Paul Ryan's Hometown Recovers with Federal Aid He Claims to Oppose

 Paul Ryan's Hometown of Janesville, WI Recovers with Federal Aid GOP VP Candidate Claims to Oppose

Tue Aug 14, 2012 05:46

 

With Republican Rep. Paul Ryan joining the Republican ticket for the White House, his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin, is now in the national spotlight. Thousands have struggled with unemployment in Janesville since General Motors shut down its century-old plant there in 2008, causing mass layoffs. As the town tries to get back on its feet, Ryan has said Janesville has become a microcosm for the economic woes facing the nation. But much of its economic recovery is in fact due, in part, to money from President Obama’s stimulus package and other federal grants. We speak to Brad Lichtenstein, director of the new documentary, "As Goes Janesville," which follows the lives of laid-off GM workers who try to reinvent themselves through federally funded job training programs or by moving to work at other GM factories that stayed open after the auto industry bailout. We also play excerpts and outtakes from the film, including interviews with Ryan that did not make the final cut. [includes rush transcript]