"After repeated denials, Paul Ryan has admitted he requested stimulus cash even after sharply criticizing the program.
Ryan had denied doing so as recently as Wednesday, when he spoke to ABC’s Cincinnati affiliate, WCPO, in Ohio.
“I never asked for stimulus,” Ryan said. “I don’t recall… so I really can’t comment on it. I opposed the stimulus because it doesn’t work, it didn’t work.”
Two years ago, during an interview on WBZ’s NewsRadio he was asked by a caller if he “accepted any money” into his district. Ryan said he did not.
“I’m not one [of those] people who votes for something then writes to the government to ask them to send us money. I did not request any stimulus money,” the congressman answered.
But as we’ve now learned, Ryan did write letters. He did request stimulus funds…"
So how does this affect the campaign and election?
Of does it?
Will those already decided or inclined to vote for Romney/Ryan even CARE?
I doubt that anyone will give a poop. For one thing, it would have been crazy for Ryan to reject the money, once the stimulus bill was passed, given that it was going to go somewhere.
As far as lying/being a hypocrite/being wrong/making a misstatement (however you choose to color it), Obama has continually failed fact checks ever since the 2008 election, and so has Romney in recent months, so reasonable, impartial observers shouldn’t and probably won’t care.
However, the wild-eyed, spittle-flying element of the Democratic party will probably try to make an issue of it. They may tread lightly, though, since many Democratic congresspersons eagerly reached out and gobbled up stimulus money and dumped it into dubious projects. They really don’t want that period to be under too much scrutiny.
The reason it’s hypocrisy is that Ryan railed against the stimulus and how it wouldn’t work, but when he asked for the money he talked up how awesome it would be and how many jobs it would create.
I have no issues with Republicans saying I’m against the stimulus on ideological grounds but if we are going to do it my district should get it’s share.
The issue with slime balls like Ryan is he wasn’t just out there saying it’s not a good idea. He was publicly arguing stimulus will not create jobs. Then privately he was writing proposals in which he would use stimulus to create jobs.
Voters who have already decided to vote for Romney will likely write it off as something that only what they see as the wild-eyed, spittle-flying element of the Democratic party will probably try to make an issue of.
Voters on the fence may take a less charitable view, not because he made the request for funds, but because he lied about having done so.
On second thought, it prolly won’t help the Romney/Ryan campaign that he will also be seen as a man who was unable to actually follow his publicly stated convictions.
Democrats won’t care if voters know they helped stimulus money find it’s way into their districts; heck they’ll prolly tout that as an achievement, not a detriment.
It’s hot as hell here…even my keyboard is sticky. :smack:
See, I GET that he’s going to take the money once it is available. That IS his bottom-line job as a rep. for his state. I don’t have a problem with that.
But to be a foaming at the mouth radical anti-government, anti-stimulus whack-a-doodle AND to argue that “the stimulus didn’t/doesn’t work” AND to repeatedly LIE about having requested the funds (bullSHIT he didn’t “recall”…if that was the case, he should have CHECKED. Instead, he just kept LYING until he was confronted with the evidence). :dubious:
I’m begining to suspect many (most?) on the Right don’t really give a crap if their candidates are liars or crooks and/or hypocrites. I hate to think that about them, but it sure seems that way sometimes.
I mean, (for instance) DOES it bother them that they elected a man Governor of Florida who had defrauded Medicare of billions and then ran on “saving Medicare”? (and has since pushed legislation which would allow Medicare recipients to use their benefits at for-proft clinics like the chain of them HE OWNS?)
Or is all the outrage and talk of morality just something aimed at Democrats?
Now, now InterestedObserver, you’re just being mean spirited, divisive and angry. You should really only talk about how Republicans are just fine. Or shut up completely - they’d like it if you’d do that too.
His real problem is that he’s lied about it while being recorded more than once. Being a bold faced liar about this shows him o be stupid and untrustworthy.
How about a third option–you don’t call someone a “hypocrite and a liar” just because his actions don’t agree with his previously stated policy. Heck, every human being over the age of three does, has done, and will continue to do things contrary to what he/she has said they would do. This, by the way, includes Obama (boy, does it include Obama) as well as every Democrat that had ever held public office (as well as every Republican, of course).
So how about we don’t pretend that everything the opposition party’s guy says and does has to be absolutely consistent, otherwise he’s a “liar and a hypocrite.” Let’s also not pretend that when our guy’s actions contradict his earlier words, that he just “misspoke” earlier. Instead, let’s acknowledge that human beings sometimes change their minds.
In other words, let’s get off the high-horse double standard–or out of fairness, call everybody a hypocrite and a liar. (What fun that would be!)
I agree. Ryan’s problem is he handled this very poorly. He needs to realize he’s jumped up a league and can’t get away with stupid lies anymore. If he flat out denies he requested money, reporters are going to check and the truth’s going to come out. So he should have taken charge of the story from the beginning: “Yes, I said it was a bad program and I voted against it. I still think it was a bad program. But I represent the people of Wisconsin’s First District. When the Democrats enacted a program of giving away money over my opposition, I had to put the interests of my district first and ask for our fair share of that money. Vote Republican in November and people won’t be forced to make hard choices like that.” See? Now he’s a honest man and a victim of the evil Democrats.
There’s nothing funnier than people exposing that a politician is a hypocrite and then expecting electoral damage to follow.
Now if Romney/Ryan were running against something other than typical politicians, such an attack might gain traction. But it’s not 2008, so it doesn’t work anymore. This election is fundamentally about what direction we want this country to go in, not which politician lies worse or is more of a hypocrite.
Well, yeah, right now, Dem Dopers are sweating it out, knowing that you are on to them, and might spill the beans at any moment. Worrying that you are going to list all of these dubious projects, what with you having the facts right at your fingertips, and all.