Yesterday afternoon, The Nation's Lee Fang reported via a Freedom of Information Act request that in late 2010, Paul Ryan requested funds for a health-care clinic in his district under the Affordable Care Act. That's right. Paul Ryan, who then and now inveighs against Obamacare virtually every day of his life, wanted Obamacare funds.
I guess most people will respond to this with bemused cynical eye-rolling. David Frum noted to me yesterday that Phil Gramm used to say that he'd vote against every bloated appropriations bills, but if Congress passed them, by cracky he'd fight for Texas to get its share.
I, um, guess that's okay, or if not okay, at least the way of the world. But this is worse. This is Obamacare. This is the Big Evil, not just some run-of-the-mill approps bill. It's just astonishing. And Ryan's spokesman, when asked about the story by a Wisconsin paper, responded by...shocker here, but apparently by lying. He said that the particular program under which Ryan's office was requesting the funds was created by President Bush. But this HHS press release from August 2010, back when Obamacare was first bieng implemented, says pretty clearly what it says:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today the availability of up to $250 million in grants for New Access Points for the delivery of primary health care services for underserved and vulnerable populations under the Health Center Program. The funds, made available by the Affordable Care Act, will be awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
A new access point is a new full-time service delivery site that provides comprehensive primary and preventive health care services. New access points improve the health status and decrease health disparities of the medically underserved populations to be served.
Ryan also finally acknowledged not long ago--after initially (guess what) lying about it--that he sought stimulus funds too. What a total fraud this fraudulent fraud is. And if conservatives had principles besides winning elections, they'd acknowledge that Ryan's erstwhile high reputation among them has just been shredded, and shredded quickly and easily, in a matter of three weeks. Clinton destroyed him last night on that $716 billion. Wanna guess how he'll respond? Hint: Rhymes with crying.
