So John Fund was hoodwinked: "[I]f Ryan is an extremist and his proposals are so unpopular, how has he won election seven times in a Democratic district? His lowest share of the vote was 57 percent — in his first race. He routinely wins over two-thirds of the vote.... Ryan has pointed out to me that no Republican has carried his district for president since Ronald Reagan in 1984."
From the Andrew Sullivan blog:
"A reader writes:
This isn't as much for you as for John Fund, but this is just Paul Ryan lying to John Fund. Bush carried Ryan's district in both 2000 and 2004.
Another:
Furthermore, Ryan's district voted for McCain at higher percentages than the nation at large. The district has a partisan voting index of R+1. In the last century, it has sent 11 Republicans to Congress and only 4 Democrats (and 1 Progressive).
Another:
Ryan's crossover appeal possibly is potent, but I'm not sure if looking at his election record speaks that strongly to such an appeal at a national level. According to Lizza's recent piece, the Ryan name goes a long way in his district:
Three families, the Ryans, the Fitzgeralds, and the Cullens, sometimes called the Irish Mafia, helped develop the town, especially in the postwar era. The Ryans were major road builders, and today Ryan, Inc., started in 1884 by Paul’s great-grandfather, is a national construction firm. The historic Courthouse section of Janesville is still thick with members of the Ryan clan ...
So it seems his name was a big reason he was recruited to run for office. Even though he's able to score Dem votes locally, that might simply be because his family has deep roots in the district and has employed many for years (Corporate HQ is still in town). I'd need to see more evidence to believe independents and Dems across the nation will eventually find him and his proposed policies palatable enough to vote for his ticket. And considering the polling done about his budget ... I'm skeptical.
Another:
Philip Klein's argument is disingenuous; Paul Ryan has never faced a serious challenger in his district. That factor, not the cross-over appeal of his views, or his persona charm, explains why he's won with such large margins of victory. The Democrats in WI and nationally have never taken seriously the notion that they should mount a serious challenge to Ryan in his House contests. Take a look at the expenditures of his opponents to see what I mean:
2000
Paul Ryan $1.3m
Opponent $11k
2002
Paul Ryan $1.2m
Opponent $41k
2004
Paul Ryan $1.4m
Opponent $6k
2006
Paul Ryan $1.5m
Opponent $2k
2008
Paul Ryan $1.7m
Opponent $152k
2010
Paul Ryan $3.9m
Opponent $12k
2012
Paul Ryan $4.3m
Opponent $1.2m "
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/
Alea note - I inverted the timeline on the chart and was too lazy to rewrite names etc.
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