At long last, Rep. Paul Ryan held a semi-public speaking event in his home district.
Ryan was speaking, by invitation, at a local Rotary Club. It cost $15 to attend the event. The club insists the fee was not being charged to hear Ryan speak, but instead to cover the cost of lunch and renting the hall. However, since there was no way to see Ryan speak without paying the $15, that seems like a distinction without a difference.
The event featured dozens of protesters and an extremely strong police presence:
More than 40 police officers came to control the crowds at Whitnall Park Rotary Club Tuesday afternoon where Congressman Paul Ryan was invited to speak.
Dozens of picketers came to protest Ryan. An equal number came to show their support for the Wisconsin Congressman.
Three people were arrested.
Despite the cost and the police presence, in the end only the protesters appear to have been heard. All of the news reports posted online so far focus almost entirely on the protesters, with Ryan only sneaking in little more than a quip about how protests at his events have become the new normal.
Count on it, Rep. Ryan.
Here is a video of what happened inside the event:
There were also protests outside:
From now on, confrontations like these will be the normal for all elected officials who seek to destroy the safety net in order to make the rich richer.