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25 May 2011 10:19

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Politics: Paul Ryan: This special election not a referendum on my plan

  • I saw the ads. I saw burning people’s Medicare cards. If you can scare seniors into thinking that their current benefits are being affected, that’s going to have an effect. And that is exactly what took place here. So yes, yes, it’s demagoguery, it’s scaring seniors.
  • Rep. Paul Ryan • Blaming Democrat Kathy Hochul’s win in New York’s 26th House District on scare tactics, rather than the New York Times’ line (“a referendum on the Paul Ryan Medicare plan”). Ryan also blamed Jack Davis, a third-party guy that siphoned votes from the GOP’s Jane Corwin: “When a Democrat runs as a third party, tea party candidate and spends a couple million dollars, it’s going to have an effect,” he says. A few things here:  Remember how the guy in this district — a Republican, mind you — resigned, leading to the special election? You don’t think that could’ve had an effect on things? That’s a question for both Ryan and the NYT. Also, to Ryan’s point about Davis: There were four candidates in this election, and we’re sure Ian Murphy (while a minor candidate) siphoned some votes from Hochul as well. (Also, we’re sure this stunt of Murphy’s hurt Corwin’s election chances too.) Either way, Paul kind of has a personal stake — Jack Kemp, who gave Ryan his first job, long represented this district. source

24 May 2011 23:17

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U.S.: Upset: Dem Kathy Hochul wins GOP House seat in special election

The NYT portrayed her win in a conservative NY district as a statement on Paul Ryan’s Medicare plan. They didn’t mention Scott Walker prankster Ian Murphy’s 1 percent of the vote. source

28 Mar 2011 10:47

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Politics: VIDEO: Scott Walker pranker Ian Murphy’s crazy campaign ad

23 Feb 2011 12:49

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Politics: This New Koch just doesn’t taste as good

  • It ain’t the real Koch: Ian Murphy, editor of the website “The Buffalo Beast,” successfully got Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on the phone by pretending to be David Koch, one of the two billionaire brothers that’s a driving financial force behind the current anti-spending, pro-business conservative movement. One highlight, as pointed out by Slate’s Dave Weigel: Walker seems to lay out a plan he’s hatched to push the vote forward, wherein he agrees to hear Democratic concerns if all fourteen fled Democrats return to the capitol, which he and his team believe would allow them to hold the vote even if the Democrats then recessed and left again. In explaining this plan, Walker states that he’s willing to talk, not negotiate, and if “Koch” hears that he’s talking to the Democrats that’s the only reason why. Getting pranked is bad enough, but revealing your political endgame in the midst of said prank, thus poisoning the well? Pure political calamity. source