Paul Ryan Plots Major Fundraiser In Chicago And, Yep, A Protest Is Organizing

By Stephen Gossett in News on Feb 27, 2017 9:02PM

Updated 4:35 p.m. At the same time that Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is facing stiff pressure to fully embrace Donald Trump's budget and Obamacare repeal, news is coming through that the Wisconsin representative will be making a stop in Chicago next month to hold a massive fundraiser for himself and two GOP committees. Not surprisingly, a scheduled protest started to emerge as quickly as the news did.

Crain's reports that the super-high-dollar event will get underway in Chicago at the Chicago Club in the South Loop on March 23—which also happens to be the seven-year anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act that Ryan has so worked to undermine.

Donations begin at $1000 (!) and stretch up as high as $50,000, which reportedly nets a private dinner and photo-op with Ryan plus admission to three Republican retreats. The money collected will go to Ryan, Ryan's Prosperity Action PAC, and the National Republican Congressional Committee, according to Crain's. Among those listed on the invitation scheduled to appear are billionaire Citadel founder—and the state's richest man—Ken Griffin and each member of the Illinois GOP House delegation.

Among that delegation of course is Congressman Peter Roskam, who—just like Ryan—has dodged town halls that angry constituents have nonetheless carried on with despite their representative's absence.

Griffin, like fellow scheduled attendee and investor Muneer Satter donated to campaigns for Democratic mayor Rahm Emanuel and Republican governor Bruce Rauner.

But a decidedly less enthusiastic group will likely be on hand outside the epic fundraiser, as Answer Chicago is already putting together a demonstration to counteract Ryan's big-money appearance.

John Beacham, of ANSWER Chicago, strongly criticized the Speaker in a statement:

"The broad and growing resistance to Trump's racist agenda is one of the biggest developments in decades in the United States. It has been a long time coming and the people of this country need broad and deep change. We do not need more hate. We need equality, jobs, education, health care, a living wage, world peace and so much more. Paul Ryan, one of the most powerful people in Washington, represents everything that this growing resistance is against. Ryan is not welcome in Chicago and we will not allow him to come to this city for a $50,000 a person fundraiser without doing everything we can to build the biggest protest possible against him and the Wall Street and Washington assault on working people, poor people, immigrants, Muslims, women, LGBTQ people, people of color and everybody else who is under threat."