Libs Outraged Over Paul Ryan’s $350 Bottle of Wine, Silent When Nancy Pelosi Drowned $101,000

Big Journalism ^ | 7/10/11 | Jim Hoft

[Nachum]

Cheers.

For some reason the libs weren’t so outraged when Obaama served $399 bottles of wine at his taxpayer-funded state dinner …

… but Libs today were “stunned” and “outraged” that popular conservative Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) ordered a $350 bottle of wine for dinner in New York.

TPM reported, via Ann Althouse:

When [Professor Feinberg] 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.

Feinberg, an economist by training, was even more appalled when the table ordered a second bottle….

“We were just stunned,” said Feinberg…

She was outraged …. [my emphasis]

[ozzymandus]

It's actually a pretty funny story if you read the whole thing. The obnoxious bitch was drunk, went to Ryan's table, made a scene, and was thrown out of the restaurant. Ryan paid for the wine with his own money.

[Snickering Hound]

I'm suspicious of those wine sippers no matter the party.

[YHAOS]

"And what did Professor Feinberg have? Night Train?"

Clot 45?

[UCANSEE2]

Is Pro. Feinberg one of the SOROS CREW that is detailed (and paid) to follow around GOP politicians and report/video their every step and breath?

[Outlaw Woman]

We paid for it all whether the bill was sent or not. Ryan is paid by taxpayers so even if he ‘paid’ for it himself it was still paid with our money.

[Liz]

Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act request for costs of Pelosi's use of our USAF as her personal taxi..........the results of the investigation just boggle the mind and rape our pocketbooks.

“According to the documents, then-Speaker Pelosi’s military travel cost the United States Air Force (read taxpayers) $2,100,744.59 over a two-year period–$101,429.14 of which was for in-flight expenses, including food and alcohol.”

One CODEL (Congressional Delegation) started out in D.C., stopped down in Tel Aviv, Israel, and then flew on to Baghdad, Iraq on 5-15-2008, for a five day mission “to discuss matters of mutual concern with government leaders and their spouses and cost $17, 931 per hour in aircraft alone.”

Note: The FOIA reveals that on a 2007 stop in Israel, “CODEL could only bring Kosher items into the hotel; Kosher alcohol for mixing beverages in the delegation room was purchased on the local economy i.e. Bourbon, Whiskey, Scotch, Vodka, Gin, Triple Sec, Tequila, etc.” The very in-the-know bar lists of all types of booze she and her parties tossed down include “Johnny Walker Red scotch, Grey Goose vodka, E&J brandy, Bailey’s Irish Creme, Maker’s Mark whiskey, Courvoisier cognac …..

Openly threatening our military Pelosi intermediary: “It is my understanding there are no G5s available for the House during the Memorial Day recess. This is totally unacceptable. . The speaker will want to know where the planes are. . ” wrote Kay King, Director of the House Office of Inter-parliamentary Affairs.

She also warned our military that “This is not good news, and we will have some very disappointed folks, as well as a very upset Speaker!”

Most of Pelosi’s USAF taxi trips... (Excerpt) Read more at coachisright.com ...

[Logic n' Reason]

I can buy about 77 boxes of my favorite wine for $399. WOW!!!

[Outlaw Woman]

Amen

[UCANSEE2]

Ryan is paid by taxpayers so even if he ‘paid’ for it himself it was still paid with our money.

And where does your MONEY come from?

[mewzilla]

Just checked his personal financial disclosure forms. Doesn’t look like he’s hurting. In which case we’re definitely paying the guy too much. And in any case, anyone who’s dumb enough to pay that much money for overpriced grape juice us not someone I want to trust with my tax dollars.

[sitetest]

This reports only some of the facts.

The remaining facts include:

- Mr. Ryan didn’t actually order the wine. One of his friends ordered the wine - 2 bottles - of which Mr. Ryan consumed one glass. Mr. Ryan was unaware of the cost of the wine when it was ordered;

- When Mr. Ryan became aware of the cost, he was surprised, but insisted so that there would be no appearance of an illegal gratuity, that the cost of one full bottle be added to his check, which included his own meal and the tip for what he paid;

- His check came to something like $480 or $490 or so, which included the $350 bottle of wine, $80 for a tip, taxes, and the cost of his food;

- When interviewed later, he said he saw no problem with folks paying $350 for a bottle of wine, if that’s how they wanted to spend their money, but that wasn’t how he liked to spend his own money. He would not have ever ordered a $350 bottle of wine, knowing the price.

Other interesting tidbits include the fact that the woman was belligerant, half-stoned, and attracted the unwanted attention of most of the restaurant when she made her scene.

Liberals are filth.

[Outlaw Woman]

Excuse me?
Is there something that caused your outrage by me pointing out that Ryan is paid by tax dollars?

My goodness.

[danamco]

Two WRONGS don’t make it right, shame on Paul Ryan, unless he paid the bill out of own pocket???

I have one glass of wine to to my dinner meals = Oak Leaf from Wal-Mart @ $2.97/bottle!!!

[bert]

That is the dumbest statement of the day. It ceased to be your money when it was deposited by the treasury.

Ryan was paid by the Treasury with proceeds from taxes. It then becomes his money and, if legal, he can spend it as he pleases.

To assert some personal ownership in Ryan’s property as a result of paying taxes is ludicrous

[agere_contra]

Not to worry. It turns out that he didn’t even order the wine (though he insisted on paying for it to avoid the appearance of receiving a gratuity).

This is a non-issue. Ryan appears to have acted with punctilious propriety.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

We paid for it all whether the bill was sent or not. Ryan is paid by taxpayers so even if he ‘paid’ for it himself it was still paid with our money.

True, but so what? Are you saying that because he is a Congressman, he has to only buy things that we approve of? We set a salary for Congress. If we think its too high, we can pressure them to reduce it. But once we set the salary, the Congressmen can spend it on whatever they see fit, whether its expensive wine, expensive clothes, a gun collection, private schools for their kids or whatever.

[PalmettoMason]

By that logic, every time an Army Buck sergeant enjoys a beer you are paying for it.
No more beer for the military! /s

[Jewbacca]

It’s his salary; his money and none of your business.
.

[tioga]

Ryan picked up his share of the tab...Ryan says he decided to pay for one of the bottles of wine after being confronted by Feinberg out of an abundance of caution. Ryan's office provided TPM with a copy of his credit card receipt. Congressional ethics rules bar congressman from receiving gifts from lobbyists and gifts of over $100 from anyone.

....so a lady sees Ryan dining out, snoops at what wine he has....presumably she was drinking as well....and she stalks over to his table and calls him out on it, one of his dining companions finally says f-you lady....and she calls the media after setting this all up? When Ryan found out what the wine cost he insisted on paying for one of the bottles he and his dining companions enjoyed...not much to see here but a lib lady (and I use that term loosely) making a scene in a public restaurant and indeed imposed her presence on an innocent Ryan who was dining out. Perhaps this bitchy lady ought to practice what she preaches....what the heck was she doing in a restaurant dining with expensive wines like that. Phony, bitchy lib ladies should practice what they preach. Anyone research HER?

[Freedom56v2]

I hope this is not a true or accurate story.

I have always been a huge fan of Ryan, but I have to say it bothers me—Hard to explain, but for lack of better description, it looks elitist. Majority of folks in Wisco/Janesville are not able to afford that. It makes him look like he has caught the elite flu that so many Washington pols have caught. Middle class in fly-over country are are cutting back, people are fearful of job loss, etc. they are not buying $350 wine. Ryan is not seemingly representing them when he buys 2 bottles of $350 wine.

Yes, it is his money and he can buy what he wants, but it looks out-of-place to me as a public servant who is being supported, elected paid by middle tax classpayers in Janesville who cannot afford such affluence. In other words, unlike many families in fly-over country, it must be nice to not be worried about salary, job, retirement, kids’ education, etc. He obviously doesn’t need a contribution from me and perhaps these pols are too well-paid?

Unlike another poster, I think a $350 wine is not a moderately priced bottle of wine. I have friends who are fairly wealthy upper middle class (VP level), and they don’t drink one $350 bottles of wine—let alone order a second one...

I guess my disappointment is that I truly thought he was different from the Washington elite, now I am not so sure. Sort of reminds me of Obama and his lavish dinners and vacations. Even if Ryan paid for it and did not write it off, $700 on wine still smacks of Washington affluence, and I would have thought he would have known how that could come off.....but that Washington flu distorts perceptions of what rest of country is going thru....