I know there's no getting through to those of you who think Paul Ryan is a RINO!!!!! because he's made deals with Democrats in a divided Congress. Anyone with a governing record is going to have things like that in his or her history, and if you don't understand that then I don't know what to tell you - except that you're going to spend your entire life shrieking that no one is acceptable to you and everyone who's ever done anything but talk is a sellout.
So I'll just let you shriek and try to talk to everyone else.
In six minutes here, Ryan makes it clear why he's the only House member who seems capable of getting support for all factions within the Republican caucus. He knows the stakes. He understands and can clearly explain exactly what the problems are with this presidency - and unlike John Boehner, when he tells you, he sounds like he actually means it as opposed to merely mouthing the words that his staff told him the great unwashed need to hear.
And Ryan has four perfectly reasonable conditions he wants his colleagues to meet before he runs: 1. Republicans have to become a party of proposition, not just opposition. Everyone knows what they're against. They have to say what they're for. And I would add, they have to do so in a way that's designed to really speak to the nation rather than watering down their ideas so as not to draw media criticism, which is what they've typically done to date; 2. Change the House rules so everyone can contribute and be effective, and no more constant leadership challenges; 3. Every faction supports him, so he doesn't have to waste his time upon becoming Speaker healing a fractured caucus; 4. He's not giving up his family time. His kinds are young and he has no intention of making them grow up without him.
Watch the video:
What Ryan understands is that, for the most part, there is really not that much ideological difference between the Freedom Caucus and the "establishment." The difference lies in how they believe they should fight for the right policies. This seems like a chasm that could be bridged with the right leadership. Boehner was not exercising that type of leadership. He had stopped listening to the Freedom Caucus and was treating them like enemies, which is why they wanted him out. Boehner had also long-ago bought into the idea that the House majority could never win by saying no to Obama because the result would be a "shutdown" for which the media would blame Republicans, and in Boehner's mind that meant game over.
My hope is that, if Ryan has gotten the support of the Freedom Caucus, it's because he's made it clear to them that he knows how to stand up to Obama and the media, and that he's not afraid to do so. My other hope is that he convinced them there's a right way to establish achievable goals with a Democrat in the White House. It is important to know how to pick your battles. I know there are people who think you have to pick every battle, or you're a damnable RINO, but smart leaders never operate that way.
By the way, can we start please by returning to real budgets? Democrats stopped passing them in 2010 because it was better for them politically to hide their profligate spending inside continuing resolutions. Now they're enjoying the continuation of this tactic because it constantly brings up shutdown crises that they and the media use to beat up the Republican majority.
If there's anything the Republicans should be able to win the PR battle over, it should be the simple passage of a real budget. But it's also the right way to govern the nation, and if you can't start with a simple good-government principle like that, then I don't know how you think you can take on and win the larger fights. Either way, if you can think of a better man to lead the House than Ryan, let's hear it. But seriously, don't waste my time or yours tossing out names like Justin Amash. Some guy who reflects your own personal ideological preferences is not the same thing as a guy with the skill to lead this caucus. And if you can't understand that, then I guess we go back to what I said at the beginning. There's no sense even trying to talk to you.
I know there's no getting through to those of you who think Paul Ryan is a RINO!!!!! because he's made deals with Democrats in a divided Congress. Anyone with a governing record is going to have things like that in his or her history, and if you don't understand that then I don't know what to tell you - except that you're going to spend your entire life shrieking that no one is acceptable to you and everyone who's ever done anything but talk is a sellout.
So I'll just let you shriek and try to talk to everyone else.
