The anti-Trump House Speaker: a smiling do-nothing empty suit/caption
In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. In other words due to ones high status that person can claim anything without fear of being challenged by those who know less. So it is with Washington Times columnist Richard W. Rahns muddled analysis of Paul Ryan (R-WI) an 18-year veteran of the Washington bog. Given this writers flowery assertions however he sounds like the newly appointed cheerleader of the Republican excuses brigade! To that end his doe-eyed opening sentence speaks volumes:
It is tough to play hardball with your friends."
Has Congress metastasized into a millionaires social club? Are Mr. Ryans fellow representatives supposed to be playboys for him to pal around with? If thats now the prevailing mind-set on Capitol Hill it certainly explains a lot! Specifically Gallups record low approval rating for Congress in 2017: a measly 16. And is that statistic any surprise given their collective failure to repeal Obamacareafter seven years of broken GOP promises? Thus is it reasonable to sing Paul Ryans praises as hes one of the primary figures responsible for the ongoing legislative morass?
Thats not Paulys fault says Rahn. The real trouble is hes just so darn agreeable! Is affability suddenly a personality flaw in politics or in the business of governance? If so will someone send Mr. Ryan How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie? Recall in the natural world that honeys sweetness attracts many more flies than vinegar; so it is with human nature. In fact didnt President Ronald Reagan epitomize a sunny dispositionand didnt that trait make him more effective as a leader not less so?
Naturally the reality of Speaker Ryans inherent inability to lead is quickly glossed over:
He is not particularly good at managing a large number read: 240 of 435; one vacancy of independently-minded people."
For his unsuccessful cat wrangling of only his party (and half of the legislature) a premium is earned: a $223500 annual salary. Thats a whopping $49500 more than the Houses rank and file. (By comparison President Trump runs the entire executive branch for $400000 a year per Title 3 of the U.S. Code; donating his whole salary save one dollar to charity.) Mr. Ryan has not followed suitand given his lack of positive resultsperhaps he should.
But wait Rahn claims Mr. Ryan real aptitude is as a policy wonk". If thats so why did he capitulate to the Democrats two trillion dollar debt-busting budget rather than opposing it? Likewise is he highly accomplished" for losing control of the budgetary schedule as Mr. Rahn admits? For context when Speaker Ryan assumed his leadership role on October 29 2015 the national debt was $18152590112385.69. As of this writing it has increased to $20173505864062.25. After almost two years why are all of the economic indicators under his expert" tutelage still going in the wrong direction?
Beyond the escalating debt proof is seen in the pitiful pre-Trump 2 GDP. By those measures alone Mr. Ryan would have been fired in the private sector long ago. After all as Speaker he determines the agenda; same as his chamber controls the nations purse strings. And despite his hollow-sounding protestations about not initially wanting the post the fact remains that he took it. In this way he seems to cultivate a regular guy Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" persona. Still the fact that Mr. Rahn doesnt see through this slick veneer is troubling. It means his favorable depiction of Mr. Ryan is untrustworthy. As that is the case perhaps a fictional one can illuminate his real-life subject better:
Listen Im a politician which means Im a cheat and a liar and when Im not kissing babies Im stealing their lollipops. But it also means I keep my options open." Dr. Jeffrey Pelt National Security Adviser played by Richard Jordan in The Hunt for Red October" (1990)
Now that sounds like a realistic baseline with which to evaluate any longtime D.C. insider. Yet unlike Dr. Pelt one would never expect Paul not ready" Ryan to be so candid about his own history of mealy-mouthed capriciousness regarding his faux support of President Trump.
Hence in the Trump era the American electorate has had their fill of nice guy RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) who embrace the status quo by subverting M.A.G.A." policies. By his record and his actions thats who Paul Ryan really is. Thats also precisely why our results-driven president cut a three-month extension with the Democrats (for government funding and Hurricane Harvey relief). And why not? When has that fresh-faced facade of the do-nothing Republican establishment ever been a friend to him? Indeed championing such incompetence demonstrates a profound obliviousness to modern-day political dysfunctionthat even a clear-eyed low-information voter can see.
David L. Hunter is an Associate Editor at Capitol Hill Outsider. Hes on Twitter and blogs at davidlhunter.blogspot.com. He is published in The Washington Post The Washington Times FrontPage Mag and extensively in Patriot Post Canada Free Press and American Thinker.