To suggest that Paul Ryan was just another two-faced politician and desperately trying to take attention away from an embarrassing “Biden unplugged” performance, ol’ Joe’s co-debater Martha Raddatz, feigned shock and disbelief when Biden noted that Ryan had actually requested stimulus money for his district.
Martha was aghast! It is well known that Congressman Ryan opposed the “economic stimulus” and, yet, he had tried to get some for his constituents! Martha appeared to feel the debate should end right there. Ryan had been exposed! Case closed! Congratulations, Joe!
Now, I wouldn’t presume to advise John Archer’s campaign staff but if it was me, in his upcoming debate with Congressman Loebsack, I’d be inclined to bring this issue up if the Congressman didn’t.
It was both right and honorable for Congressman Ryan to seek some of the enormous amount of stimulus money for his constituents, even though he found this program as proposed and executed by President Obama and “his friend, Joe” to be abhorrent.
To begin with, the stimulus should have been opposed for adding unprecedented national debt. More importantly it was wildly misrepresented, billed as a jobs creator, with most of the money going to “shovel ready” projects. ..something the Administration found to be hilarious, as Obama, himself, eventually joked about how those projects weren’t really “shovel-ready.” And we all know how the program delivered on its promise to not allow unemployment to reach 8%.
The money Congressman Ryan requested would have resulted in job creation…as opposed to the numerous grants bailing out Democratic Party special interests, Administration cronies, and Obama campaign “bundlers’, with Solyndra being the most prominent, but by no means the only one!
Finally, it might escape the attention of liberals like Martha but Congressman’s Ryan’s constituents, like all other American taxpayers, will eventually have to pay for all of Barack and Joe’s largesse. Any amount of stimulus grant they don’t share in will be diverted to more Solyndras and Obama crony capitalists. Paul Ryan would not be defending the legitimate interests of his constituents if he had not sought some share of the stimulus funds. And I would assume that John Archer would share the same attitudes on the subject as Congressman Ryan. DLH
