Rep. Paul Ryan was spotted at a swanky Washington bistro sipping $350-a-bottle wine with lobbyists. In fact, the table enjoyed two bottles of Jayer-Gilles 2004 Echezeaux Grand Cru, an eyewitness said, listed on the menu at $350 each, although it’s much less expensive if you can buy it by the crate from a wholesaler. Just sayin’.
Congress critters are not supposed to accept gifts of more than $100 a year from anybody, and the two bottles exceeded that even at wholesale prices. However, Ryan retorts that he decided to pay for one of the bottles himself, and he produced the credit card receipt to prove it — he blew $472 on dinner, $392 for his meal and the bottle of wine plus $80 tip. That’s more than someone working full time at minimum wage makes in a week.
The eyewitness said all three men were “droning on loudly during the evening that liberals think that if you’re a millionaire, you have done something wrong.” Heh.
Update: Righties have fallen back on their standard fallback position — character assassination — to defend Ryan. Classy.
See also Joshua Green.
Update, unrelated: What John Cole says. This sorta kinda goes with the “Let’s Not Make a Deal” post.
…“droning on loudly during the evening that liberals think that if you’re a millionaire, you have done something wrong.â€
No, but it doesn’t mean you did anything right either.
Jayer-Gilles 2004 Echezeaux Grand Cru?
Someone call Mel Brooks and tell him to update ‘HOTW Part I’ to modernize the line to “It’s good to be a US Congressperson. Oh, piss boy!”
And I’ll give this devil his due – that’s not a bad tip. Not OVERLY generous. But not the 15% on the nose or less that I’d expect from a Republican asshole of his stature.
It would be nice to see those three eating dinner on U-tube. And it would be nice if his Dem opponent had a campaign ad with that in it.
People who “have” don’t have a clue what it is like to wonder, “How can I pay the rent.”
CUND: You know the conventional wisdom is that working class diners give better tips because they know what it’s like to work hard jobs. Being a Republican, I’m surprised that Ryan tipped as much as he did. (Well, the $80 is about 20% of his bill but it still feels on the low side.)
As to millionaires doing something wrong: No, I don’t think that all millionaires have done something wrong, just that they aren’t doing things that right or good for society.
I’m looking forward to the Colbert SuperPac ad celebrating Paul Ryan’s platinum lifestyle, financed on the backs of poor people and senior citizens. He’s basically become a live-action version of Montgomery Burns, with some Snidely Whiplash thrown in.
PurpleGirl,
That 20% wasn’t at all bad. Like I said, I was kind of surprised.
I was a bartender for years. In NY City, and Upstate NY. I would have gone back to doing that if my ankle, hip and back would let me – alas, no… And 20% was basically the persons starting point. You were pretty much guaranteed to get more unless you purposely urped on me, or poured hot coffee on my crotch. And the key word there is ‘purposely,’ because I’ve had both happen. In one case the person was ill (they were there because they had no sick days) and puked on my shoe, and the other they tripped. It wasn’t intentional, so they got at least that 20%
Hold on a minute!
Ryan provided the receipt?
HE did?
Was it the copy of the receipt where YOU fill in what tip you paid?
I bet the SOB tipped $8.00 dollars, and then added a zero when he showed a copy of the receipt.
I used to do the reverse because my company wouldn’t let you tip more than 20%, so I’d tip 25+ percent, but write down the 20% amount for the bean-counters in accounting.
I would tend to give a higher percentage to a waitress at IHOP and slightly less in some super upscale joint. The IHOP waitress is working just as hard, for a lot less. But, then I never had any class.
Ryan and the Randoids live in a very different world, one in which a meal that costs what some people pay for a month’s rent is unremarkable. As the Kerry/Edwards campaign voiced, there are at least “Two Americas” and likely more. Some live in the stratospheric heights of the wealthy and some might as well live in a third world country. Some of us are holding on for dear life somewhere in between.
Right now, I would personally like to leave all the Americas behind and never look back. But, alas, the Randoids are about to destroy our retirement savings so I’ll have to learn to be a grateful peasant like most Americans.
Twain was right – “There’s only one criminal class in America and it’s Congress.”
cund – Your previous comment that ‘trickle-down’ has replaced Keynes sparked my thinking – Keynes developed an economic system: Trickle-down is merely a piece of propaganda, more like a slogan, Twitter qualified, fit for American consumption in a country where the attention span of its citizens is about 3 minutes long which has prompted some to call us a nation of soft-boiled eggs – it takes 3 minutes to cook one and it takes 3 minutes for an American to be thoroughly versed on any and all subjects.
So, not only does Ryan whine, he gets wined and dined while he’s whining!
‘President Ryan, we need a tax increase, or the people will have no water”
“Then let them drink wine!”
‘President Ryan, the peasants are revolting!’
“Yes, they certainly are.”
And here I always thought it was Rhine Wine, not Ryan Wine!
Who knew?
And Joshua Green is right. This $350 bottle of wine needs to become as well known as John Edwards’ $400 haircut.
As I sorta, kinda said before. I really don’t have a problem with the cost of the wine, so much as how commonplace an experience it was for Ryan and his lads. In their world, dinners that cost as much as my first car (not adjusted for inflation!!) are just some of the fruit that falls off corporate masters’ trees. I can do fine without that sort of thing, but, I don’t want to be “governed” by people who can have no idea how most of us live.
I suppose one of the joining points of the evangelicals and the Randians is the way they view society. The hyper-Calvinists still have the concept of the “Elect” and
the “Reprobate Remainder” and the Randians have their secular mirror image in producers and parasites. As the “church” seems to have abandoned the function of moral arbiter, as it was in the “Social Gospel” days in favor of joining the community of big business, there is more common ground and less chance of conflict.
Check out the “Watch Over by Machines of Loving Grace” BBC documentary on youtube. It has a lot about Rand and how here ideas found purchase in our society. I linked to it in a comment to a previous article. It’s another Adam Curtis thing.
I think the following ad would be effective:
Open with an old woman at her mailbox looking at an eviction notice.
Then, she goes inside to take her pills – but finds the containers are empty.
Then, as she’s crying, focus on her shaky hands trying to open up a can of catfood, .
In the final shots, show Ryan at the restaurant with the bottles of wine, laughing – then back to the old lady and the catfood can.
Then have something like this run across the screeen – ‘Republican ideas. They really pay off! Just not for you.’
Or, “Republicans say ‘Quit your whining while we’re dining!’â€
Or something a lot better than that.
Anyone want to try?
Paulie should have ordered some orange juice..Just by looking at him it’s obvious that he’s not getting enough vitamin C..He’s all drawn out and gaunt, looking like he just came off a lost weekend.
Put the plug in the jug, Paulie!
goatherd…I watched the you tube video..very interesting…very frightening.
I’m with Chief. Too bad Prof. Feinberg didn’t take a cellphone video and upload it to YouTube, rather than wasting precious breath confronting the doofus. Nowadays, a video is worth ten thousand words (and a naughty Tweeted photo, ten million).
Millionaires have done something wrong. They lied to us. They said if we lower their tases and regulations just a little bit further then any second now those billions in record profits would trickle down to the other 98% of the country. We’re still waiting.
cund – can’t top it, but I can opine that since the Legislative Branch has become weighted toward the nearly incoherent, and since too many Americans don’t seem to have noticed it, political spots on television probably need not pass a coherency test anyway.
I’m glad you watched it Swami. When I first saw his “The Century of the Self” his dark style made me a little wary. But, I think he has a lot of worthwhile doc’s. “The Power of Nightmares” has some history on OBL and the US response to terrorism. “The Mayfair Set” is also a a must see. I find him a bit like Chris Hedges in that he can confront some difficult realities. Best to view or read with a bourbon or two. All of Adam Curtis’s films are worth watching and will NEVER be shown on American television.
Since, I am in too rural an area to receive any TV stations and I ditched satellite about ten years ago, I cruise youtube when I am in the mood, usually BBC stuff. Youtube also has music lessons. “Banjoben” is great for bluegrass guitar and banjo.
Let them eat cake.
Just saying. When will the republicans wake up?
Paulie’s only pevious financial experience was his newspaper route…so the Repugs in Congress assigned him to the financial commitee ..that’s as bad as Monica Goodling getting a top slot in the Justice Dept.
What a joke!…they’ve dubbed Paulie as “the thinker”— and hailed him as some sort of financial prodigy.. Who’s fooling who?..the kid is still wet behind the ears and they’re trying to foist him on the American public as a heavywieght..Better put some sand in your back pockets, Paulie!
Maha, if I may: he’s clearly a total a**hole.
I read the two sites Maha referred us to about the character assassination of Ms. Feinberg. Redstate’s was very extremely sexist. Every bad word he could come up with to describe a woman he came up with. He needs to be taken to task for this extraordinarily hateful sexism. The other one was sexist; but, used projectionism through most of his character assassination. Most of the horrible things he described Ms. Feinberg with were definitely things that many rightwingers are truly guilty of. Bottom line, they showed they are not writing anything worth reading. Additionally, if Ms. Feinberg had not faced Mr. Ryan down, I believe that he would not have paid for any part of that dinner; thus, his intent was to break the accepting gifts rule until he knew he had been almost caught.
Here’s a little something off topic but might be a treat for any lurking Repugs or Conservatives who might want to test their heart to see if even an ember of compassion dwells within it. And for those whose hearts are already hardened maybe they can have a brighter day and a sense of superiority listening to the cries and sufferings of the downtrodden.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43645168/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/
Swami,
This reminds me of that (black – naturally) guy who brought a Chase check to cash in at a Chase band, and they thought the check was bogus, and the guy spent the weekend in prison and lost his job because he didn’t come in to work.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43673909/ns/business-local_business/
HAHAHAHA!!!
That story about the Lucky-ducky and Chase is a real lol Rube Goldber knee-slapper for the golden goose set.
Tell that one at the Country Club and you won’t pay for a drink the rest of the night.
But save if for after you tell the “So a Rabbi, a N*gger, a Sp*c, a Fag, an Atheist and a Liberal walk into a bar carrying a handicapped child and pushing an an old woman in a wheelchair…†one that got you the first round on the house.
I wonder if Paulie’s economist friends were driving? Seems to me that if you have two bottles of wine minus the one glass that Paulie claimed to consumed. And two men drinking them within a 90 minute period.. that neither one, if they consumed equally, could possibly be within the legal limits to drive an automobile.. I kind of doubt Paulie’s economist buddies were relying public transportation because if you can drop $350.00 on a bottle of wine, you sure aren’t gonna be riding on a public bus with a bunch of common ass winos.
Picture, if you will, two identical stacks of dollar bills, each one an inch thick.
Picture, if you will, two identical dry sponges, each a cube four inches on a side.
Picture, if you will, a single square flat surface about two feet on a side.
Mentally place the dry sponges roughly in the center of the space, about twelve inches apart.
Mentally (joyously if unemployed) place one stack of dollars atop the righthand sponge.
Mentally (especially if unemployed) place the remaining stack of dollars underneath the lefthand sponge.
Wait awhile, until you get pissed off thinking about $350 bottles of wine.
Mentally measure total height of each stack, including both items in each stack. Do not depress stack while measuring. This is a scientific experiment, and it is important not to introduce any elements of experimental process error. If you personally happen to be depressed or unemployed, that is acceptable.
Note that the righthand stack is slightly shorter. The sponge cannot bear the top-loaded weight without compression. However, nothing has been squeezed out of the sponge.
Note that the lefthand sponge, still dry, with dollars on the bottom, is taller.
Conclusions:
Money does not trickle down.
Money on the top does not float or lift anything.
Money on the bottom lifts.
You may keep the money you used. Both stacks. No, no, really, it’s nothing.
1) They were not lobbyists.
2) he paid with his own money
3) I believe Rep pelosi charged 101 k of liquor related expenses to the federal government.
Posts like this expose you to ridicule from the non faithful and lessen your credibility
ALthouse does a very good job of what is genteelly called ‘bitch slapping ‘ the author.
Well, I’ve been drinking some semi expensive (60 bucks/fifth) single malt while perusing the site. Off to bed.
Link? Documentation? Proof? None? BZZZZ. You lose. Next?
BZZZZ. You lose. He only paid for one bottle plus his own dinner. The other buys bought the other bottle, the cost of which exceeded the $100 gift limit.
Ah, yes, the “Democrats do it too” dodge. The foundation of right-wing ethics.
First, this may be true, but since you provide no links or documentation I assume it isn’t. And it doesn’t excuse what Ryan did.
I don’t want you and your ilk as a reader. I think of this blog as an ongoing conversation with a circle of well-informed and intelligent people, so that leaves you out.
I read Althouse’s posts; the usual juvenile whining. I liked the part where she called the author a “busybody,” a statement of High Hypocrisy after the way Althouse and her husband behaved as Five-Alarm Asshole Busybodies during the Wisconsin citizen’s uprising of earlier this year.
Now, go away.
Anyone want to try?
hahaha…well, I’ve wanted to try a three-paneled job that would highlight the world’s great religions: Old Testament, New testament and My Testament (3rd panel would feature a congressional Randoid holding aloft a really impressive screw :~) while clutching a copy of “Atlas Shrugged.” But I can’t draw for shit.
WRT Mr. Ryan, well, there’s a part of me that kicks in and says, “Okay, already, we’ve had our fun, but it was a private dinner.” People can buy what they like with their own money. (I don’t even wanna discuss some of of boneheaded purchases I’ve made, and I’m far from rich.) Yeah, there are things that “might” look really bad but thing is, we’re not really privy to the back story and don’t especially wanna look like a bunch of Murdochite news hounds, uh…do we?
So beyond a certain initial snark, I would let it go.
Genius: It’s a four-day-old post with no follow up. The topic was already let go.
However, you missed the point of it entirely, which is that Ryan was in violation of House ethics rules by accepting a gift (the bottle he didn’t pay for) worth more than $100. Often such gifts are also called “bribes.” Now, this one is small potatoes, and one would hope even Ryan wouldn’t sell out for a mere $350 bottle of wine. But no, this is not a big deal, unless at some point in the future Ryan gets caught proposing legislation that will favor a certain hedge fund manager.