Can you trust this man?
Ten days ago, we reported on Jim Ryun's claim that he didn't know Mark "booked for pages" Foley, even though Foley lived across the street and the two had thrown a block party together. Ryun claimed the parties were totally independent, a claim easily disproven by the single invitation they sent out. Our calls to Ryun's office seeking clarification went unanswered.
But he can't ignore everyone, and now Ryun's story on Foley changes:
Worried about winning a sixth term in Congress, U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun said this month he didn't know until recently that he lived across the street from disgraced Rep. Mark Foley….
Then, when faced with questions about how that could be the case considering Ryun in May hosted a fundraiser alongside Foley on D Street in Washington, D.C., Ryun's campaign said the events weren't jointly planned.
However, neither of those statements was completely accurate, Ryun's campaign admitted last week.
Jeffrey Black, campaign manager for Ryun, said the congressman always has known he lived across the street from Foley, who quit Congress after revelations he had been sending sexually explicit e-mails to congressional pages.
He also acknowledged that they had jointly planned the block party, though denying that Ryun and Foley ever talked about it. Ever.
As for why the teetotaling evangelical threw a party with a confessed alcoholic and apparent pedophile, the Ryun camp explained "We're in the business of raising money to get our message out."
At least Ryun is honest about that. If you want a Congressman who sees his job differently, try Nancy Boyda.
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Harry Truman used to say Richard Nixon would lie even when he didn't have to, just to keep his hand in.
The "I don't know Foley" lie is either evidence of Ryun's stupidity or his mendacity. Had he said ten days ago, "I was shocked! He lives across the street from me! The sad secrets some people keep!" it'd've been an absolute non-issue. But the cover-up, the changing stories, the initial instinct to lie rather than be open and honest... that sounds like a character issue to me.
Ryun admits in his autobiography that he cheated during his "amateur" athletic career. He lived on under-the-table money, such as his "show up when you feel like it" job at the Topeka Capital-Urinal.
Okay, so "everybody did it" back then. The status of amateur athletics was absurd and rightfully changed during Ryun's competitive years. But today in Congress, as in his Olympic races, Ryun runs back in the pack.
Still, he's got fundraising ability and has put together a tidy little retirement nestegg should he choose (or not) to leave politics. He's got a bargain piece of real estate on D Street. He's been trained for 10 years in "...the business of raising money to get our message out."
He's not in the representing the people of the 2nd District in Kansas. That's work. That's labor. That's leadership. That's management.
Ryun is a spokesmodel. Nothing more. A spokes-puppet. He'll parrot any lines from people and PACs who will give him money. He's democracy's version of the girl who says, "Apply directly to the forehead! Apply directly to the forehead."
2nd District residents deserve a representative in Congress who listens to people, speaks from his or her own informed experience and judgement, and doesn't spew out lies about stuff just to keep in practice.
I think Nancy Boyda might be the kind of person to represent the people of the 2nd District. If she's not, there's another election coming up in 2 years.
I'm not altogether proud that the main issue that drives my vote in the 2nd District Congressional race is that Nancy Boyda isn't Jim Ryun. But Jim Ryun is that bad, that stupid, that manipulate-able, that wrong as a true representative of the people of the 2nd District of Kansas.
Ryun "is in the business of raising money."
Even the worst liars trip over the truth sometimes.
Diane
I think you missed the point. It actually seems that Rep. Ryun is the one who is worried about "guilt by association". Otherwise, why would he lie about his association with Rep. Foley?
Josh's point, and I think it is an excellent one, is that Ryun changed his story to a more truthful version when he was confronted with factual evidence challenging his original dissembling. That ain't "guilt by association". That's called lying, which admittedly is more difficult for some folks to detect than it is for others.
What else ya got?
grady
You don't have to believe Josh. You just have to be able to read, to think, and have a computer so that you can click on this link to the Topeka Capitol-Journal (posted in the original story at the top of this comment thread, in case you missed it there).
Think you can handle that?