Why did Romney pick Ryan? A reformed Republican says he was 'bought' for $100 million

Mitt Romney's vice-presidential pick has puzzled many people. Of all the more qualified, seasoned candidates who would have brought much to the ticket, why was the young congressman from Wisconsin, author of one of the most controversial, divisive budget plans, the ultimate selection?

One reformed Republican thinks he has the answer and it's not because he believes Paul Ryan to be the "intellectual leader" of the GOP as Romney has been selling his nomination. Roger Stone, former top Republican consultant and one of the best in the political game of trickery, who now identifies as a Libertarian--is making some stunning claims about Romney's "boy wonder" running mate.

On his personal website The Stone Zone, Stone gives this intriguing scenario of "plausible plots." Namely that the billionaire Koch brothers had promised Romney back in July, an additional $100 million for “independent expenditure,” funneled through Super-PAC donations, if he picked Tea Party Congressman Ryan.

I said earlier that Stone was an expert "trickster" so is this allegation, more trickery or inside information he garnered from his connections at the top? He was a valuable player inside the highest echelon of the GOP for more than 40 years, meaning he does know how the game is played, Republican-style. His resume is impressive, having worked with several administrations over the years. From Nixon and Reagan all the way up to Bush-Gore recount showdown in Florida during the 2000 election.

So trickery or not, this veteran knows things, even if he has been "ex-communicated" and is like the plague to his former "Good Ole Party" these days.

Stone went on to expound on his plausible plots, saying his sources told him that David Koch sealed the deal at his swanky Hampton fundraiser he held at his sprawling estate for Romney on July 22, after his wife Julia had quietly lobbied hard for Paul Ryan.

Read more about the swanky Koch Hampton fundraiser for Romney here: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/12644515-moveonorg-fight-against-campaign-big-money-romney-has-a-koch-problem.

Stone surmised that Romney, quite unpopular with party Republicans, who thought he wasn’t conservative enough, needed a wingman like Ryan who can lock down the far, far right with his extreme conservative stance. Romney is then left free to concentrate his efforts on winning over independents and those other “regular” conservatives. Kind of makes sense, doesn’t it?

However, Stone thinks Ryan’s reputation as a radical Republican “is laughable.” He doesn’t think the young congressman walks the talk, saying he voted for every budget-busting measure under George Bush, including the Iraqi war fought on credit…and even took stimulus money under Obama after loudly criticizing it. He voted for the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) in 2008 to bail out the “too big to fail banks;” moreover his budget doesn’t deal with Social Security and burgeoning military spending.

Stone thinks Ryan is no different to a civil servant who collected a government check for over 20 years in Washington, calling him “more of a faux deficit hawk and less of a pro-growth proponent.” Ouch! He writes that Ryan has wondered so far from the ideals of his biggest influence in Washington, Jack Kemp, that he no longer has a “genuine concern for the poor and disadvantaged.”

Despite the naysayers, Romney definitely sees him as the savior to this ticket, judging by his giddy disposition last Saturday during the big reveal and introduction in Virginia. But is there a downside to his choice?

His maligned budget plan is the elephant in the room, for Democrats hate it with a passion and even some Republicans are uncomfortable with its austerity, which means liberals can use this as leverage. Under the Ryan budget plan, social programs would be cut drastically; Medicare turned into a voucher program and Medicaid left on life support, while capital gains tax would be reduced to 0.82 percent—meaning the rich will be at a distinct advantage, again. They've already had the Bush era tax cut going on 11 years now.

Talk about class warfare, as the Republicans love to accuse the Democrats of instigating. This can be called the real class warfare: continuously giving to the rich at the expense of the poor. Advocates far and wide call Ryan’s proposed plan an enemy of most except the rich and especially devastating to the poor and elderly. Slashing Medicare, Medicaid, student loan programs, to name a few, will further plunge the recession-bitten population into financial free-fall.

As the folks over at the UpWorthy website put it "If You Aren't Young/Old, Middle Class/Poor, Gay, A Student, A Vet, Or A Woman, You'll Love Paul Ryan."

www.upworthy.com If you are none of those things, he's the best GOP vice presidential nominee ever.

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