Odd That The DCCC is Picking On Poor Paul Ryan Again

Paul Ryan, the most corrupt politician in the history of Wisconsin

You know, Blue America didn't open a special page dedicated to attacking any individual conservative slimebag but one: Paul Ryan. Not one for Michele Bachmann, Jim DeMint, Patrick McHenry, Mean Jean Schmidt, Dan Boren, Virginia Foxx... none of the arch rogues and crooks masquerading as servants of the people. Ryan is more dangerous than any of them, because, unlike them, he has a patina of respectability. It's undeserved, and in American politics all you need is a patina. Just look at how well Obama has done.

Anyway, yesterday's full frontal against Ryan by the DCCC-- which, ironically, still refuses to give the time of day to his opponent, progressive activist Paulette Garin-- asks the straightforward question, "As insurance premiums skyrocket, will Representative Paul Ryan continue protecting insurance company profits?"

It's an easy question to answer, and the best place to start looking for clues is at OpenSecrets.org. The Insurance Industry was the sixth biggest briber of politicians in the 2010 electoral cycle ($10,570,732 so far), just between real estate crooks and lobbyists. This year Ryan was the seventh biggest GOP recipient of Insurance Industry favor, odd for so junior a member. He's gotten $75,200 so far, considerably more than over 400 other House members, and certainly more than anyone else from Wisconsin. The top GOP bribees were caucus leaders Eric Cantor ($130,750) and John Boehner ($98,390).

Since 1990 the Insurance CEOs and their lobbyists have also done very well by Ryan-- $534,071, more than almost anyone else in Congress as junior as he is and far more than anyone else from Wisconsin, including members who were already serving when Ryan wasn't old enough to wear long pants, like Jim Sensenbrenner (R- $254,898), Appropriations Committee Chair Dave Obey (D- $122,056) and Tom Petri (R- $114,720).

It's easy to see that the Insurance Giants are banking on Ryan. The DCCC has noted Ryan's immense haul as well, but they're shy-- for obvious reasons-- about calling it bribe money, even if it obviously is.

As the House prepares to vote on health insurance reform, Representative Paul Ryan must decide whether to continue siding with the big insurance companies who have given him $534,071 in campaign contributions or with the people in Wisconsin who have seen their health insurance premiums rise by 108 percent.

“Considering that Representative Paul Ryan has taken $534,071 in contributions from insurance companies, Ryan’s vote on health insurance reform will show whether he cares more about protecting the profits of his big insurance company contributors or about helping the folks back home being hit by premiums they can no longer afford,” said Ryan Rudominer, the National Press Secretary of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Families and small businesses in Wisconsin can’t afford another vote by Representative Ryan to put big health insurance companies first.”

Now, anyone who knows Paul Ryan knows he's one of the most disgraceful whores in the Congress, 100% owned, lock, stock and barrel, by special interests. Ryan was the GOP point person to turn out the Republican votes for the big Wall Street bankster bailout (TARP)-- and the banks love him even more than the Insurance Giants do! But, what's odd about the DCCC going down this road is that of the 39 Democrats who voted against healthcare reform last November, more than a few, though not quite in Ryan's league, are widely known Inside the Beltway as whores for sale to the highest bidder. Some of the worst are (with their own Insurance Biz takes in brackets):

John Adler (NJ- $105,667)
John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA- $80,250)
Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK- $135,985)
Allen Boyd (Blue Dog-FL- $274,881)
Artur Davis (AL- $236,649)
Lincoln Davis (Blue Dog-TN- $81,886)
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (Blue Dog-SD- $126,196)
Tim Holden (Blue Dog-PA- $190,729)
Suzanne Kosmas (FL- $123,116)
Jim Marshall (Blue Dog-GA- $99,300)
Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT- $243,844)
Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC- $98,270)
Charlie Melancon (Blue Dog-LA- $189,335)
Mike Ross (Blue Dog-AR- $185,312)
John Tanner (Blue Dog- TN- $595,709)

So is that D-trip hypocrisy? I mean, sure, Ryan is a disgrace to America. But what's Suzanne Kosmas, who they are pointlessly pouring resources into protecting? And John Barrow has a thoroughly progressive and incorruptible former state senator, Regina Thomas, running against him in the primary. If the DCCC can denounce Ryan, they can denounce Barrow for the exact same crime. Of course, like I said, they're not supporting the progressive running against him either!

Meanwhile Joe Conason had a far better take on Ryan Monday over at Salon, the gist of which is that his cynical "roadmap" is to further debilitate and diminish the middle class in favor of his corporate paymasters.

In the mainstream media, the Wisconsin Republican is often presented as a straight-shooting prophet whose prescriptions for privatizing Social Security and eviscerating Medicare can only be ignored if we want to jeopardize America's future, and so on.

Fortunately, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has studied Ryan's proposals with its usual perspicacity and issued a clear warning that his road map would only lead us-- after a series of hard-right turns-- to the same old plutocratic dead end. Like so many Republican speeches about fiscal responsibility, the Ryan promise to balance the budget is a scam whose real purpose has more to do with redistributing taxes downward and wealth upward-- that is, more of the same.

...[As a result of Ryan's proposals which cater entirely to the Wall Street bankers who have him parked for a long and powerful career] middle-class taxpayers would end up paying a larger percentage of their annual income to the government than now, while the wealthiest taxpayers would pay a smaller percentage. According to the CBPP-- which many conservatives acknowledge for its tradition of honesty and accuracy-- Ryan's plan would damage health coverage for most Americans and endanger if not destroy the safety net for the elderly, whose rise from mass poverty began with Social Security and Medicare.

He's as bad as... Rahm Emanuel, Mark Kirk, Roy Blunt, Mike Castle or Harold Ford, several other of the politicians who have been singled out by the Masters of the Universe for higher office where they can do them the most good, and us the most damage. What the DCCC didn't mention was how harmful to the residents of southeast Wisconsin it will be if Ryan's bought-and-paid-for point of view prevails in the healthcare battle coming to a head this week. The Commerce and Energy Commttee has come out with a review of the impact of the bill on Ryan's constituents. Highlights of what the bill will achieve there:

* Improve coverage for 506,000 residents with health insurance.

* Give tax credits and other assistance to up to 153,000 families and 14,000 small businesses to help them afford coverage.

* Improve Medicare for 112,000 beneficiaries, including closing the donut hole.

* Extend coverage to 19,500 uninsured residents.

* Guarantee that 8,000 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.

* Protect 1,600 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.

* Allow 51,000 young adults to obtain coverage on their parents’ insurance plans.

* Provide millions of dollars in new funding for 4 community health centers.

* Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $23 million annually.