From Milton in the west to Kenosha in the east, Ryan's constituents packed town meetings that the congressman described as "listening" sessions. But he did not pay much attention to their questions, and he definitely did not answer them. And if he heard their concerns, he certainly did not respond to them - let alone respect them.

Thus, Ryan is heading back to Washington claiming that the voters of his home district "overwhelmingly" support his plan.

That is a demonstrably false statement. At some of the congressman's town meetings, especially the larger ones in communities such as Kenosha, it was hard to find supporters of Ryan's proposal.

Why would Ryan try to peddle such a fantasy? Perhaps it has less to do with this year's budget debate than it does with next year's presidential campaign.

Ryan has ruled out a run for the GOP nomination for the nation's top job. He spends four days a week away from Janesville in D.C., and has said he does not want to spend all of his time in Washington or on the campaign trail. But that does not mean he has ruled out a national race.