Paul Ryan sips $350 a bottle wine (2) while cutting SS.

[Fuddnik]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/07/rep-paul-ryans-pricey-pinot-noir.php?ref=fpblg


Rep. Ryan Tastes The Grapes Of Wrath
Susan Crabtree | July 8, 2011, 2:30PM

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), a leading advocate of shrinking entitlement spending and the architect of the plan to privatize Medicare, spent Wednesday evening sipping $350 wine with two like-minded conservative economists at the swanky Capitol Hill eatery Bistro Bis.

It was the same night reports started trickling out about President Obama pressing Congressional leaders to consider changes to Social Security and Medicare in exchange for GOP support for targeted tax increases.

The pomp and circumstance surrounding the waiter's presentation, uncorking and decanting of the pricey Pinot Noir caught the attention of another diner who had already recognized Ryan sitting with two other men nearby.

Susan Feinberg, an associate business professor at Rutgers, was at Bistro Bis celebrating her birthday with her husband that night. When she saw the label on the bottle of Jayer-Gilles 2004 Echezeaux Grand Cru Ryan's table had ordered, she quickly looked it up on the wine list and saw that it sold for an eye-popping $350, the most expensive wine in the house along with one other with the same pricetag.

(snip) more at link

[GKirk]

1. What's the point?

Rich people like expensive wine? They have better cars and homes than us too.

[Enrique]

3. excess, greed, corruption

who were those people buying him that obscenely expensive beverage? I know, fuck me for asking.

Kudos Prof. Feinberg! I love this woman! :thumbsup:

[crikkett]

12. Speculation: Cliff Asness and John Cochrane were his companions that night.

from the TPM comments

[bahrbearian]

13. John Cochrane wrote this about Paul Krugman

"It gets worse. Krugman hints at dark conspiracies, claiming “dissenters are marginalized.” Most of the article is just a calumnious personal attack on an ever-growing enemies list, which now includes “new Keynesians” such as Olivier Blanchard and Greg Mankiw. Rather than source professional writing, he plays gotcha with out-of-context second-hand quotes from media interviews. He makes stuff up, boldly putting words in people’s mouths that run contrary to their written opinions. Even this isn’t enough: he adds cartoons to try to make his “enemies” look silly, and puts them in false and embarrassing situations. He accuses us of adopting ideas for pay, selling out for “sabbaticals at the Hoover institution” and fat “Wall street paychecks.” It sounds a bit paranoid. "

Ya I'm Paranoid. Cochrane, Asness and Ryan drinking $350 bottle of wine together, They must have been talking about the Weather or Sports.

[Tennessee Gal]

4. The point?

He has no reason whatsoever to give a rat's ass about how hard times are for the average working American. That is his choice and he is welcome to it.

There is nothing wrong with wealth, but I prefer elected officials who have a little compassion, work and vote for policies that will help all people and not just the wealthy.

[Fuddnik]

9. I wish there were some lobbyists in the restaurant last night.

My working wife, and my disabled ass had to settle for for a couple of $6 a glass wines.

And if Ryan had his way, we couldn't afford to be in a restaurant at all.

[Dept of Beer]

10. Is this wine being bought through his meager salary as a politician,

which come from his constituents, or is he being bought by somebody else?

God, how I hate political whores.

[seabeyond]

11. read in another thread, lobbyist friends bought it. nt

[KittyWampus]

20. You have a problem with exposing Ryan's willingness to drink expensive wine while he guts entitlemen

[GKirk]

21. It just doesn't do anything for me...

...he has more money than I do, or in this case friends with more money.

[alcibiades_mystery]

22. Even if it's piddling, it's politically effective

Gore got tagged as all kinds of untrue things. So tag Ryan with the snob label. These people call us elitists on the basis of arugula, fer chrissakes. This guy's ordering the most expensive wine on the menu, more than many people's weekly paychecks (even if you make $10/hr), you pull home less than that for a 37.5 hour week, after taxes).


The serious fiscal disciplinarian pisses away a week's paycheck on French fucking wine? Come on. That's gold.

[Strelnikov_]

2. Remember the Clinton/Edwards/etc. haircuts?

If the shoe was on the other foot, by Monday morning this meme would be in the daily talking points for their propaganda ministry . . oops . . AM radio/Fox news. It is all we would hear for a week.

However, not only do the Pansycratic . . oops . . Democratic leadership not have a media machine, they don't even seem to want to show up at the game.

Until the leaders of this party realize that what we are engaged in is a no holds barred street-fight, no progress will be made in pushing back the agenda of the far-right.

[malaise]

6. 100% correct n/t

[Frustratedlady]

5. If Ryan wanted to pick his brain, why didn't he pay the whole tab?

Good for Feinberg. These creeps need to be reminded everyday of how rotten they are.

Surprised his greatest admirer, The Dick, didn't join them.

[PCIntern]

7. This is how the Rethugs would do the equivalent:

1. Get him to admit or not deny that he drank this obscenely expensive wine.
2. talking points to all Dems on the air, each question asked by a moderator would have an answer which began, "Well, Brian, the picture of Republican Medicare and Social Security cutting representative Paul Ryan drinking two bottles of THREE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLAR WINE is emblematic of..."
3. Ads running on radio and TeeVee every half hour on all networks and cable outlets describing or showing expensive wine cellars and going over the points.

Won't happen...

[karynnj]

19. Note one huge difference with your recommendation and what the Republicans do

Here, you suggest ads. Now for the DNC etc to pay for an obvious attack ad on something like this is tricky - as it is not illegal or, in the normal sense of the word, immoral. Not to mention the costs.

It doesn't cost the Republicans anything. With them, it shows up on RW blogs, pointed to by Matt Druge, them is repeated by every Republican talking head - and then leaks into the mainstream.

[ananda]

8. Seniors burn while Ryan and co. fiddle with expensive wine.

nt

[sarcasmo]

14. Class warfare is the point. By time the average joe/jane wakes up it will be to late.

[Jack Rabbit]

15. Sounds like objectivist behavior me . . .

Revolting and anti-social behavior at that.

[Rex]

16. The Haves hate the Have Nots and wish we would just all go away

and work for 13 cents an hour.

[Name removed]

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