“Well, I’m personally very offended to be called the establishment”, he said.
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“What can we do if we have a Republican president?” “And nobody wants to talk about that – they want to talk about the Republican nominees”. McConnell is laser-focused on protecting vulnerable Republican incumbents in Ohio, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and IL, and has made clear that he will only take up pieces of the House agenda insofar as it helps those lawmakers. To stay in the majority, Republicans need to ensure they lose no more than four seats if they don’t win back the White House.
Ryan, flanked by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said he would support “whoever” is selected as the party’s nominee, including Trump.
“Our presidential candidates are out there beating each other up at the moment”, McConnell told reporters, but said that it would ultimately resolve itself. “We’re going to do issue development and get ready for 2017”.
McConnell’s remarks comments came after the choice of the GOP leader and House Speaker Ryan – South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – spawned blowback from conservatives over her response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address this week. Haley said the party must not “follow the siren call of the angriest voices”.
But, he said, “I’m trying to avoid turning the Senate into a [TV] studio” for the campaign. “You know why? Because it’s the Republican primary voter who makes that decision”. Scheduling the votes can be done easily and efficiently under an open amendment process, with no interference to the light workload Senate Republican leaders have announced for 2016. But he said he may try to hold votes that put Democrats in tough positions. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.
“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander”, McConnell, dressed unusually casually in jeans, said with a smile.
“Since Republican leaders in the House and Senate have pledged loyalty to Trump, the obvious next step is to vote on his policies, including his unconstitutional plan to bar people from entering the United States based on their religion”, Reid said in a statement.
Multiple Senate and House Republicans who CNN spoke to in Baltimore stressed the importance of the party creating and promoting a specific agenda to contrast with Democrats.
They also discussed ways to contrast their national security message, and efforts to potentially draft their own authorization for the war against ISIS.
They will also have to contend with congressional Democrats, who say they will force their GOP colleagues to go on the record over policies raised in the presidential race.
Another major factor: GOP control of the House is secure and all but certain to be renewed in November, no matter whom Republicans pick as their presidential nominee.
And conservative columnist George Will joked to lawmakers that his closed-door breakfast panel was a “Trump-free zone”, sources said.
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Rather than try to fashion measure that suits the crowded field of presidential contenders, GOP leaders said they plan to use the next congressional session to present Americans with their vision for the country. John Thune, the No. 3 Senate Republican, “irrespective” of what happens on the campaign trail.
