“Paul wants to help lead in solving problems, not drawing lines in the sand and staking out uncompromising positions that do nothing but result in gridlock”. We are not settling scores. He intends to have a fresh start, “We are wiping the slate clean”. “That has less to do with the individual and everything to do with the politics in the Republican caucus”.
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He must quickly show hard-line conservatives that his speakership will be different from Boehner’s. Democrat Nancy Pelosi got 184, and nine votes were cast for Daniel Webster, a Florida Republican.
Though it’s par for the course in today’s conservative circles, it’s still perplexing to consider how, in the days running up to his nomination, numerous same pundits who lionized Ryan in 2012 for signing up as Mitt Romney’s running mate are now going to extreme lengths to admonish him, blasting Ryan as a moderate in regards to his recent voting record on bills pertaining to immigration and Planned Parenthood, among other assorted quips.
CQ Roll Call looked into the history of each of the congressmen and discovered that five of them previously accepted money from Ryan’s Prosperity Action PAC.
Ryan was speaking specifically about immigration legislation, but his remarks demonstrate how hard it may be for Ryan and the Obama administration to work together now that Ryan leads House Republicans. “America does not feel strong anymore because the working people of America do not feel strong anymore”, Ryan said.
The evangelist, who still “lobbies” for Christian values and shares stories of escaping Nazis in Italy, spent the next two years praying for Rep. Ryan to be elected to the House’s top job.
“I can walk and chew gum at the same time”, he said. Most GOP House members ended up voting no. Ryan had initially expressed a lack of willingness to become speaker. But there’s still plenty of stuff in there that could put Ryan knee-deep in early challenges. “And I want wish him and his family all the best”.
Boehner, in emotional farewell speech before the vote, said: “I leave with no regrets or burdens”.
For Syria, it is part of what U.S. officials call a two-pronged strategy of increasing aid to groups they describe as “moderate rebels” fighting against ISIL, while also working on diplomacy to remove Assad from power. House Republicans opposed the budget deal by 167-79, but Democrats supported it unanimously. It was only after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy suddenly withdrew his bid that colleagues successfully lobbied Ryan to change his mind.
During his final week as speaker, Boehner seemed relaxed and happy, his battles with the intractable conservatives behind him.
How do constituents view Congressman Ryan?
Party leaders turned to Ryan, who had sworn off a run, preferring to continue as chairman of the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.
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Contrary to this argument, however, there are a few who claim that Ryan could be elected as president just like Democratic Rep. G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, arguing that “this is an opportunity for Paul Ryan to advance his career, if he is a principled speaker”.
