Paul Ryan's Career Hinged On Co-Opting Establishment and Tea Party Conservatives

Tweet

“Look, I am not sitting in my home or in my office thinking about ‘How does this help my personal political career years down the road?’ -- Rep. Paul Ryan

LOL. Why sure you're not.

Journal Review Excerpt:
While support for him has not waned since Mitt Romney named him his running mate, "at the same time, people want to see answers," said Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who lives in Ryan's district. If Ryan plays the negotiations correctly, Vos said the congressman could elevate both his position within the House and on the national political stage.

THAT is what it's all about. "Playing" negotiations correctly and making just the right political calculations to elevate his career.

Ryan ultimately voted against the House plan to end the government shutdown and avoid a default because he had to in order to recapture Tea Party confidence. They were planning a mutiny after his recent Wall Street Journal Op-Ed failed to mention Obamacare even once. Contributors on conservative social media outlets were calling him a closet progressive, a RINO and even worse. His vote in favor of default saved him from a possible primary or third party general election challenger for the moment, but he's not completely out of the woods on that possibility.

But now he must shift yet again to recapture establishment conservatives without re-offending the tea party by striking a "collaborative tone" and suggesting that "if" his attempt is successful, it will restore confidence in Washington. That is the answer the establishment wants to hear. But don't let Sen. Ron Johnson hear about it. Johnson thinks restoring faith in government is the wrong strategy to take.

The same can be said for Gov. Scott Walker. It's not about doing what's right for the country, state or their districts. It's all about popularity and formulating an operating strategy to gain enough political capital to advance their careers. Period.

But every now and then, the clowns tell the truth. From the Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader, Scott Fitzgerald, appearing on Fox in 2011 and admitting that Walker's Act 10 Budget Bill is about defunding labor unions and making it much harder for Democrats to win elections, to the North Carolina GOP County Chairman, Don Yelton, stating that Voter ID will "kick Democrats in the butt" by preventing "lazy blacks" and college kids from voting to Rep. Robin Vos saying if Ryan "plays" the negotiations correctly, it could elevate him on the political stage. It's not about principles or doing the right thing for the country. It's about the political stage.

It's all there in print, in their words and in their actions. You only have to believe it.