Ryanmania

Who knew Wall Street and the tea party could agree on something -- or somebody?

That somebody is Paul Ryan, a fundraising lightning rod who has attracted big donors from Wall Street hedge funds and the tea party.

Anthony Scaramucci, a hedge fund managing partner, said Wall Street is "ecstatic" with Ryan's presence on the GOP ticket. The securities and investment industry provided Ryan with some $500,000 in 2010.

Ryan also was one of a select few politicians to attend the Koch brothers' biannual conferences and is on a first-name basis with several big-name libertarian donors.

In case you're invited to the Koch conference, their names are Chuck and Dave.

The other Ryan

Janna Ryan, thrust onto the national stage when her husband was named the Republican vice presidential nominee, strikes an appealing image as a stay-at-home mom raising three children in Wisconsin.

But the 43-year-old has been a Washington operative herself, hailing from a well-connected family and forging an early career as a congressional aide and health care lobbyist.

"She grew up in a political family, and it comes very naturally to her," said Leslie Belcher, a Washington lobbyist and one of Ryan's bridesmaids.

A town in Oklahoma, Little City, is named after the family, which has strong Democratic connections and identifies with the Blue Dog Coalition.

She parlayed her law degree and Capitol Hill experience into being a lobbyist for Novartis, Cigna, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and she is now said to be worth millions.

Which means when it comes time to dismantle Obamacare, she'll have all the right connections.

White House suds

President Barack Obama has stocked up on a new all-American campaign prop -- White House-brewed beer.

During his bus tour across the battleground state of Iowa, the president was handing out White House Honey Ale, which is made at a small brewery in the White House.

The beer, which comes in both a light and dark variety, is made by the White House chefs, who use traditional brewing methods. The honey portion of the drink is taken from first lady Michelle Obama's garden beehive near the White House kitchen garden on the south lawn.

But taxpayers are not footing the bill for the beer. The costs of the equipment and of brewing the beer are paid for by the Obamas, the official said.

Four more beers! Four more beers! Four more beers!

She's a-pickin', we're a-grinnin'

Sen. Claire McCaskill last week did a statewide "Fighting for Our Farmers" barnstorm by visiting the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.

She camped out on the fairgrounds with her "On Our Side" RV and reportedly attended the banjo contest.

So it appears that the all-important banjo vote will be in her corner come November.