Ryun promises not to do his job if sent back to DC

Newsflash: Jim Ryun has sworn off earmarks if returned to Congress, in a move that seems much more like a chain smoker announcing, "This time I'm really going to," rather than like a principled stand taken by a would-be elected official.

A shout out to our "friends" at Bounce Boyda and Stay Red Kansas for breaking this story- but, funny, they seem to have left something out. What could it be...oh, that's right, the fact Jim Ryun is a flip-flopper and a hypocrite.

Oh, we say such mean things. If it weren't for pesky facts getting in the way, the Republicans could call us liars, but, those silly facts are just everywhere today!

Jim Ryun said in a press release today this:

“There is no greater way to lead than by example and I challenge my primary and general opponents to join this effort for reform,” Ryun said.

Late to the game, of course, Jim, since Congresswoman Nancy Boyda voted for the most significant overhaul of the earmark system in history in her first month in office- something you certainly should have been championing the whole time you were in Congress but, oops, you must have forgotten...or it didn't matter to you until you saw a poll that told you how to think...or maybe, oh, heck, who knows why you've decided to be the champion of reform after you got kicked out of office while during your tenure earmarks increased by either 653% or 376%, depending on which study you prefer.

Nothing like leadership by example, huh?

It's foolishness, pure and simple, to think every single earmark is wasteful. Deeply important projects are funded through earmark requests, projects that range from life-or-death law enforcement issues, to infrastructure rebuilding that we all know can also be a life-or-death deal. So promising to request nothing- none, nada, zilch- promises you won't do the right thing for your district.

You know what's funny? Jim Ryun used to understand that. In 2004, when he was running for re-election in the toughest race he'd ever faced until Nancy Boyda beat him in '06, Jim couldn't stop reminding everyone he saw how hard he worked to secure tens of millions of dollars in federal earmarks for the City of Topeka- specifically for a new Topeka Boulevard bridge. Yes, folks, Jim Ryun, Mr. "I will never take an earmark again" campaigned- hard- on the fact he was good at bringing home the bacon.

Don't believe us? Read here, here, here, here, or even, here.

That last one is great, because it's the most recent- from the day he filed for his ill-fated last run in 2006. It says, briefly, this, regarding why he was the best choice in '06:

He also touted his work to secure federal funding for replacement of the crumbling Topeka Boulevard Bridge.

Also, separately, he was very proud of himself for securing $5 million in earmarks for transportation projects in a bill...regarding which he said:

"I am pleased that this bill provides much-needed funding for critical transportation priorities," said Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Kan., who represents the Topeka area.

Still think we're just liberal liars? Jim Ryun took, secured, announced, brought home hundreds of millions of dollars while in Congress and trumpeted it on his official web site- click here, here, here, here or, yes, here to see for yourself.

He certainly was for earmarks before he was against them- because he knew they were important.

And you know what- thank you, Jim, for working to get these funds for the bridge and other projects- thank you. You did your job asking for that money. If you hadn't, like you're promising now, you would have been failing the people of your district.

One thing does make you a hypocrite in all of this, though, outside from the fact you used to be willing to do your job and now you aren't- you voted against the bill that included the money for that bridge...but you took credit for it anyway. That, sir, is disappointing.

You heard it hear first, folks, Jim Ryun's first campaign promise of 2008: "If you will elect me, I promise to fail you. I will not do my duty to the people of the 2nd Congressional District of Kansas."