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.So, Feinberg was appalled, stunned, and outraged. That's got to hurt.
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....
[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?"Time to retreat and reposition. Enough of making a show of yourself and your puffy-chested husband in a fancy restaurant that you're about to get thrown out of. Get this story to TPM where it can go viral on the internet, where lots of folks stand ready to get appalled, stunned, and outraged.
The clash became especially heated when Feinberg asked the men if they were lobbyists.
"F---- her," one of them replied and stood up in a menacing way, according to Feinberg's account. Feinberg said her husband then "puffed out his chest" in response before the manager and a waiter came over and Feinberg decided she had said her piece and it was time to leave.
Ryan does not dispute most of the details of Feinberg's account, although he told TPM the two men are economists, not lobbyists, and characterized Feinberg as "crazy" and possibly drunk. For her part, Feinberg said she believes the economist at the table who got out his seat to challenge her was the one intoxicated.We've all had birthdays like that. How much does Prof. Feinberg weigh? I'd like to calculate her level of intoxication. A woman who's drunk half a bottle of wine and gets emotionally overwrought after calculating the price of items consumed at another table by a politician she loathes should probably restrain herself from going over to that table to tell him off.
"It was my birthday, and I'd had half a bottle of great wine with dinner," she wrote in an e-mail to TPM. "I wasn't drunk, but I was certainly emboldened to speak my mind."
And I love the way TPM states that the lobbyist/economist at the table who stood up was "menacing." Feinberg is the one who went over to a table of quiet diners and started interrogating them. Is this the kind of behavior TPM would like to encourage? Everyone in Washington restaurants should be eyeing the room looking for politicians they oppose, snapping photos of any expensive wine on their tables, and then — perhaps emboldened by their own wine consumption — march over and have an argument with them?
All right then! Release the Feinbergs!
Is this the oppo research of the future? What jackasses we are becoming!
TPM should be ashamed of itself passing along this embarrassing story and for the way it presented this material. In the middle of the piece, TPM informs us of Congressional ethics rules barring expensive gifts from lobbyists. I was thinking: Oh, maybe this is a serious problem. But if you keep reading, much further down, you see that Ryan paid for the meal with his own credit card, and TPM saw the receipt. Ridiculous! What hackery from the once-respectable Talking Points Memo!
Posts
362 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 362 of 362Feinberg's classlessness aside, and the little matter of lefty pots calling conservative kettles black, Ryan STILL should have known the political implications of a Republican "budget cutter" being seen in public drinking expensive wine in the present poisoned political atmosphere. The "atmospherics" were NOT GOOD.
Really? We live in a country where the POTUS spends our money putting Wagyu beef on the table and golfing nearly every weekend. His wife jets off with relatives and friends. They fly on AF1 for a "date".
Does anyone genuinely care if Paul Ryan spends $350 of his own money? No - they're just outraged to be outraged. Some liberal dining in the same restaurant, complaining about what his table ordered? How about the optics of that?
I have several handbags that cost that much, and believe me, I'm nowhere near as able to afford it as he is - but I treat myself sometimes.
What is he supposed to do, continuously slum it so that no one ever sees him enjoying himself or entertaining someone else? If he was blowing taxpayer money, maybe there would be an issue - but it's his money, and some thing simply aren't other people's business.
This whole thing is stupid, if you ask me. Really. Leave the guy alone.
wv: grace - something I wish people would extend to Representative Ryan.
the Coors brothers are on line 1 and they are kind of pissed Captain America Paul Ryan, brave public defender of overspending, is drinking $350 French wine instead of their American made Rocky Mountain piss water
"(I wonder if she deducts the train commute from her income tax? That would be a no-no but I bet she does)"
I know a liberal Democrat who does some freelance photography work. A little writing too.
So every trip he takes out of town, he deducts from his taxes as a business expense. He said his angle is that if he ever gets audited, he'll just tell the IRS that he was doing photography work on that trip. But most of the time he just bitches about Republicans not paying enough in taxes.
"Professor Feinberg is an associate professor at Rutgers."
No, she is not an associate professor.
She is merely an assistant professor.
Yet she is being paid a salary of $160,000 a year in taxpayer dollars and is thus able to afford to eat at restaurants that feature $350 bottles of wine and cater to members of Congress.
It's OBSCENE what this woman is making as a public employee. She makes almost as much as the Secretary of the Treasury.
She's also committed a serious violation of the Rutgers University Code of Ethics in stalking and accosting this Congressman while she was drunk in public.
"She be here. "Served on the International Economic Advisory team, 2004 Kerry-Edwards Campaign."
And she's a looker, too. Well, that explains the two bottles...
Carol H...good point. For Republicans, when they walk by this place, they will think about the Democrat stalkers there, and may opt for someplace out of the way to have dinner.
Perhaps if she had a Flip camera and claimed to be part of the new media, Althouse might recognize the journalism in this reporting. As it is, we can only wonder why a lowly professor is allowed to dine near our ruling elite.
Remember when Obama went to Philadelphia, and instead of ordering a Philly Cheese steak, he ordered ham that cost $100 a pound?
I do.
Ryan should look into cutting Rutgers out of the next federal budget since their assistant professors seem to have forgotten who pays their fucking tab to the tune of $160,000 a year.
You missed an update at TPM:
The wait staff and many of the kitchen employees took an immediate interest in the confrontation at Ryan's table, said a restaurant employee who asked not to be named.
"When [Feinberg] started challenging the congressman, she was a little loud and we all heard it. When folks realized she was giving the congressman you-know-what for living large, a lot of our staff was listening, edging close, but you know, trying not to be obvious.
"Then when she said, 'how dare you spend this kind of money in here!' All of us who work at the restaurant burst into applause--it was amazing--but it was visceral. Why would we want big shots like him coming in here throwing money around?"
"The manager came over--he was ticked off--and we all melted away of course.
"But before she left, I told the professor--who didn't get an appetizer, and split her chicken pasta with her husband and no dessert--we sure appreciated her being in solidarity with us."
Lom-Chick....good point. My Wisc school teacher sister and female counsins all buy the Coach bags. Or whatever is trendy this year. What do those cost? Seems wasteful.
I carry around a wallet that I got for free 6 years ago.
"Then when she said, 'how dare you spend this kind of money in here!' All of us who work at the restaurant burst into applause--it was amazing--but it was visceral. Why would we want big shots like him coming in here throwing money around?"
I guess the wait staff really hate their jobs and would prefer employment down at the Burger Shack.
You know, the only losers in this story are the restaurant staff at Bistro Bis, don't cha?
Yup their leftist populist bullshit trumps good paying work. I bet they go home at night Twittering how evil their employer is.
"Why would we want big shots like him coming in here throwing money around?"
Yeah, why would the waiters and bar staff want a bunch of big spenders coming into their restaurant and ordering $350 bottles of wine that automatically translate in to $52.50 worth of tips at 15%?
Why, they might get rich that way and then end up as one of the hated.
The entire waitstaff at this restaurant would be fired if I owned this joint. Are they fucking MORONS? They don't want big tickets? Big tips?
They are DESTROYING the owner of this restaurant's business by violating the privacy of their diners with these scurrilous accusations.
Fire the lot of them.
Sounds like the staff there just lost about 50% of their buisness. What self-respecting Republican would go in there after reading that.
"Please come and give us business. But just so you know, we hate you and maybe spit in your food."
The Congressman tipped them $80 for only ordering a bottle of wine. And they say "fuck you" to him for that? Classy joint.
Sounds like the staff there just lost about 50% of their buisness. What self-respecting Republican would go in there after reading that.
Don't worry there are plenty of lefties in D.C. to patronize that joint. Then the wait staff can pat themselves on the back for their "outing" of Ryan.
The waiters breaking into applause story sounds like bullshit. Don't believe it for a second.
The Congressman tipped them $80 for only ordering a bottle of wine. And they say "fuck you" to him for that? Classy joint.
Liberalism is a mental disorder. It trumps everything.
But before she left, I told the professor--who didn't get an appetizer, and split her chicken pasta with her husband and no dessert--we sure appreciated her being in solidarity with us
Wow. Just... wow.
"Why would we want big shots like him coming in here throwing money around?"
Yeah, why would the waiters and bar staff want a bunch of big spenders coming into their restaurant and ordering $350 bottles of wine that automatically translate in to $52.50 worth of tips at 15%?
Wait. What?
Why, they might get rich that way and then end up as one of the hated.
The entire waitstaff at this restaurant would be fired if I owned this joint. Are they fucking MORONS? They don't want big tickets? Big tips? Congressmen as diners attracting crowds?
They are DESTROYING the owner of this restaurant's business by violating the privacy of their diners with these scurrilous accusations.
Fire every. single. one. of. them.
How did TPM get a COPY of Ryan's receipt? Because the owners of this restaurant have hired FUCKING MORONS.
Fire the lot of them.
Maguro, true. Like the place in Madison, where one employee claimed that they refused service to Governor Walker. Turned out to be a fabricated story.
Fr Martin Fox said...
"Then when she said, 'how dare you spend this kind of money in here!' All of us who work at the restaurant burst into applause--it was amazing--but it was visceral. Why would we want big shots like him coming in here throwing money around?"
An obvious fraud. "Why would we want people paying our wages and tips?" You might see idiots like that at a college pizzeria; but I doubt it even there. Pizza workers like tips, too.
In a high end restaurant, the staff would never say something this dumb.
Fr Fox that post is an obvious lie. Any waitress or server knows that the tip is a percentage of the cost of the total check. So it is in their best interest of everyone to have a higher check. The waitress. The manager. The bus boy that gets a tip out. Without those checks the restaurant goes out of business and everyone loses their job.
It this is true and I was the manager or owner of that restaurant I would fire everyone. Right then and there.
But it is not true. It is a posting by an astroturfing liberal douchenozzle.
If this happened at any of the joints that I normally frequent, the waitress would calmly escort Ms. Feinberg away from the table.
And kick the living shit out of her.
I would expect nothing less.
It this is true and I was the manager or owner of that restaurant I would fire everyone. Right then and there.
Even if it's not a true story - the narrative is heart-warming to a liberal populist like garbage.
Restaurant workers standing up to the ruling class with chests puffed out and in solidarity ready to engage in Revolucion.
(ok, I guess I'm no good at satire; or too good?)
The applause story is just some idiot liberal's fantay of how "the working class" views things like that. No way it's real.
"... we sure appreciated her being in solidarity with us."
Misery loves company.
If I were the owner of this restaurant I would issue a press release stating that Ms. Fienberg and anyone else who would accost one of my patrons and harangue them about their meals would be banned from my establishment for life. I would post their photo and tell anyone who seated them that they would be fired.
He better stop the bleeding toot sweet.
Like urban myths, sometimes things are so over the top, that you can spot it as a fake post. Especially at a high end restaurant like this. I'm pretty right wing, but if members of the Kennedy family came into a place I worked, gave us lots of business and typed me $80 for bringing them a bottle of wine, I'd be more than fine with that. Although stories out of Mass. say they are poor tippers.
it's about the truth of the narrative rather then the actual truth. If the populist wait-staff didn't exist, the left would have to invent them.
"In a high end restaurant, the staff would never say something this dumb."
I agree. The alleged quotes from the waitstaff just don't pass the smell test.
It's pretty clear that Talking Points Memo is making up fake quotes from "anonymous" sources. This tactic all too common amongst the liberal media since these sorts of "sources" can't ever really be falsified and even when they are the damage is already done.
Anybody who reads TPM is already a partisan though. They're not changing votes with these types of stories, but what they are doing is putting the $2 billion of annual federal outlays to Rutgers University in dire straights.
Paul Ryan controls purse strings and Rutgers is allowing their dumb bitch assistant professors to cunt off in public while drunk - pissing off the very people who pay their fat salaries.
That's a dumb ass move if I ever saw one.
Rutgers needs to yank this bitch's leash. Hard.
I made up the "update," I was expecting it to be obvious, don't blame TPM...
Sorry if I did my satire too well, or not well enough...
"In the original version of this article TPM mistakenly reported this occurred on Tuesday night rather than Wednesday. This has now been corrected."
Gee, they can't even get the day it happened right.
Layers and layers and layers of editors and fact checkers over there at TPM.
I am sorry I called you an astroturfing liberal douchenozzle Fr. Fox.
Can I get absolution?
If you only hit me with five All Fathers and five Hail Mary's I can arrange for you to say Mass at a really cool new holy place.
Just sayn'
Trooper:
(Laughs) Sure...it was all in good fun. I was actually tempted to let it be, the reactions were pretty funny. But it wasn't meant to be credible.
A classic pwn, Fr. Fox. But it does capture the mindset of the professor and her puffed up husband.
All politics aside-- if this woman had truned up at my table behaving like that, the only thing she would have found out about the wine is how hard it is to launder out.
Fr Martin Fox said...
I made up the "update," I was expecting it to be obvious, don't blame TPM...
Well, I did say it was an obvious fraud. I just didn't realize it was your obvious fraud.
Problems:
1. Nosy, pushy, colossal bitch also milking the gov't bennies to the max gets outraged about seeing a Congressman subtly bought over a 300.00 bottle of wine.
2. "Reformer" Congressman Ryan, preacher of austerity in awful economic times - gives the public that has Congress down at 18% approval - another signal that the Ruling Elites consider that nothing really has changed for them.
3. Partisans on both sides fail to understand the "hypocrisy" charges to not make voters go "Oh, but Michelle Obamas 38 million dollar FLOTUS vacation to have her hand kissed by Spanish Royalty was WORSE, so I'll take the Republican Party to heart - the personal belt-tightening and austerity advocated by Ryan, the "living within our means message of Newt Gingrich as he explains his half million rolled over line of credit at Tiffany's jewelry".
I think the general sentiment is "A pox on both Parties".
4. I believe the "Freedom argument" doesn't work well for present day Marie Antoinettes of the Ruling Elites. Yes, it is all about the Freedom of rich people enjoying tax cuts or huge Green Energy subsidies to subsidize Nancy Pelosi's lavish soiree in Napa Valley or greet as conquering hero Billy Tauzin of the prescription drug entitlement Bush slathered into his "deficits don't matter under supply side theory" spending.
The public is in a mood to pack people in tumbrels and lop off their heads. The Dems, Republicans, the Goldman Sachs bankers, the media enablers, the ones who sold us out to China.
C4: The public is in a mood to pack people in tumbrels and lop off their heads.
Oh please 2011 America is not 1790 France. Go read some history douchenozzle. Do you know that during the French Revolution hundreds of thousands of people were murdered in the countryside outside of Paris?
garage mahal,
I'm getting something when I pay public workers. Things like mail, teachers, fire and safety protection, snowplow drivers, garbage haulers, clean water, nice parks. I get nothing from paying Ryan to sip $350 wine. I get nothing from Ryan whatsoever. It's amazing to me working class Republicans continually fall for what this charlatan sells. He voted for all the budget busting debt he now tells us must be paid for by the working class, elderly, and disabled -- or he'll blow the economy up. How fucking stupid do you have to be to vote for it unless you're part of the tiny fraction of people that benefit from it?
He bought that wine with his own money. It might have been a stupid purchase (I know what I'd do with $472, and wine isn't involved), but it's his money and he can spend it however he likes. What exactly is your beef? If he'd spent the same money on a model sailplane, or a desk, or a two-day excursion to Minnesota (oh, not such a good time just now), would that be better?
wv: chlomon. Oh, chlomON.
Carol,
I like "mater De's." Really I do.
wv: nonses. 'Nuff said, nyet?
All Fathers
As a redneck Protestant, I've only been in Catholic churches for 4 weddings and a funeral, but I know that ain't right. When did you last go to confession, my son?
Althouse - this is just the beginning! Wait until the grocery clerk tells what toilet tissue 2ply vs. 1ply a congressman uses. Everyone will have to use proxy's to go out and shop with...CASH so there's no receipt with a name. People will use small cameras to watch those parking in lots to see who the proxy's are attached to which congressman/woman and follow them home. As it is - its been reported that democrat activists are going out and following republicans around to get them on tape. Living next to a local republican that ran for state legislature, when they had an open house, the street was lined with cars, everyone was polite, people brought food, no big whoop. I'm out watering the grass and I see this guy come out of nowhere and he's taking pictures of the cars and license plates. Its started....
JAL: Oh. But Michelle and the fat police would be on your case.
While many parts of Michelle are fat, her arms are not. So calling her "fat" is not entirely fair. You racist pig. (That was parody. I have no idea whether or not race, yours or hers, motivated your thoughts. Just threw that in there in the spirit of being stupid. Which the article about the wine was.)
Speaking of pigs, while many parts of many police departments are fat, so calling police "fat" is not entirely fair.
I guess I can't call you a "pig" because that's what some disrespectful people call the police, and you were calling the police fat. If a person who hates based on race is a racist, are people who hate on fat "fatist"? Probably not, since that pronunciation would be too close to "fattest", which means the most fat.
Have you ever seen Milwaukee County Sheriff's Deputy's on foot patrol at the Lake Michigan park? They are uniformed and uniformly large. Seriously round.
'Blogger Trooper York said...
If you want a tip from someone who drinks wine with every dinner I would recommend a nice dry Sangiovese from Tuscany. My absolute favorite is Santa Cristina which has become a particularly common wine in many Italian restaurants who want great quality for a nice price. The newer vintage has a fresh fruity and earthy flavor of strawberry..'
I'm always amused by wine reviews that describe the flavor as like plums, cherries or strawberries (above). How the hell does a product of 100% grapes do that?
I would make a wager that Feinberg's home and "lifestyle" are filled with more precious bits than Ryan's. She will have a top end espresso machine, he will not. She, or her husband, will drive a European car, Ryan will not. She has been to Europe more times than Ryan. She shops at Whole Foods or its equivalent, Ryan does not. She has designer/antique furniture, Ryan does not. Conversely, Ryan contributes more to charity than she does. He has spent more hours actually talking with poor people than she has. He knows the names of more poor people than she does. And so on.
Academics, present company included, lead a very sheltered but pampered life and devote a great deal of thought to consumption of the very right things.
FR.Fox: A lie is easily spotted by the level of detail introduced that is unnecessary for the story. In this case it is the "spontaneous applause" bit that gave you, the writer, away. This is something you should know from hearing first confessions where fiction is a requirement. Also, waiters, even hipster waiters, do not use the word "solidarity." That is confined to fatso midwesterners protesting having to pay part of their way.
the once-respectable Talking Points Memo!
[::Insert Peals of Shrill, Hysterical Laughter Here::]
It's fine for left-wingers to enjoy wealth - especially if that enjoyment is off the backs of the tax payer. But damn it to hell if a Republican pays for and enjoys a sophisticated bottle of wine.
garage mahal said...
"So taxpayers were paying Ryan to sip $350 wine at a meeting to figure out ways to fuck the working class and the poor in this country."
Help me out. How are taxpayers paying Ryan to sip $350 wine? You seem to be implying a much more intimate nexus than the mere fact that he's a government employee so all his money is, in a sense, taxpayer-funded. In normal parlance, to say "last night I sipped a beer that my employer bought for me" would not be construed as "I sipped a beer that I bought with money my employer gave me in regular exchange for work."
Fr. Martin. Fox. @ 1:39 PM
You know, wait staff like that spit into your food, too, before it's brought to the table.
I think Paul Ryan should sue!
More "back of the envelope calculations." There has been lots of commenting about Feinberg's blood alcohol level. But it appears that there were at least two bottles of wine consumed at Ryan's table in "90 minutes."
Ryan only admits to "a glass." Does anyone know the weight of the two economists?
How good is the advice of the economists after a bottle of wine? Aren't we being sexist here?
You people calling Feinberg rude are so out of line. The truth is she was just minding her own business when Ryan ran over and choked her for no reason. An unbiased investigative reporter told me so.
Next time those economists feel like having an expensive meal and wine with a veteran Althouse commenter on economics and all that, they can call me!
Trooper York @ 1:53 PM
You know, I don't think waitresses work in the Bistro Bis. Sounds like it's populated with a male staff.
So, let's say they had two people standing at Paul Ryan's table ... Wouldn't they first toss the puffed up chest's gent outside? I'm sure the missus would follow. Especially, if the "puffed up chest guy" was in a head lock.
As to Feingold, she's lucky the wine was expensive! Otherwise someone at the table could have just tossed a glass? Isn't there a russian cry that goes with tossed liquor glasses?
If I do remember the original story, one of the economist's at the table rose up. He was faster than the wait staff? And, they still got tips?
You know, the best restaurants, right there, would have gone over to Paul Ryan's table and said "tonight's dinner is on us."
Honest. When an upset of this magnitude happens, the meal is the least of what you get free.
garage is in big trouble here. He's insisted the government workers are holy sacred cows and they can't be questioned what they do with their time & money. Here is Paul Ryan who got ELECTED to office(not just randomly employed) and he's spending HIS after-tax income how he likes. This is a terrible inconsistency for garage.
I agree with you Carol. They should have comped him the meal or at least the bottle of wine. In any event they should never allow another diner to accost someone while they were eating. That would never happen here in Brooklyn.
Every so often we go out to dinner with a friend of ours who is a pretty big TV star. They never let anyone accost her. Or bother her. Let alone yell at her. What kind of joint are they running there?
Of course I never have to worry. If she came up to our table my wife would knock her out. If she ever made it that far.
This story can be very damaging to the reputation of this restaurant.
They have to do something quickly to cover their ass.
Lars it is the hint of a flavor that you get when you drink it. It doesn't exactly taste like plums or strawberry just a "hint" of it. Like if you kissed Hillary on the lips and got a faint taste of fish.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
"Blogger Trooper York said...
Lars it is the hint of a flavor that you get when you drink it. It doesn't exactly taste like plums or strawberry just a "hint" of it. Like if you kissed Hillary on the lips and got a faint taste of fish."
Trooper, that's not the faint taste of fish, that's a case of the crabs.
Wait a minute. Have you been making out with Florence Henderson again?
What hackery from the once-respectable Talking Points Memo!
When were they ever respectable? I can't remember that being the case and I voted for Al Gore.
Ryan should know better than to let someone else choose the wine if he's going to pay for half (and only drink one glass). How will he defend the taxpayer if he won't look after his own interest?
Is anyone else having trouble with Blogger today? I keep getting "Service unavailable."
The comment count on this affair will probably top that of Casey Anthony. There's something about this that causes more agita than a child murdering mother...Democrats enjoy spending other people's money, but what really gets them off is feeling other people's indignation. A homeless crack whore who just had her welfare benefits cut could not be at that expensive bistro to protest Ryan's policies. But Mrs. Feinberg could. Prof. Feinberg channeled the wrath of a thousand homeless crack whores when she confronted Rep. Ryan about his choice of wines. When you pass judgement on Prof. Feinberg, you are passing judgement on homeless crack whores everywhere.
Yet she [Feinberg] is being paid a salary of $160,000 a year in taxpayer dollars [as an assistant prof]
*Choke, gasp, sputter* Just 10 years ago salaries for assistant professors were just north of $50k in La Jolla!
I see the problem but HTF did it happen?
I'm beginning to think that every University faculty is a bubble just waiting to burst.
The question is when will the national media pick this up and pound it? If it remains just on the blogs, it won't get anywhere in terms of electoral math.
Salary of US Representative Paul Ryan, managing $13.5 Trillion annual Federal budget: $174,000
Salary of Associate Professor at Rutgers Susan Feinberg, teaching personal finance (to poor reviews) 2 days a week: $159,600
But yeah, sure, Paul Ryan's the one who should be embarrassed about spending his money.
This Feinburg person is a professor of business, an anti business professor of business. Perhaps she could draw up for us a chart detailing what foods and wines may be consumed by people of various political outlooks and with different versions of how to balance the budget. This could be very helpful for restaurants and possibly even vintners. Pro abortion people could, for instance, consume more and more expensive items because they aren't cluttering up the landscape with children. Gays, of course, can have as much as they want and at whatever price and can deduct the meals at the most advantageous marital status available to heteros. Conservatives, millionaires and billionaires, usually eat in their exclusive clubs away from the prying eyes of drunken academics, but were they to eat in public they would be allowed to eat and drink at the equivalent of the Govt. per diem for a middle grade worker. Less if they were arguing for cuts in spending, and in direct proportion to the cuts.
Okay Democrats, it's Ripple with dinner until after the election. Thank you , Prof Feinberg.
She better snorkel out to John F Kerry's yacht and check his wine list.
"Blogger Trooper York said...
Wait a minute. Have you been making out with Florence Henderson again?"
LOL!
I've noted your wine recommendations (Santa Chris.., Il Bastardo, and Marques de..) and will sample.
It will never matter to the MSM or the liberals that Dems spend and live lavishly because they care about the poor. So it fits the narrative perfectly that the mean, push grandma over the cliff congressman was drinking expensive wine.
Goodness! Such outrage! You'd think that, if the incident were so innocent, none of you would mind its publication.
Oh, let's remember the furor over $400 haircuts and Michele Obama's clothing and, jeez, presidential minutiae that makes Republicans froth.
BTW, Ryan's error was in accepting the wine without knowing its cost, because he was obliged - because of ethics rules - to pay for it.
BTW, Ryan's error was in accepting the wine without knowing its cost, because he was obliged - because of ethics rules - to pay for it.
Basically you imply that Ryan was about to accept a free $700 dinner until confronted by the noble professor and then he paid for the bill to avoid ethics charges.
What kind of name is 4cf6abb8-4e32-11e0-a716-000bcdcb471e?
That's worse than a cabby from Sierre Lone with no vowels in his name.
Mick check his birth certificate to see if he is a natural born American!
Someone needs to follow Feinberg the next time SHE goes out for a meal, stare at her throughout, and then storm over to HER table - loudly proclaiming the crime of her obsessive salt intake, when the poor children of the new country of South Sudan can't even dream of providing salt dispensers for their families ... all the while taping it for YouTube. See how SHE likes it when someone rides over on a hobbyhorse to confront HER over something that's meaningless and none of their business.
Someone needs to follow Feinberg the next time SHE goes out for a meal, stare at her throughout, and then storm over to HER table - loudly proclaiming the crime of her obsessive salt intake, when the poor children of the new country of South Sudan can't even dream of providing salt dispensers for their families ... all the while taping it for YouTube. See how SHE likes it when someone rides over on a hobbyhorse to confront HER over something that's meaningless and none of their business.
Not the same thing. The sheer symbolism of Ryan drinking $350 bottles of wine with right-wing economists planning how to cut off poor people from Medicare is staggering. Talk about horrible optics!
NEWS ALERT! Perhaps, we are being scammed?
I went back to Ann's post at 9:50AM.
It's the "customer's copy" ... so the receipt isn't signed? But there's a tip amount of $80. And, then, it looks like there's almost a math error. But it's fixed, when filling in the total. $472.
It's not the store's copy. The receipt's not valid without the customer's signature.
And, we are TOLD by someone who says they were in the restaurant. Professor Feinberg. That she caused a ruckus. She went to Ryan's table. Her husband also stood there while she shouted. And, her husband puffed his chest out.
When Ryan got to this fancy restaurant, you want me to believe he said "separate checks?"
You want me to believe Ryan, who was at Table #22. Where the slip says TWO dinners were served ... There were also two men, who were "guests." But they weren't.
This was a table that came in ... and asked for separate checks!
Oh, and you're to assume a fancy bottle of fench wine was ordered ...
TELL ME, Sherlock, how did you deduct that?
Oh? You didn't "deduct that" ... because $700 worth of wine was brought to the table.
You know what I think of this whole FAR-COCK-TA minsa? I think it's an urban legend.
I don't think it's true.
But just like Friar Micahel Fox. And, Friar Tuck. It's a piece of creative writing. UNTRUE.
I call the whole story FALSE.
All I know is that before 10PM, on July 6th ... Ryan and his wife ate a nice dinner at Bistro Bis.
And, I'm with Trooper York, here. The WHOLE CREW THAT WORKS AT THIS PLACE ... should be tossed out on their rear ends.
I bet, ahead, SNOPES, will investigate another URBAN LEGEND.
In most restaurants, the "customer copy" goes in your pocket.
It doesn't go to some media shill site ...
And, now we're nearing 300 comments.
Carol - you assume that if Republicans stop going to this restaurant that will mean a fall-off of business. I think they would make it up with Democrats anyways. Lately I've noticed a trend in some left-wing cities that specifically cater to progressive clients.
I question the validity of any user who uses a GUID as their name.
Alex - you miss the larger point. Ryan didn't order the wine! One of his dinner companions ordered.
Direct from the TPM article, "'Ryan: "A.) I didn't order it. B.) I had no idea what it would cost, and C.) ...I bought one of these bottles even though I drank a glass, and I always pull my own weight for my meals."'"
I get nothing from paying Ryan to sip $350 wine.
Um, so by this "logic" anything Paul Ryan does at any time of day, you are "paying for"?
Can you point us to your criticisms of Obama being "paid" to have White House parties?
Can you point us to your criticisms of Nancy Pelosi being "paid" to travel on a gulfstream?
Thanks in advance.
Swift - I'd rather Ryan not apologize for enjoying an expensive bottle of wine. He comes off defensive, like he's apologizing for an ethical lapse.
Somehow Obama didn't catch any MSM flack for his Wagyu steak dinners.
Alex. At 6:32 PM. Believe what you want.
Some people believe they've inherited the stock their grandparents bought for the Brooklyn Bridge. Sometimes they put up toll booths. But angry crowds gather ... and storm right by.
This "story" about the expensive wine is BULLSHIT!
Or, as SNOPES would report: URBAN LEGEND.
Did the Ryan's dine there?
Sure. And, ya know what? A waiter who had the credit card ... or the cashier who "swoopoed it through the machine ... could have done a dummy! Which says "customer copy" ... on a slip that got voided.
You don't know from this story what the Ryan's ate. Or if they had company with them that night. Or if they ordered wine. NADA information is on that receipt!
Professor Feinberg? She works as an assistant professor at Rutgers. She thinks her husband is chicken breasted. And, she's entertained when he "poofs out his chest."
Other than that? NOTHING in the story points to wine having been ordered by the Ryan's!
And, ya know what? You can see the restaurant's wine list on the Internet! It's on-line.
And, for a lot of people ... who aren't too concerned with facts ... it's fun to talk about expensive wines.
Smells good. Or not. I prefer water. Or a siphon of seltzer. But as good as seltzer is ... it's very hard to get.
Why is this so surprising? My mom listens to Rush Limbaugh religiously, so one day, when I read Josh of TPM babbling about how good he was to complain about Bush putting troops into Afghanistan, since righties were complaining about US involvement in Kosovo, I wrote him to tell him I had heard Limbaugh (mentioned specifically by TPM as one of these Cassandras) assuring his listeners not to be worried if the US military needed to put boots on the ground in the Balkans. His response? "Well, he probably said something else like it, so it doesn't really matter!"
Once a dirty, lying shitbag, forever a dirty, lying shitbag. Why so surprised?
I blame Howdy Doody.
The seltzer bottle would come out ... and kids in the audience would be spritzed.
From the article: Ryan: “I think it’s stupid to pick up that much for a bottle of wine under any circumstance.”
That tells me all I need to know. Ryan betrays a genuine Middle American ethic, much like Sarah Palin's. TPM is pushing this whole thing as faux class warfare fodder.
"Betrays" in the sense of "gives away' or reveals. Poor word choice.
I don't believe a word TPM writes!
They make it sound like some repor-dette called Paul Ryan's publicist; asking for a comment.
It's almost Talmudic in the way you have to peer at the commentary ... looking to see if there are kernels of truth present. Or not.
Carol - then Ryan should sue for libel/defamation.
No, Alex. I don't care what happens to you in life. But don't sue anyone. Because that involves hiring lawyers!
Remember Rule #1: When you are approached by a cop. And, you are asked a question. The first words to practice saying are:
AM I FREE TO GO?
No, Alex. I don't care what happens to you in life.
What precipitated this comment? I didn't mention anything about myself.
Yet another teacher providing material for the masses to confirm their beliefs about moonbat teachers.
Alex, then you're out of your mind!
Who says "Ryan should sue" ... when this is advice you wouldn't even take, yourself?
Ryan doesn't need to sue anybody!
He has a publicist in his office who is responsible for "content" when a call comes in from a media jerk.
This one has URBAN LEGEND written all over the TMP toilet paper!
I doubt the "bottle of wine" part is even true. Only that Ryan's publicist was asked to comment about the Bistro Bis' most expensive wine on its list.
Then they went with the Rotgut professor's story.
Where, on close inspection, you'll learn that Feinberg is married to a man who is chicken breasted. And, he puffs up. This is something that we're told is a gesture to protect his missus.
She probably bullshits the same way to her students who take her Love & Money "economics" course.
This lady is not worth the price of admission.
And, Ryan not suing for libel/slander does not prove he drank the wine, either.
Made up story. Fake receipt.
You don't even have to be Sherlock to get this far on the "evidence" that's been submitted.
Meanwhile, we're not jurors.
We're all entitled to our own opinions.
Re the CC receipt.
And why did Paul Ryan give his receipt to TPM?
That doesn't make sense.
Good tipper. >20%
Carol - maybe less caffeine.
Somebody was trashing Whole Foods as yuppie or something. Hey, they aren't that bad, and like most stores, you need to pick your spots. For example, at a Whole Foods in Milwaukee I could get raw almonds for $4.99 a pound, and Tazo tea was cheaper there than at the Piggly-Wiggly. Organic food is more expensive everywhere. Their organic veggies were more robust and had a longer refrigerator life than veggies I purchased else where. Besides, they had superb free samples. Their deli would run daily specials, and those were usually good meals of exceptional value. Furthermore, the staff at the Whole Foods on North Avenue, by Farwell, was always friendly and helpful. Heck, they had specials on wine, sometimes $4.95 a bottle.
In summary: If you buy everything from Whole Foods, you're paying too much. Pick your spots, and you'll get some bargains.
I have never, ever seen a guy puff out his chest after his wife acted like a complete and total out-of-control bitch. They should have thrown a glass of the wine into her face.
From seeing her picture, I would assume her husband needed several bottles of wine just to marry her.
The "receipt" came from someone at the restaurant. It says "customer copy." It does NOT bear a signature. It was NOT left on the table. It was NOT presented to the customer.
Let the owner of the Bistro Bis dig deeper.
As Trooper York said. If he owned the joint he'd fire everybody.
By the time we've analyzed wine-gate to death, the MSM will start covering it.
Yet another teacher providing material for the masses to confirm their beliefs about moonbat teachers. Have you seen The Bad Teacher yet? Pretty funny. Like most parodies it works well because there is enough of a semblance of truth in the story.
That was a parody, wasn't it?
Alex, a good cup of coffee is in the beans. Use Chemex.
Carol - caffeine makes me jittery.
Milwaukee:
FAKE BUT ACCURATE
It is their tag line.
Is all this the main stream media's way of diverting our attention from the 800 days we have gone without a budget, or the war in Libya, or the Fast and Furious guns for criminals news?
Wouldn't it be easier to raise the debt-ceiling if we had a budget, and we knew what all that money was for?
Jobs, jobs, jobs. All that matters is that 20% unemployment rate and what the fuck is Barry doing about it?
Alex,
Then I shouldn't send you to InstaPundit, to see how two cups of Newman's Own, got him through some heavy writing ... as he was lifting another chapter of his book out of thin air.
I, on the other hand, followed the link to Amazon.
Different strokes for different folk.
It's hard to improve on Chemex, though.
Amazing how TPM caters to the garbage mahals & alex's of the gibbering idiot left by demonstrating how a drunken biyotch [evidently born in the sign of Cancer, famous for excessive sybaritic eating and drinking] can be a totally clueless c*nt in broad daylight [or eventide]. I'll bet Feinberg will now become a working class hero for the aesthetic elitists of the campus faineants. And I'll bet they were ushered out of Bistro Bis and told not to bother to return until she sobers up.
I'd like to see the effeminate freak she married as he tries to 'puff up his chest.'
As to jobs, IF the Bistro Bis manager or owner fires all his wait staff and cashier crew ...
Will they applaud?
Would we?
It's a tough employment market.
Somehow, Ryan's dining experience ended up "the talk of the town."
Seems to me it could make for some unexpected employment problems for people who have jobs ... where they can start work at 3PM. Usually "work" involves alarm clocks that throw you out of bed in the morning.
As to their wine list; I don't think the Bistro Bis will see an improvement in their high end wine sales.
"Strawberries" will go back to what Captain Queeg was searching for. On the Caine.
Carol - it's not like the manager can fire all his staff immediately. He needs to slowly find replacements who put business above their personal politics. If he fired them all immediately he'd go out of business.
Horse feathers, Alex.
Wait staff is a dime a dozen.
I bet, just by this story going viral, the manager is getting more calls asking if he has positions open, than callers making reservations.
I have to say, though, I read through this entire thread. Starting this morning. Because the wine suggestions were wonderful!
It was like an episode with Emeril. BAM! The viral notches kept getting higher and higher.
Until, Sherlock whispered out to take a look at that receipt, again.
Carol - it's true that wait staff at a low-level restaurant is fairly easily replaceable. But a waiter at a 5-star is expected to know the wine menu, the specials and to easily assist the customer in their orders. There are more expectations on a 5-star restaurant waiter then some schlub at Applebee's.
Michael said...
FR.Fox: A lie is easily spotted by the level of detail introduced that is unnecessary for the story. In this case it is the "spontaneous applause" bit that gave you, the writer, away. This is something you should know from hearing first confessions where fiction is a requirement. Also, waiters, even hipster waiters, do not use the word "solidarity." That is confined to fatso midwesterners protesting having to pay part of their way.
Heh--yeah, I was hoping folks would pick it up on their own. I was making a point and having a bit of fun to do it. For those who don't get it: my invented dialogue is what folks like Garage and Prof. Feinberg think should have happened--isn't it?
If a man preaching GOVERNMENT austerity while drinking a $350 bottle of wine, that's fine with me.
If he pulls an Al Gore and tries to tell me what kind of light bulb to use, then he may have a problem with 'optics'.
But honestly, even if this was a really bad case, when are Democrats NOT screaming that Republicans are evil, greedy, puppy-stomping monsters? Does anyone except the choir even hear those sorts of messages any more?
It's the hypocrisy. Liberals are stereotyped as latte-sipping, Volvo-driving snobs. During one particularly desperate patch in the presidential campaign, Barack Obama was accused of eating arugula, which of course made him an "elitist."
But Paul Ryan drops $700 on two bottles of wine and he's just a downhome reg'lar fella whoopin' it up and having a good ol' time, just like reg'lar folks all over this great land of ours.
It's simply another example of "it's OK when Republicans do it."
Alex,
"If" it is as you say. And, the wait staff are so well trained ... how did Professor Feinberg get close enough to seated diners ... to start a commotion about a bottle she saw on their table? From a distance.
Did she sit at her seat and use a spy glass?
Does the restaurant supply a ship's wheel ... so she can stand up ... and rotate it ... And, manuever herself and her husband (who puffs out his chest), into position?
I'm calling the story bullshit.
I'm calling the "wait staff" inferior ... because at some point the customer's credit card goes through an extra swipe.
And, "experienced" staff "at a fine 5-star establishment" wouldn't go running to the Daily Enquirer. Or the toilet paper TPM. MPT. Or whatever.
The Bistro Bis manager can call paris ... and have an experienced wine buff waiter showing up within seven hours.
Plus, the company that sells the wine. ONE. PHONE. CALL. And, you've got your expert replacements.
Heck, all the manager has to do is run an employment ad in Variety. Then, he gets an actor with a tuxedo, too.
Sure. Professor Feinberg teaches resume enhancement. To the jerks that attend Rotgut. But ya know what? Even among her students. Some have seen the insides of fancy restaurants. And, their kitchens!
I'm calling you on what I think is an URBAN LEGEND.
And, I'm agreeing with Trooper York. The entire staff gets fired!
Without even Paul Ryan lifting a finger.
Can we go back to wine descriptions, please?
More strawberries.
More plums.
More tarred feathers of chickens.
Plus, a siphon of soda water. This, served with a meal, is heaven.
There's something meta about a college course that teaches you how to pay for college. Why go to college? To develop the skills necessary to make money to pay off your college loans.... I don't think irony is the professor's strong suit. She goes to an expensive restaurant to demonstrate her solidarity with the poor and wretched of the earth. Right. And DSK is willing to demonstrate his empathy for the working class at a moment's notice in any luxury hotel he stays at....I'm trying to isolate what is so annoying about the good professor. It's not just the bad manners. It's the pure self indulgence and phoniness of someone who passes such facile judgement on a fellow human being. Your chances of being right are inversely proportional to the self righteousness with which you voice your opinions.
Earth to Carol--the "update to TPM" was a complete joke, a modest parody by our very on Fr. Fox. Please stop reacting to it now as if any of it were actually reported anywhere...
wv: fledil -- "Having trouble detecting irony? Ask your doctor if Fledil is right for you..."
It's simply another example of "it's OK when Republicans do it."
Wisco - are you really this dense. Democrats profess to be the party of the people, the party of the common man. Now, here's this elitist professor eating in a fancy, upscale restaurant that no common man, let alone someone making minimum wage, could reasonably afford to eat in. She makes a big fuss because someone else is eating and drinking more lavishly than she.
I've never drank $350 wine, nothing close. But, I'm glad people go through the trouble and pursue excellence to make ultra fine wines, exquisite cars, gourmet foods, etc. It's art and craftsmanship at its finest.
The common man has never been able to afford the finest except in small bits, maybe. That's the way it is, has been and always will be. Get used to it.
I'd rather live in a world where such finery exists than a realm of mediocrity imposed upon us by small, simple minds. Just as I like living in a country where we pursued and achieved the dream of going to the moon.
Personally, I'll never get that opportunity. So what? As long as we have freedom, I'm happy. The one thing the left want to take away in the name of their warped values is freedom. Screw 'em.
Earth to Kirk Parker
I went back to Ann's 9:48 LINK to the original receipt.
Take a look at it.
It details a service to TWO diners. And, it's the "customer's copy" ... It is unsigned ... even though you can see the tip is written in.
If the top copy is also unsigned ... then you can throw it in the garbage. Because you need a signed receipt for the credit card company to pay up.
Then I said I question the story that there were more than 2 people at Paul Ryan's table. WHO GOES TO A FANCY RESTAURANT AND SAYS "SEPARATE CHECKS?"
Denny's, okay. Separate checks. They'll do this. And, that's where cheap dining experiences stop.
Then, I said URBAN LEGEND!
Not just the Friar Fox. But the Professor's narrative. I call it BULLSHIT!
It's interesting that you can weave a narrative out of a receipt that the "customer didn't put in his pocket." It means it's possible ....
THIS RESTAURANT HAS A SHIP'S WHEEL. You can sit in your seat. Take out your spy glass. Hone in on what Paul Ryan's table has been served ... because you can "read the wine label."
You then, after you finish your dinner (no receipt produced to see if this is true. Or not.) But you rise out of your seat. And, USING THE SHIP'S WHEEL ... you and your husband maneuver forward.
And, you give Paul Ryan (whom you've recognized) holy hell.
I think not.
I think, however, this became today's TROPHY. Collecting 300 hits, more or less ... because it gave everybody a chance to jump in with opinions of what's in a $300 bottle of wine. Of course, it must come from France.
They drop the liquid in on the French side of the Atlantic ... and it bubbles on course ... until it reaches the Potomac. Where it is swilled out. And, bottled.
When it is served the wait staff ... go through the whole presentation. The glass is filled. The contents are sniffed.
Even if this didn't end up in the final "report."
Then? This story. A viral hit piece against Paul Ryan ... ended up here ... like a football.
And, you know what? I've taken a few kicks.
Because Lucy held it. Or, it's not a real football.
But then I heard Sherlock Holmes call out ... take another look at the receipt. Evidence? REALLY?
Doesn't pass the smell test.
If there's ever a follow up? I hope we get to hear from the wait staff at this stellar 5-star restaurant. Not that I'd go there to dine.
But I'd like to see who does, ahead, anyway.
I live in a part of the country surrounded by the common man.
Does not bother them one bit if some other folk here and there in America drink pricey wine or use private jets.
Whatever floats their boats.
My friends have their John Deeres, the freezer's full and they have a good life.
Why are the lefties such small people?
Wisco: It's the hypocrisy. Liberals are stereotyped as latte-sipping, Volvo-driving snobs. During one particularly desperate patch in the presidential campaign, Barack Obama was accused of eating arugula, which of course made him an "elitist."
The Obama and arugula kerfuffle came about because your guy Obama commented on the price of arugula. He brought it up. No accusation was necessary.
As for the car type, I have seen research which suggests that political orientations do have some influence on some car buyers. After seeing an ad for the Honda Civic which consisted of a cool hipster wearing a series of cool hipster t-shirts, I am sure I will never buy one. The liberals are much more snobbish, as that seems to be all that they can bring to the table: their sense of entitlement.
BOTTOM LINE:
Do you believe Professor Feingold's story? Or not?
I don't.
Is she credentialed?
Sure. You have to be to sling bullshit from a front seat in Academia's showroom. I pity her students.
Feingold? No. Feinberg.
And, I bet her husband has gone into hiding because he doesn't want to be known as a man who puffs out his chest.
My, but what have 5-star joints come to?
Heh. I can't believe you guys went for Fr. Fox's great satire.
Although I confess I had to read it through a second time (after the "Whaaat?!" I said to self.)
I was going to comment and them I realized you took the bait ...
Well done Fr. Fox.
You want the plot to thicken?
Maybe, the whole idea was to accuse Ryan of accepting a "free" dinner that included $700 worth of wine on the table. Because Professor Feinberg reported seeing the two "cru" bottles? And, she saw the prices for these wines?
I'm not so sure that Paul Ryan could prove he received no gifts ... unless?
Perhaps?
He's the supplier of the receipt. That says "customer's copy" ... that he did put into his pocket, after paying his bill.
This reduced Professor Feinberg's claim by half.
More than half. Since it's still a hit piece.
And, it's a real stain against the restaurant, Bistro Bis, besides.
This is the best case scenario.
Did Professor Feinberg turn in her receipt to the toilet paper TMP. MPT. Or whatever? Is she going to deduct this meal as an "expense" ... in her "reporting job?"
Was this an "accidental encounter," or a setup?
Will Professor Feinberg, ahead, live down her remark about her husband's puffing out his chest?
When they go to DC parties, will he be asked to demonstrate his chest's "pufferability."
Who knows? Professor Feinberg may yet swoon at the attention she's drawn to her hubby.
Will she be asked to read signs in the distance for her friends, given her eyesight's acumen?
What happens when a professor with such keen eyesight gazes out at her students? Do any of them notice if she wears bifocals, or not?
The politics of "dirty tricks" has turned into a nasty business.
Or a curiosity to those who lurk?
The Atlanta Braves must have bought $350 bottles of something. They have allowed the Phils 5 runs over 21 innings so far. The 2 games are even and the series winner will be known tomorrow afternoon.
Ryan had better get him a pick-up truck and a dog.
But not a $2,000 designer dog that no one ever heard of before.
And not a Cadillac pick-up truck.
If Feinberg is or might be tenured I'd say that was another good argument against the practice.
When was 'Talking Points Memo' ever respectable? At best, Mr Marshall did aspire to "muckraker", but not much beyond that.
Cheers
ark said...
Unfortunately, drunk or not, she has just ended Paul Ryan's political career. Or been the instrument of his ending his own career, which amounts to the same thing.
Quite the opposite, this professor provided great comedy material to explore. It's a fine example of how lefties want to run everybody lives - like keeping an eye in your plate and running to commissars to tell on you, if your food cost more than their. Priceless.
Ryan said his two "friends" are economists, not lobbyists, but would not give their names to TPM. He said one of the men is an economist "he reads a lot" and the two have conversed before so he invited him to Washington so they could meet.
Wouldn't it be delightful if one of the economists turned out to be noted Enron advisor Paul Krugman?
wv: penilyth -- What Paul Krugman thertainly ith not.
They're just going to piss it out an hour late. Jokes on them, really - unless they write it off to US which they probably do.
Does Feinberg have a son named Kyle?
I've been to Bistro Bis. You are charged for making eye contact with the waiter.
She's dining at a very expensive French restaurant and there are starving college professors everywhere forced to eat in the faculty club. Oh, the humanity...
I've been to Bistro Bis. You are charged for making eye contact with the waiter.
She's dining at a very expensive French restaurant and there are starving college professors everywhere forced to eat in the faculty club. Oh, the humanity...
"Feinberg, an economist by training, ... "
But not a grown-up, I see.
Actually, Susan Feinberg makes around $150,000 annually - courtesy of NJ taxpayers and she teaches maybe two courses a term. I actually bet this is going to wind up hurting her than Paul Ryan. She's a public employee with a great salary and pension. The comments from students who took her course indicates she is mediocre.
Benefits to educators is definetly a topic in NJ. People have a rigth to ask at this point, where are her comments about Michelle Obam's trips, Nancy Pelosi's taxpayer funded liquor bill for her plane and her florist bill. And Barack Obama's $30,000+ per plate fundraisers. There is no good answer other than she is a leftist dimwit leech who thinks the "elite" have a write to control how people spend their own money.
Feinberg is accountable to Rutger's University. They can put her on probation or fire her. Ryan is accountable to the voters of his district every 2 years.
@Alex
Optics be damned. Congressman Ryan preaches GOVERNMENT austerity, not personal. Two completely different animals. I believe that is a modern liberal meme, that people aren't free to spend their earned money as they please.
Obama's state dinner for China had a Quilced Creek Cab (2005)that costs $275 retail by the case which means in a restaurant it would be $500-600+! State dinners serve 3 wines (ap, main, desert). Do you think this horible c-word lib(redundant)cares? Duh! If I would ever be assaulted in a restaurant like that I would have her arrested. Public drunk, disturbing the peace, personal assault...etc. But first I would tip the waiter $100 to dip her ice water from a toilet!
I am touched by the deep concern expressed here by all for the owners, the waitstaff, and the right for pols to drink expensive wine with "economist." And I am sure everyone would criticize this approach to reporting if it appeared in a Mudoch publication, where this approach is standard practice.
With the way the government and business reimburses employees for expenses, why not order the most expensive wine? If you're caught in the act, just break out your own credit card, and don't worry about it, right? You don't get caught often, and tomorrow you can just break out the government or company credit card all over again.
Carol,
One downside of having such an endless supply of words, as you do, is that one is tempted to comment on things that you actually have no knowledge of. Case in point: "Because you need a signed receipt for the credit card company to pay up."
Sorry, wrong. The chance of a high-end restaurant anywhere in the country still using this 1980's method of credit-card settlement is virtually nil. Go read up on Electronic Draft Capture... and give us a rest. Meanwhile, I'm wondering about you, as I do about the mainstream press: if you're that wrong about something I know about and can thus double-check you, why should I give the slightest credence to your other pronouncements?
And then this: "WHO GOES TO A FANCY RESTAURANT AND SAYS 'SEPARATE CHECKS?'" Anyone subject to ethics rules that prevents the person from accepting gratuities. It's not just a federal thing, either.
"FUN FACT: Ran the 2002 Baltimore Marathon and raised over $4000 for AIDS!" --from her own web site
Sheesh, how much does AIDS cost?
Wow, just goes to show who controls the message and how they do it!
Ryan spent his own money. If he wants to drink a $3,000 bottle of wine, it is nobody's business. (It would be interesting, but still nobody's business)
Rush Limbaugh had a good comment...
"I wouldn't have a $350 bottle of wine. Well, I have them. I use 'em for cooking..."
( 1 2 July 2 0 1 1 , Tuesday ) - - Of course Professor Weinberg can ' t be bothered to have any comparable hissy - fit over Senator JOHN KERRY , the two - time gigolo who really hit the jackpot when Senator H . JOHN HEINZ I I I died . The death of Senator Heinz left his widow TERESA some six - hundred - million dollars wealthier - just the kind of bankroll that appeals to a gold - digger like Senator Kerry .
Unlike JOHN McCAIN , Senator Kerry apparently knows how many houses he , or they , or she , owns [ five ] . In addition there ' s the matter of the YACHT built in NEW ZEALAND - the Senator ' s conspicuous consumption hadn ' t the virtue of providing working Americans with jobs , wouldn ' t you know ? - and which was moored in RHODE ISLAND , thus evading the dockage taxes levied by the Massachusetts CommonWealth .
Then there ' s the former House Speaker , Mrs . PELOSI , whose household - essentially , her plutocrat husband - has increased its [ his ] net worth some sixty - two per cent since she became Speaker [ 3 January 2 0 0 7 ] . It helps that the Pelosis don ' t hire unionized workers . . . .
Politicians, bureaucrats and so-called "public servants" are vastly overpaid, overbenefitted, overbonused, and overpensioned. When this hack gets up to scold Ryan, my first thought is that she is a lying, bloodsxcking, tax-eating parasite Democrat, and not much of a "business prof," either.
Did everyone forget the liquor tab Pelosi laid down on the plane trip?
Charged to the taxpayers?
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