PRESS RELEASE: Ryan Funds Tisei Campaign, But Tisei Still Mum on Ryan-Authored Republican Budget
PRESS RELEASE
JOHN TIERNEY FOR CONGRESS
For Immediate Release
April 18, 2012
Contact: Matt Robison
978-531-2533
Ryan Funds Tisei Campaign, But Tisei Still Mum on Ryan-Authored Republican Budget
Four Weeks of Dodging Questions, Feigning Ignorance, Giving Increasingly Far-Fetched Excuses
Peabody, MA – Just-released FEC filings revealed today that Republican candidate Richard Tisei was given the maximum allowable legal contribution by Congressman Paul Ryan’s Political Action Committee.
Paul Ryan was the author of the Republican budget, a plan that ends Medicare as we know it while giving tax breaks to Big Oil, companies that ship American jobs overseas, and billionaires.
Over the past four weeks, Tisei has refused to answer simple, straightforward questions from reporters on whether he would have voted for the Republican budget, or indeed any of the budgets considered in Congress for this year including the Democratic budget or Republican Study Group budget.
“We’re all still waiting,” said Tierney campaign manager Matt Robison. “This ain’t hard. The budget is in front of you — you would have voted yes or no. Voters have a right to know how you would actually vote on the biggest issue in Congress.”
The history of the Tisei campaign’s tap-dancing around the budget has become particularly tangled in the past four weeks.
Timeline of Republican Budget and Richard Tisei’s Dodging
April 5, 2011 Paul Ryan releases his Republican budget plan for 2012
March 20, 2012 Ryan releases Republican plan for 2013, almost 100% identical to the previous year’s plan
March 21, 2012 Richard Tisei flies to Washington, DC to be personally briefed by Ryan on the budget, what it contains, and how to discuss it publicly, as reported by the Hotline and Politico
March 29, 2012 US House of Representatives passes Ryan’s Republican budget
March 30, 2012 Tisei spokesman dodges reporter’s question on the Republican budget with the following double-negative-filled, non-answer, which he gave despite the obvious fact that Tisei knew the Republican budget in detail: "It’s a good basis of discussion and should not be an option to do nothing, which is currently what's being done and why the country is in trouble. He [Tisei] hasn’t had an opportunity to see the legislation, so he’s not taken a position how he would vote."
March 31, 2012 Ryan’s Political Action Committee gives Tisei campaign $2,500 , the maximum amount allowable by law for any one election.
April 3, 2012 Tisei praises the Republican budget and calls it a “step in the right direction” but bizarrely still refuses to just go ahead and say he would have voted for it.
April 16, 2012 FEC report reveals Ryan contribution to Tisei
“Mr. Tisei has gone to Washington,” Robison added. “Paul Ryan personally explained the Republican budget to him. The Republican budget has been in its current form for over a year. Paul Ryan is one of Tisei’s biggest benefactors. Tisei has already praised the Republican budget plan. Yet, despite all that, Richard Tisei still believes he can play coy about where he stands. It’s time for him to just admit that this is the plan he supports. No more games.”
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