Uncork Some More Fine Democrat Whine...

And while we're on the topic of faux outrage from the bloviating Left, this gem from Ann Althouse about the Paul Ryan wine kerfluffle:

The new oppo research: Spotting the labels on the wine on the politician's restaurant table.
Some busybody business professor named Susan Feinberg pulled this trick on Paul Ryan and Talking Points Memo is lapping it up:

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....

So, Feinberg was appalled, stunned, and outraged. That's got to hurt.

[Feinberg] approached the table and asked Ryan "how he could live with himself" sipping expensive wine while advocating for cuts to programs for seniors and the poor. Some verbal jousting between Feinberg and the other two men ensued. One of the two men said he had ordered the wine, was drinking it and paying for it. In hearing how much the wine cost, Ryan said only: "Is that how much it was?"

Just recently:

Royal family, President Barack Obama & First Lady Michelle Obama dine on Echezeaux Grand Cru 1990 wine, which retails in U.S. for $1,000 to $1,700.

So, all the outrage is about Ryan drinking cheap wine???

Any takers on finding the outrage expressed by Professor Feinberg over Obama's expensive taste in wine or by Greg Sargent on Democrats' "sleazy dirty tricks" in the last election?

It's probably in the produce aisle, between the magic beans and the unicorn steaks.

H/T Memeorandum
Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.

More on Paul Ryan

by the Left Coast Rebel

Anyone that reads my thoughts on a regular basis knows that I am a big fan of Representative Paul Ryan. If you are not familiar with Ryan, please go here for "A Roadmap for America's Future."

Earlier this week Wesley Messamore at the Humble Libertarian noted an awesome exchange between Paul Ryan and statist-MSNBC'er Chris Matthews, writing:

THIS is how to talk to statist progressives like Chris Matthews. Congressman Paul Ryan stands up to Matthews and explains how new taxes hurt economic growth (and even government tax revenues, à la Art Laffer); why ending Bush's tax cuts would hurt small businesses and their workers- not "the wealthy;" and says exactly what he would cut out of the budget to fix America's unsustainable deficit- if only the obstructionist Democrats would allow it.

After watching the video below, read the summary that follows so you can learn how to better advocate for lower taxes, less spending, and fiscal responsibility.

Wesley has been interning at YAL this summer and told me recently that he has learned an incredible amount about effective activism for the pro-liberty cause. On that note, Wesley Messamore highlights several points about Paul Ryan's approach that are quite effective and concludes that:

Another key take-away is Ryan's demeanor. Notice how he smiles, speaks calmly and clearly, and uses simple facts. He's very polite and obviously very intelligent. This is how you defend liberty to its skeptics. Without being aggressive or ugly, he uses simple and true facts to spectacular effect. Without being impolite, the strength of his case made Chris Matthews look like an idiot. And ultimately- when the facts are on the table, statism always looks idiotic.

Wesley's writeup is a MUST READ for activists and hints at a new approach for essentially 'arguing with idiots' that rein in the so-called progressive movement/power structure today.
I can speak for myself in that I tend to become worked up and agitated when confronting progressive-statists and their ludicrous agenda talking points.

Wes' advice is solid - keep your cool, stick to the facts and ultimately from that vantage point, statism will always look idiotic, even to the politically uninitiated.

Updated: Well shiver me timbers - even old Andrew 'Sullie' Sullivan is a fan of Paul Ryan, "The Republican who Gives me Hope" :

If the GOP wins the House, as I assume they will, Ryan really will become a critical figure, it seems to me. He'll be the Chairman of the Budget Committee - and one of six members of the president's Debt Commission. If he can resist the enormous partisan pressure against bipartisan compromise and intellectual honesty, he will be the unlikely hinge in one of the most critical moments in American economic and fiscal history.

I agree, especially in bold.

Cross posted to LCR, Rational Nation.