I don’t disagree that it’s a no-winner, but I think the more adult, professional response would’ve been a simple statement that he wasn’t interested, didn’t see his career going that way, didn’t think he was the right fit for that particular leadership position, etc. I don’t blame him for wanting an out. Of course the really courageous decision would’ve been taking the job and trying to bring them to heel over time.
But I just don’t see his public response as brilliant.
I think you’ve nailed it here.
I should add I don’t want Ryan anywhere near leadership positions, Ayn Rand worshipping ass. He was also just endorsed by Jason Chaffetz as the “right person at the right time.” Jason f*cking Chaffetz.
The extent to how low my former party has fallen never ceases to amaze me.
I think the really interesting takeaway from all this is just how much it proves that the Democrats are a non-issue. If the Republicans weren’t sure and confident in their majority they would never be in-fighting like this. Not a chance.
In essence, the real power struggle in the house right now isn’t whether Democrats or Republicans control the agenda, it’s whether Republicans or Tea Partiers control the agenda. That makes me nervous as it’s the sort of thing that happens in a two party system when a political party is falling so far from relevance that the super-majority party is about to replace it via mitosis.
It’s not that the Dems are being replaced, it’s that gerrymandering has become so strong. This is also pushing the Dems leftward (good on economic policy, on social issues it’s a mixed bag)
Boehner having trouble cobbling together enough GOP votes (around 30) for raising the debt limit. That’s right, the non-crazy Republicans also want to crash the economy
It’s not that they want to crash the economy. It’s that their balls are in a vice. Any perception of working with a Dem, on ANY level, is political suicide in the Republican party right now. We’ll have another few weeks of chicken followed by a handful of Republicans finally voting for the debt limit increase
Nah. That Vox article is making the rounds by Yglesias about how this fight over the Republican leadership reveals Democratic ineptness, but i think he’s got it all wrong. Media and popular culture are solidly “Democratic” - you don’t see CBS/ABC/NBC/PBS/NPR/NYT/Major Media outlet making revanchist cultural materials, it’s very much “Onward non-Christian soldiers” toward more diversity, inclusivity, and rejection of the status quo/traditional values. Since the Republican party is the standard bearer of traditional values, culturally speaking, Republicans are screwed over a certain timeframe (however long it takes for demographics to shift completely against them).
One problem with the Democrats is that the standard bearers of progressive values in industry - tech companies - have no interest in the moribund political system as it exists today. Tech companies want to change society, not change politics. Perhaps to liberal discomfort tech is much more libertarian and “entrepreneurial” than liberals want to admit, and that the successful attitudes of tech zillionaires is not one of compromise and the cut and thrust of politics, it’s the “my way or the highway” of the heroic CEO. The other problem is that - despite claims to the contrary - part of the Democratic/Progressive world view really is demographic change; they actually, really do want you (the conservative) to die and and go away, and they’re going to support immigration policies that make sure that happens, as a direct or indirect consequence. Demographic change will destroy conservativism/Republicans; but it’s not happening fast enough! So the sky is still falling.
And the fact that the Republican party has elected such poor quality representatives doesn’t disguise the fact that the legislative quality of all the participants had declined; the Democrats are a few hairs better than Republicans only that they give their own reps a pass because they’re “one of us” and vote correctly on the issues they care about. And because the millenial generation, which has seen nothing but political stagnation for 20 years, isn’t the last great hope, but despite being more liberal overall, more or less reject politics entirely or think the extent of politics is actually which hashtag you like or which twitter trend you follow.
And of course because if the Republicans want to tear it all down, the Democrats really don’t have an ideology anymore. Perhaps its basically something like “Progressivism”, but its not a coherent platform. Reflecting the times, they don’t have much to say beyond a few social justice issues that play well on social media. You might be motivated to blow it all up as a Republican but as a Democrat? It’s mainly to keep the Other Guy from blowing it all up.
By ThinkProgress’s count, based on public statements, there may be already be enough anti-Ryan Freedom Caucus members to block Ryan.
Of course public statements don’t necessarily correspond to back-room sentiments. The thing I thought was interesting is that, in a House with 435 members, as few as eight people can block the election of a new Speaker.
In fairness, some of the crazier House GOPers have publicly made statements suggesting they think a default is some sort of magical do-over relatively free of consequences.
… And now the AP says what superficially seems to be the exact opposite: Freedom Caucus says it supports Ryan for Speaker.
Read the fine print, though, and AP and ThinkProgress are telling a similar story - Ryan can’t get the 80% of Freedom Caucus members he needs to get an official Freedom Caucus endorsement (by the Freedom Caucus’s own self-imposed rules.) So the Caucus is merely “supporting” him instead.
The question is, is that “support” be enough to count for Ryan’s own self-imposed rules? Or will he use the lack of an official endorsement as an out? Tune in next time, etc.
Edit: Also, Boehner has scheduled a floor vote for Speaker for the 29th.
Oh, no doubt about that. I’m just talking about the “non-crazy” Republicans that, in secret, would rather just sign the debt limit increase and move on to the next brick wall.
Ryan is in:
Evidently, he got a “supermajority” of the Freedom Caucus, but not quite the 80% needed for their formal endorsement. Good enough.
Let’s hope he can tone down the crazy enough to keep the lights on.
We will very quickly find out how much control he’s going to have over his party. I’m hoping he at least reduces some of the power the vocal minority has over the Republican Congress and get some legislation pushed through with compromises.
You sure you’re thinking of the same Paul Ryan?
Ryan has presidential aspirations. The only way he keeps those hopes alive as Speaker is to show he can get stuff done. Boehner was a political darling with a bright future…until he floundered and got labeled as someone who couldn’t get anything done. If Ryan does more of the same, he’ll whither on the vine and he knows is. This is his chance to appear “Presidential” and in 2020 say things like “I united a divided Congress and got X-Y-Z done”.
Here’s hopin’.
The only way he even gets a shot is if he gets past the primary, in which it seems the last thing any Republican wants to do is work with the dirty traitors on the other side of the aisle.
Possible two year budget deal and debt ceiling extension close with a vote due Wednesday if there’s agreement.
Conservatives are criticizing the deal! I’m shocked!