For weeks, Paul Ryan was adamant that he did not want to be Speaker of the House. He had a sweet gig that he didn't want to give up and he did not want to expose himself to all sorts of investigations and investigative reporting.
Per CBS News, Ryan has stopped playing hard to get and is now trying to negotiate an even sweeter deal with himself. One thing is clear though, Ryan will not negotiate with terrorists, er, I mean the House Freedom Caucus:
After weeks of insisting he would not run for Speaker, Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan - according to those close to him - is now open to leading the fractured Republican conference, and seriously considering launching a bid for speaker of the House.
But there's a caveat. And it's a big one.
Ryan's confidants tell CBS News he will not horse trade with the House Freedom Caucus, a group of 40 or so deeply conservative members who have been demanding changes to House rules and other very specific promises from candidates for Speaker in exchange for their support. Ryan's confidants say he is not going to negotiate for a job he never sought, and that he has a record of conservative leadership that should be clear to every member of the GOP conference.
They say Ryan hasn't ruled out meeting with the House Freedom Caucus if asked, but "he's not going to go to the Freedom Caucus and say, 'I'll do this and this'...otherwise you've sold yourself to them from the very beginning, and set yourself up for failure" said someone with knowledge of his deliberations.' "He still really, really does not want to do this. He has his dream job. If he's Speaker, his whole career path changes. He's not going to make concessions to get a job he didn't want in the first place."
Either members believe in his conservative leadership, or they don't - and if Ryan concludes that he's unlikely to get a near-unanimous vote of support from republicans, his allies say he is happy to stay exactly where he is as the chair of the House Ways and Means committee.
Hmmm, maybe Ryan was just stalling for time to cover up the paper trail of his investments and those of his wife.
The fact that some Republicans are worried that Ryan isn't conservative enough is laughable and shows just how far to the fringe the GOP has gone. A look at Ryan's voting record shows that he would be the most far right wing nut job speaker in the past several decades.
No one is talking about what kinds of things Ryan is looking for in making his decision, but some possibilities include:
- Changing the title to Speaker , Policy Wonk and Grand Poobah of the House
- Free hunting and fishing licenses in all fifty states
- A formal resolution that kissing fish is not strange
- An unlimited per diem for expensive wines
- Never having to speak to people that aren't worth at least a million dollars
Whatever Ryan is holding out for, I hope it's worth it to him because it's going to cost him dearly in the end. Then again, it's not the first time Ryan has shown that he has poor decision making skills:
