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You are here: Home / Open Threads / The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

by | 49 Comments

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Interesting. Imagine how much money you could raise for large appearances:

In what appears to be an effort to avoid the free-for-all town halls that have plagued recent contentious congressional recesses, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and other Republican members of Congress have chosen to charge admission to their home-district appearances.

Ryan will speak September 6 to the Whitnall Park Rotary Club in Greenfield, Wisc. Admission to the event is $15 per person and includes lunch.

Ryan has no free public town hall appearances scheduled during the recess.

The last time he held a free town hall, in Milton, Wisc. in April, Ryan was booed while trying to explain his proposal for the federal budget, which included drastic cuts to entitlement and benefit programs. Other Republicans around the country were on the receiving end of similar heat from their constituents. Ryan even had police remove one heckler from a town hall event in Racine, Wisc.

Love it.

Reader Interactions

49Comments

  4. 4.

    Citizen_X

    Grifters. Gotta. Grift.

    Plus, Republicans gotta avoid any and all dissenters, debates, or slightly challenging questions.

  6. 6.

    Han's Big Snark Solo

    The “hot scoop” of the day is that Paul Ryan is seriously considering running for President.

    Oh, please, make it so. The guy who’s name is synonymous with killing medicare should be in the race to represent today’s GOP.

    As to charging constituents to ask questions, I can’t say I’m surprised. He is just redefining the old saying, “Money talks.”

  7. 7.

    quaker in a basement

    I’m thinking that charging admission will have the opposite effect from what was intended.

  8. 8.

    TenguPhule

    Once again, a Predator Hellfire Missile Target waiting to happen. And now they have politely excluded innocent bystanders from the events, let the good times roll.

  10. 10.

    Roger Moore

    I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but see this as a potential plus for the Democrats. On the one hand, this will help to reinforce the right wing echo chamber and make the Republican lawmakers even more insulated from reality. On the other hand, it provides a good talking point for Democratic challengers: their Republican opponent isn’t willing to listen to anyone who won’t cross his palm with silver.

  11. 11.

    Tickraw

    What’s the problem? I see this as a brave conversation starter on how to handle town hall meetings in the future by the serious Paul Ryan.

  13. 13.

    Mr. Poppinfresh

    Why not just charge $10,000 per person? That way the only people who showed up would be the ones whose opinions you actually care about.

  15. 15.

    djork

    @kindness:

    Hey MAAAAAAAAAAAAN, I got this killer soundboard of the Ryan townhall where he does this smoking version of “Let’s let Grandma die.” Fatties in the Paul-Zone, brah.

  16. 16.

    Han's Big Snark Solo

    @Mr. Poppinfresh: This + 100

    Truly, why bother with being bothered by people that aren’t even corporations? All those town halls, they don’t matter, they are the sprig of parsley on the dinner plate. The meal is important, and as Ryan knows “the Meal” should be served with very, very expensive wine.

  18. 18.

    Han's Big Snark Solo

    Follow up comment to my prior comment: How many questions can I get Paul Ryan to answer in exchange for a $350 bottle of wine? Or does that kind of cash outlay allow me to give answers as opposed to asking them?

  20. 20.

    SES

    I think Paul Ryan is a turd, but I don’t think you are being fair here. He’s speaking at a Rotary meeting. These meetings are usually either breakfast or lunch meetings. It is open to Rotary members and their guests. Attendees pay for the meal. They are not paying to see him.

    That said, the lack of real “town hall” meetings does say something.

  21. 21.

    Hunter Gathers

    You know, it’s funny. Paul Ryan starts charging constituents money in order to have the ‘privilege’ of asking him a question (in order to keep undesirables out, who would pay $15 to yell at that Galtian fucknut), yet the KenyanMarxistSociamalistDarkieTraitor not only has wingtards yell at him during his town halls, and then go out of their way to question him on bullshit, and not only does he not charge them, he engages them in a civic and respectful manner, even though they will never, ever return the favor.

    But Paul Ryan is a principled, brave and serious legislator, and Obama is just another Commie who’s going to wreck the place thanks to his un-American values and his family’s dirty feet.

  22. 22.

    Amanda in the South Bay

    Finally an open thread.

    So, yesterday I was on a midday Caltrain (commuter rail between San Jose and San Francisco) when the conductor cane through to check tickets.

    The conductor checked the tickets of the passengers next to ne, who were visiting from Texas. So said conductor asks them what they think about Rick Perry, and says that he is a libertarian who votes for Republicsns. I got to listen to this shitstsin of a human wax poetic fir fuse minutes about how high taxes are killing Califirnia’s economy, and how Allan West (incorrectly identified as a senator!!!) is ab articulate genius.

    Only in America do you get public employees who wax poetic about being part of a nihilistic political movement that hates the government. And the worst thing is, I couldn’t say anything, cause I didn’t want to get kicked off the train or worse fir calling said conductor a piece of shit.

    Librttairan public employees either have a lot of chutzpah, or are hypocritical idiots. Mybguess is tha it’s mire of the latter.

  26. 26.

    Amanda in the South Bay

    Sorry for the spelling errors, am on iPhone and don’t know why the mobile site isn’t being displayed.

  27. 27.

    The Ancient Randonneur

    At $15 a ticket, Ryan is valuing himself at the third rate rock band level? Is his #1 hit “Let All Those Old MotherF*ckers Eat Dog” on the play list? If not, I doubt the ticket is worth $15.

  28. 28.

    MikeJ

    @Mr. Poppinfresh:

    Why not just charge $10,000 per person?

    If Ryan keeps the money (rather than the Rotary club) the $15 would be a donation. $10K is over the limit.

    As an aside, donations under a certain amount (I’m thinking $100, but don’t hold me to it) don’t require a FEC donor card, although every sane campaign will get one from you anyway so they can hit you up for more later. With a low price Ryan could shield local business people from disclosure.

  29. 29.

    Bulworth

    In what appears to be an effort to avoid the free-for-all town halls that have plagued recent contentious congressional recesses, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and other Republican members of Congress have chosen to charge admission to their home-district appearances.

    Oh, the incivility. I can’t imagine anyone (cough, teabaggers, cough) disrupting congressional townhalls.

  30. 30.

    shortstop

    @Amanda in the South Bay:

    Only in America do you get public employees who wax poetic about being part of a nihilistic political movement that hates the government. And the worst thing is, I couldn’t say anything, cause I didn’t want to get kicked off the train or worse fir calling said conductor a piece of shit.

    Your only choices were saying nothing or calling him a piece of shit? There’s a whole lot of ground in between those two points that you could’ve staked out.

    @Roger Moore: The Dem ads and stump phrases write themselves.

  31. 31.

    TooManyJens

    @SES: I think the MoveOn spokesman got it right:

    “After Republicans voted to gut Medicare, and other vital programs, while protecting tax breaks for millionaires and corporations, it’s not surprising that they would not want to face their constituents in an open forum,” he said.

  32. 32.

    JohnR

    Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and other Republican members of Congress have chosen to charge admission to their home-district appearances.

    So, what other appearances are they charging for, and who else is doing it? All I see is the single Rotary one, and he has a plausible explanation for that (the Rotary sets the fees). Is that explanation true? Who knows? We don’t need no stinkin’ facts to get all worked up about Ryan; after all, he’s a bad guy.

  33. 33.

    Butch

    @JohnR: He’s not the only one; ticket prices reportedly range from $10 (I forget who) to $35 for a chance to see Quayle the younger.

  34. 34.

    scarshapedstar

    Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?

    And am I not entitled to see Nick Gillespie shambling around in a Big Daddy suit while Dana Loesch skips up to corpses and drains them of their precious bodily fluids?

  36. 36.

    bemused

    My worthless piece of crap rep, Chip Cravaack is in that piece. He hasn’t had any townhalls in Duluth at all but is having a invite only, $10.00 a head luncheon hosted by the local NFIB. He’s met with Duluth business owners but no time for a Duluth townhall. He said he has had conference calls with constituents but people want to talk to him face to face. I listened in on a couple of those conference calls and they seemed pretty controlled to me. By the time my phone rang, the conference calls were already in progress. The staffer asks for your name and question and I suspect they pick and choose which questions Chip will answer. I noticed that the few questions that were slightly critical were answered by Cravaack with robotic talking points.

    Ryan and Chip are chickenshits.

  39. 39.

    MazeDancer

    @Belafon (formerly anonevent):

    I’ll pay your $15 to yell at Ryan. Maybe we can start an ActBlue page.

    Was just thinking same thing. Maybe WI Dems would like to start such a thing? Would be delighted to sponsor some well-spoken Dems wanting to ask questions. Or shout if Ryan doesn’t allow any questions.

    No free town halls? Disgusting. Hope the local media, at least, is pummeling him.

  41. 41.

    shortstop

    @Amanda in the South Bay: Well, you need to get over that, young lady. Life is a hell of a lot more enjoyable when you can tell a story like this and include your dazzling takedown of the concerned asshole. It’s even more fun when you’re ultra-polite while you’re smacking them. They get so confused and impotently angry.

    @Stefan: On a publicly owned line. He’s not on Taggart Transcontinental, for cryin’ out loud.

  42. 42.

    shortstop

    @MazeDancer: That’s one option, and we could also start a townhall scholarship program for deserving (i.e., fed fucking up) people of color, low income, gayness, non-Christianity, etc. My only criterion for applicants would be voice pitch and carrying quality.

  43. 43.

    ...now I try to be amused

    I’m thinking that charging admission will have the opposite effect from what was intended.

    Yes, people will want a good show for their $15. *(evil grin)*

  45. 45.

    Stillwater

    @Amanda in the South Bay:

    Only in America do you get public employees who wax poetic about being part of a nihilistic political movement that hates the government.

    My father in law, who was trained in computers by the army and worked his entire life at the FAA, votes Republican and hates-hates-hates Democrats because they’re … ‘too sociaIist’. Too much government, of course, is The Problem. After hearing this crazybabble a coupla times, I tried to point out the inconsistency to him.

    He wasn’t receptive.

    ETA: And this too: he’s retired and on Medicare, and with his pension and some sidework he actually makes more now than he did when he was part of the sociaIist conspiracy. So maybe he’s right, in an odd way.

  46. 46.

    trex

    @Amanda in the South Bay:

    And the worst thing is, I couldn’t say anything, cause I didn’t want to get kicked off the train or worse fir calling said conductor a piece of shit.

    Had a similar experience recently. Was getting a haircut in a new town and was treated to a twenty-minute rant about the evils of liberalism/socialism and the blessings of capitalism; how the End Times are upon us and the Chinese and Russians are preparing to move militarily against God’s favored Israel; how Obama is responsible for all of the deficit and the problems in the country and has “done more than anyone in history to drive people apart” – and on and on. The views were a seamless garment of opportunistic religious fundamentalism (the stylist had never been very religious but wanted to be “covered” when Jesus returned) and backwater reactionary politics informed by Fox News (which received an angry and spirited defense against its detractors).

    All I could do was nod and smile. I mean, what can you say to someone who’s holding scissors to your head and can quietly butcher your hair at a moment’s notice?

  47. 47.

    Stefan

    @trex:

    I don’t put up with this nonsense at all anymore. Not at all. If I hear that kind of crazy, I start refudiating it loud and proud.

  48. 48.

    Scootcha

    @trex: “I mean, what can you say to someone who’s holding scissors to your head…”

    When leaving say “Sorry, but tipping is Socialistic.”

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