambs to slaughter" come to mind? Yes.)

Krupp said she was "elated" by the endorsement, and it "means that the winds of change really are blowing in the First District."

New endorsements she reports include: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, The International Longshoremen's Association, American Postal Workers Union, The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers and National Women's Political Caucus.

Meanwhile, Garin today announced some endorsements as well: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 430, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 4611, Racine Labor Coalition and Racine Central Labor Council AFL-CIO.

It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, the Journal Times endorses in the race. Under previous publisher Dick Johnston, the JT stopped endorsing any candidates. I'm sure there was some high-falutin' explanation that said something about letting readers make their own decisions, but basically it came down to the theory that coming out for one candidate might cause the other guy's adherents to quit subscribing to the paper, or stop advertising.

Ryan snubbed by GOP's national convention?

It looks like Rep. Paul Ryan has gone from a potential vice president to watching the GOP's national convention from the floor, and not the stage. At this point, the rising star in the Republican Party doesn't have a speech at the convention in St. Paul next month. That's a step backward for Ryan, who did speak (and speak well) at the 2004 convention.

Listen to the speech here. (Surprisingly, I couldn't find it on YouTube.)

Fibs (lies?) aside, Ryan has a good idea on drilling for oil

It's a good day to be an alt media reporter. While The Journal Times reporter is sitting at her desk right now trying to figure out what to write about Rep. Paul Ryan's public forum at the Flat Iron Mall today, I can start my story, well ... like this.

First, let me say Ryan was flawless as ever. He had PowerPoint slides, Encyclopedic knowledge on everything and a good rapport with the crowd. There's a reason this guy's name is being slung around for vice president - he's really good at his job.

That said, there's not much to write about. Ryan laid out his support for lifting bans on drilling for oil in Alaska and along U.S. coasts. This will lead to immediate drops in gas prices, Ryan said, because the futures market will stabilize (basically, long-term investors will know more oil is on the way). And, it will lower prices in the future.

There's nothing particularly special about these positions. Ryan is walking in line with the Republican party by pushing for an increase in U.S. oil production.

Ryan was careful with his words. Unlike VP Dick Cheney, he didn't say China was drilling for oil off of Cuba (which is simply not true). Instead, Ryan said China was negotiating with Cuba to drill for oil off the U.S. coast. That may be true. China has rights to drill for oil on Cuba's mainland, and they may be talking about building oil platforms in Cuban waters 50 miles from Florida.

But he also claimed that opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would generate more oil per day than the U.S. imports from Saudi Arabia. Government estimates place the number way below that bold claim.

Ryan did note, however, that the government taxes domestic oil sales and could generate billions of dollars in revenue if it increased its production over the next 10 years. In turn, he wants to invest that money in job training and developing alternative energies. That's one of the best ideas I've heard from Ryan, who openly said the U.S.'s goal should be a fossil-fuel-free economy in his children's lifetime (they're 3, 5 and 6).

But then Ryan mentioned the "safety" of offshore drilling and claimed that oil rigs off the coast of New Orleans were untouched by Hurricane Katrina. That's simply a lie, and Ryan is too smart to know that's not a lie. To save a click on the link, Katrina destroyed 113 oil rigs, damaged 595 pipelines and spilled so much oil it could be seen from space. The GOP response is that that damage affected a small percentage of the 4,000 oil facilities around the Gulf and that none of the oil spills reached land - as if the environment stops at our nation's shores.

This energy stuff is important. McCain is battering Sen. Barack Obama on the presidential campaign trail with his pro-drilling stance - a stance shared by most Americans. It's turning into one of the signature issues of the presidential race, and Ryan did his part to reinforce the GOP's claims. They're persuasive in their arguments, which makes others silly. Of course there's a risk of drilling for oil in the middle of the ocean, so why try to sell everybody on the idea that's it's perfectly safe? I'd push the tax revenue idea and show how it could be used to train Americans and develop wind and solar energy, fuel cells, biofuels and the other emerging technologies that will get us out of this fossil-fuel mess.

Truthfully, it's a better idea than the elitist agenda of some environmentalists. Their strategy is push the price of oil up so high we're all forced to sell our cars and develop alternatives. That may sound like a good idea, but it's the poor and middle classes who will be screwed by that route. Let's hope the environmentalists comes up with some better ideas, and soon.

Ryan gets an award he's unlikely to cherish

Milwaukee's Shepherd Express singled out Rep. Paul Ryan, R-1st District, WI, for an award this week ... one that's unlikely to show up in any of his campaign ads.

It's a shared award: Ryan and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-5th District, WI, were given it together.

They're both Shepherd Express' Jerk of the Week.

Here's Shepherd's complete announcement, from their Aug. 7 issue:

In just one week, this dynamic duo opposed allowing the FDA to regulate tobacco products, voted against requiring the government to curb excessive speculation in the oil futures market, opposed a bill that would make higher education more affordable, and voted no on a bill that would empower women who earn less than their male counterparts.

And then there were three: Mogk drops out

John Mogk, the last candidate to enter the Democrats' once-crowded 1st District Congressional race, is now the second to withdraw. His announcement was a surprise, since he had been an active campaigner here in Racine; he worked the crowds during the July 4 parade and was doing so again a couple of Saturdays ago during the MicroCar show on Monument Square.

The winner of the now three-candidate primary on Sept. 9 gets to take on established Republican incumbent Paul Ryan, and his $1.8 million or so campaign warchest. At first, it appeared there would be five candidates, but perennial hopeful (and loser) Jeff Thomas, although having insisted he would run, did not submit the signatures or file papers necessary to get on the ballot when the filing period closed on July 8. With Mogk's withdrawal, the Democrats must choose among first-timers Paulette Garin and Marge Krupp, and 2006's second-place finisher Mike Hebert.

Mogk, who only announced his entrance into the race on June 8, posted the following announcement on his website:

I, John Mogk, a candidate for U.S. Congress representing the 1st Congressional District, am announcing today my decision to withdraw from the Democratic primary scheduled for September 9. I entered the race in late May of this year at the urging of many supporters, and am proud of the campaign we've run, bringing up important issues like the environment, renewable energies, and creating jobs in Southeast Wisconsin.

From the beginning of the campaign, we held to my message that the election was bigger than any one candidate. It has been a long standing goal of the Democratic Party in the 1st CD to defeat Paul Ryan in the November election, and I will not stand in the way of achieving that. For the good of the Party I feel this is the time to step aside. The election was never about me, but about making a positive change for the people.

I do plan to stay involved with the local and presidential races, and the reasons I entered the race still need to be addressed. This district is facing the growing problems of a failing health care system, lost jobs, and a national debt that will drown the country, and deeply impact Southeast Wisconsin. Paul Ryan continues to be part of the problem and offers no solutions for the people, just sweeter deals for his special interests in Washington. I will continue working to help Sen. Barack Obama be elected President, and will fully support the Democratic nominee of the 1st district against Rep. Ryan.

I thank you all for your support, and urge every single one of you to stay active in the local, state, and national races this Fall. This is too important an election to dismiss. We all need to come together to ensure a better, brighter future for everyone.

John Mogk

More about Mogk HERE and HERE.