On a day off, everyone starts their morning differently. For some that means putting a pot of coffee on and grabbing the paper or maybe it’s waking up the kids and making breakfast. But for Paul Ryan it will probably begin by dodging protestors.
A pro-abortion group called Ultraviolet will follow the House speaker to Wisconsin. Early next Wednesday, they plan to “deliver a truck full of glittery postcards to the Janesville home of Rep. Ryan.”
Why’s the group harassing Ryan while he’s with his wife and kids? Nit Chaudhary, the group’s founder who doesn’t even live in Wisconsin, complains that Ryan, who is pro-life, is not taking his constituents’ calls.
“Whether House Speaker Paul Ryan has intentionally cut off his phone line from the public or has failed to accommodate a high volume of calls,” Chaudhary said in a statement, “it is unacceptable to shut off the American people from having their voices heard.”
But Ryan’s office insists they’re not ignoring anyone. Since Inauguration Day, constituents have melted the phone lines on Capitol Hill, sending staffers scurrying as they try to answer every call. It’s a constant challenge, one that’s not unique to Ryan.
An hour away from Janesville in Milwaukee, Democrat Rep. Gwen Moore is having the same problem. Her Communications Director Eric Harris recently told the local NBC affiliate that the congresswoman has experienced “an exponential increase in phone calls.”
Still, that’s not stopping Ultraviolet.
The group plans on bringing as many women to Ryan’s backyard as possible. And while they might be passionate, they’re certainly not original. Because persuasion didn’t work, ultraviolet has adopted the tactics of the alt-right. Last year, Breitbart cheered as protesters amassed outside the Ryan family’s Georgian revival home. Now the women’s group will pull the same stunt. But they’re in for a surprise.
Just like the alt-right protestors, Ultraviolet will discover that Ryan has a fence around his property. And because he’s two heartbeats away from the presidency, the Capitol Police guard the premises at all times.
I hope that means the speaker and his family won’t hear much of the racket.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
