Does Paul Ryan’s Record Match His Rhetoric?

Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin ^ | August 2, 2010

[grundle]

Increasingly our Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan has become a national media darling. Representative Ryan is consistently being promoted on social media networks and by the Republican Party of Wisconsin and the nationwide “free market” group Americans for Prosperity.

The fact of the matter is that Congressman Ryan voted with George W. Bush 94% of the time. That’s why Ryan’s 2007 Republican Liberty Caucus Liberty Index score, which ranks members of Congress on their voting record from a constitutional perspective, was 91% on economic issues but only 56% on social issues. In 2006, his score on the Liberty Index was 66% on economic issues and 67% on social issues. He has scored better on the Liberty Index; his 2008 score, for example, was 88 both on social and economic issues — an impressive score.

It appears that when Paul Ryan’s party is doing the spending, raising debt limits, and acting unconstitutionally… Ryan goes with the flow.

Congressman Ryan’s actual record leaves much to be desired.

The issue Ryan is most known for is his interest in cutting the deficit and balancing the budget.

But why did the Congressman vote to bail out the auto industry, to pass the Medicare package to the tune of $400 billion, and to nationalize education via No Child Left Behind?

Paul Ryan on Bailouts and Government Stimuli -Voted YES on TARP (2008) -Voted YES on Economic Stimulus HR 5140 (2008) -Voted YES on $15B bailout for GM and Chrysler. (Dec 2008) -Voted YES on $192B additional anti-recession stimulus spending. (Jul 2009)

Paul Ryan on Entitlement Programs -Voted YES on limited prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. (Nov 2003) -Voted YES on providing $70 million for Section 8 Housing vouchers. (Jun 2006) -Voted YES on extending unemployment benefits from 39 weeks to 59 weeks. (Oct 2008) -Voted YES on Head Start Act (2007)

Paul Ryan on Education Rep. Ryan went along with the Bush Administration in supporting more federal involvement in education. This is contrary to the traditional Republican position, which included support for abolition of the Department of Education and decreasing federal involvement in education.

-Voted YES on No Child Left Behind Act (2001)

Paul Ryan on Civil Liberties -Voted YES on federalizing rules for driver licenses to hinder terrorists. (Feb 2005) -Voted YES on making the PATRIOT Act permanent. (Dec 2005) -Voted YES on allowing electronic surveillance without a warrant. (Sep 2006)

Paul Ryan on War and Intervention Abroad -Voted YES on authorizing military force in Iraq. (Oct 2002) -Voted YES on emergency $78B for war in Iraq & Afghanistan. (Apr 2003) -Voted YES on declaring Iraq part of War on Terror with no exit date. (Jun 2006) -Voted NO on redeploying US troops out of Iraq starting in 90 days. (May 2007)

Congressman Ryan supports the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, federal bailouts, increased federal involvement in education, unconstitutional and undeclared wars, Medicare Part D (a multi trillion dollar unfunded liability), stimulus spending, and foreign aid.

According to Michelle Malkin in 2009, “[Paul Ryan] gave one of the most hysterical speeches in the rush to pass TARP last fall; voted for the auto bailout; and voted with the Barney Frank-Nancy Pelosi AIG bonus-bashing stampede. Milwaukee blogger Nick Schweitzer wrote: ‘He ought to be apologizing for his previous votes, not pretending he was being responsible the entire time, but I don’t see one bit of regret for what he did previously. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him get away with it’.”

Congressman Ryan: if you don’t like debt, stop voting for debt.

[MamaTexan]

Oh, it was a negative to vote for authorization of force for Iraq

Maybe because an 'authorization of force' is not the same as a Declaration of War.

Words have meaning. Specific words in Law have very specific meanings.

There IS a reason the Founders used the words that they did while writing the Constitution, you know.

[wastoute]

Sure, he is conservative. Let’s see. I distinctly remember him saying something about the Tea Party that really gave me second thoughts about him in the early days. Having looked for it on Youtube I see he has sure gotten on board but I dismissed him a couple years ago. So was he telling me who he is then or now? I have heard him say that he is someone who caqn “work with the (libtards)”. Great! We have had a long line of those and that has just worked swell.

[trebb]

All I know is what Romney / Ryan MIGHT do in four years compared to what Obama WILL do if he goes back in. I’ll take my chances with R & R.

I'm with you. Romney could pick The Gipper and folks here would decide that even he was soiled and didn't give a flip about America. Steyne, Rush, Levin, and others who used to be the darlings of FR, but I gues they are all morons now because they all prefer Romeny to Obama...

[ilovesarah2012]

Voted YES on prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Nov 2007)
Voted YES on Constitutionally defining marriage as one-man-one-woman. (Jul 2006)
Voted YES on making the PATRIOT Act permanent. (Dec 2005)
Voted YES on Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage. (Sep 2004)
Voted YES on protecting the Pledge of Allegiance. (Sep 2004)
Voted YES on banning gay adoptions in DC. (Jul 1999)
Supports anti-flag desecration amendment. (Mar 2001)
Rated 13% by the ACLU, indicating an anti-civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002)
Rated 0% by the HRC, indicating an anti-gay-rights stance. (Dec 2006)
Rated 36% by NAACP, indicating a mixed record on affirmative-action. (Dec 2006)

Voted YES on banning federal health coverage that includes abortion. (May 2011)
Voted NO on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Jan 2007)
Voted NO on allowing human embryonic stem cell research. (May 2005)
Voted YES on restricting interstate transport of minors to get abortions. (Apr 2005)
Voted YES on making it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime. (Feb 2004)
Voted YES on banning partial-birth abortion except to save mother’s life. (Oct 2003)
Voted YES on forbidding human cloning for reproduction & medical research. (Feb 2003)
Voted YES on funding for health providers who don’t provide abortion info. (Sep 2002)
Voted YES on banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad. (May 2001)
Voted YES on federal crime to harm fetus while committing other crimes. (Apr 2001)
Voted YES on banning partial-birth abortions. (Apr 2000)

Voted YES on opening Outer Continental Shelf to oil drilling. (May 2011)
Voted YES on barring EPA from regulating greenhouse gases. (Apr 2011)
Voted NO on enforcing limits on CO2 global warming pollution. (Jun 2009)
Voted NO on tax credits for renewable electricity, with PAYGO offsets. (Sep 2008)
Voted NO on tax incentives for energy production and conservation. (May 2008)
Voted NO on tax incentives for renewable energy. (Feb 2008)
Voted NO on investing in homegrown biofuel. (Aug 2007)
Voted YES on criminalizing oil cartels like OPEC. (May 2007)

http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Paul_Ryan.htm

[Lady Lucky]

What an intelligent thread this is! Everybody’s like so coaked about Romney and Ryan — hey, did ya know “and Ryan” is like an anagram of “ayn Rand?” Really! I bet Romney picked him for the sublinguini message. You know? Romneyaynrand. Is that sexty or WHAT.

[SumProVita]

“....people are turning into nutters and you’d call Reagan a RINO.”

_________________________________

I agree.....and it’s getting pretty ridiculous! The lack of logic is astounding.

[SumProVita]

Neither gives a damn about our God-given liberties.

______________________________

Absolute nonsense!

[rollo tomasi]

"Ryan is one of the most substantive conservatives in the House and kicked Obama’s ass in that stupid ObamaCare charade that was on TV."

Well that did a lot of good and not a surprise for voicing a contrarian opinion from the opposite side of the aisle;, in the end Obama was the one who laughed.

As for Ryan, actions speak louder than rhetoric and Ryan's actions have been an example of expanding government when "the good guys" run the White House. A pragmatic tool that supports the status quo. Nice speech today though...

[rollo tomasi]

“You purists are looking for Mr. Goodbar, and he doesn't exist.”

What is so pure about saying “no more” and actually doing the cutting when a Republican is in the White House and Congress?

You pragmatic jackasses that ridicule limited government proponents as perfectionist are the problem, not the solution, and your candidates are far from the solution.

Don't blame us for using common sense, pointing out extremely hypocritical flaws in your guys and surrendering basic concepts of economical as well as social stewardship for the next generation. If you call that "perfection" than I must call you a whore for pragmatic collectivism.

What is the difference of having $1.5 trillion deficits to $500 billion in deficits when it comes to future generations? What is the differnce of curbing future obligations by a few percentage points?

[Pining_4_TX]

How can anyone see the decisions to invade Afghanistan and Iraq as anything but dismal failures? Those were the dumbest US military decisions since Custer decided to pimp with a few Indians.

Iraq is now closer than ever to being a hard-line Islamic state that is allied with Iran. Reminds me of the famous line about one more victory like that and we’ll be undone.

[grundle]

Then vote for Obama and save us oh Liberty Caucus.

I'm voting for Gary Johnson.

[grundle]

I’d never heard of this organization until right before I posted the article. However, the fact that Ryan voted in favor of TARP is significant, and means that he does not truly believe in a free market or in limited government.

[grundle]

Thank you for that link.

[grundle]

Thanks for that link.

[VanDeKoik]

That’s great!

And if he could win by have zero electoral votes, I would think that would be an awesome decision!

[JBGUSA]

“Then vote for Obama and save us oh Liberty Caucus.”. I agree with that sentiment. We’re not going to get perfection. Another four years of Obama must be prevented at any legal and nonviolent cost.

[RightCenter]

Reagan gave us the illegal immigration we know and love today.

[RightCenter]

Reagan gave us the illegal immigration problem we know and love today.