His record shows Bryce no ‘everyday American’
When ironworker Randy Bryce began his campaign to replace House Speaker Paul Ryan in Congress, he pitched himself as an everyday guy. He touted his status as an ordinary “working person” as his primary qualification for holding office.
But as we’ve learned since he began running, Bryce isn’t ordinary. In fact, he is quite extraordinary.
For instance, “Iron Stache” is extraordinary in that he has been arrested nine times. That’s one more arrest than Wisconsin has congressional districts.
Even if one excuses the two times Bryce was arrested for political show, his total tally still features far more arrests than your typical Johnny Lunchbucket.
In 1991, at the age of 27, Bryce was arrested for marijuana possession, property damage, trespassing and theft (later, the theft and trespassing charges were dropped).
In April 1998, Bryce was arrested in Michigan for drunken driving — a serious offense, but an understandable mistake that, sadly, too many people make. Yet after that initial arrest, Bryce was arrested three more times for driving with a suspended license and registration. After multiple arrests, Bryce skipped out on court appearances and the cops had to track him down.
Even if one were to forgive the marijuana and drunken driving arrests as temporary indiscretions, the fact that Bryce spent years of his life driving around on a suspended license and dodging law enforcement should be of grave concern. Here’s a guy who is running for office to write new laws and yet had no respect for the ones that exist.
Further, Iron Stache’s other personal dealing don’t paint the picture of a particularly desirable citizen. Bryce only paid back his delinquent child support after his congressional campaign was underway. A court had to force him to make good on a 15-year old loan he received from an old girlfriend to buy a car.
And yet while these obligations were outstanding, Bryce evidently had enough spare money to buy himself some Twitter followers to appear more influential than he was.
One wonders exactly what Bryce considers a “regular” American to be. Is it someone like him, who shows disregard for laws and stiffs other people, or is it someone who works hard, plays by the rules and respects others?
If anything, Bryce’s campaign has demonstrated a problem with the truth. Did he think none of these matters of public record would ever come out? Is his opinion of voters so low that he thinks they couldn’t handle him explaining his past transgressions?
Clearly, it would have been better for Bryce to just be upfront with voters — the way a real, tough working man would have. The best blueprint for this strategy was executed by President Barack Obama, who admitted in his memoir to using cocaine in the past. Weeks after the revelation, it became a non-issue. “Regular” Americans are exceedingly forgiving; perhaps Bryce hasn’t met enough of them to be honest about his past.
When Randy Bryce compares himself to a “regular, working-class American,” you better hope he’s not talking about you. Bryce may be an ordinary guy, but that doesn’t make him a particularly admirable one.
Christian Schneider is a Journal Sentinel columnist and blogger. Email christian.schneider@jrn. com. Twitter: @Schneider_CM