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WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: Lame Duck Speaker Paul Ryan’s Control Collapsing Right Before the Midterms

Lame Duck Speaker Paul Ryan has continued to lose control over his chaotic caucus only months before the November Midterms. With supposedly ‘unified’ control over Washington and very little to show for it, some Republicans are contemplating ditching Ryan in the face of increasing Democratic momentum.

Take a look at some of the coverage below…

Washington Post: Ryan losing grip on House GOP conference as midterms approach

Speaker Paul D. Ryan is losing his grip on the feuding House Republican conference just months before pivotal midterm elections, caught between dueling factions vying for power inside the party and facing scattered calls for his departure ahead of a planned year-end retirement.

The unrest comes in the wake of a humiliating defeat for Ryan and other GOP leaders last week, when conservatives sank a farm bill amid a broader dispute over immigration policy, and threatens to spark months of bitter infighting as Republican lawmakers try to make the case that they should be returned to power in Washington.

NYT: Paul Ryan’s Hold on Speaker’s Job Is Tested by G.O.P. Infighting

Speaker Paul D. Ryan pledged to “run through the tape” and finish out his term when he announced last month that he would retire from Congress. But with Republicans in revolt on both his right and his left, Mr. Ryan is increasingly facing questions about whether he can manage to stumble across the finish line.

Politico: Ryan facing growing doubts about hold on speakership

Top House Republicans are privately questioning whether retiring Speaker Paul Ryan can make it through Election Day.

[…] The doubts have been fueled by a series of high-profile embarrassments for the Wisconsin Republican. The most recent was the collapse of the Republican farm bill Friday on the House floor.

[…] “The conference is in open warfare. Paul has run out of juice,” said a senior Republican lawmaker who wants a speaker vote to happen soon and requested anonymity to speak frankly. “It became clear on Friday that it’s time to let go.”

Time: The House GOP is in Chaos

[…] Such embarrassment would be nothing new. At this stage, Ryan should be planning his exit with an eye toward burnishing his legacy. (The work-requirement component of the farm bill was a piece of his welfare overhaul crusade.) Instead, he is fighting his own restive conference and trying to manage relations with the White House—tasks, those close to him say, that are proving more difficult now that he has made known his plans to leave.

[…] Ryan has been warning his colleagues that Democratic enthusiasm is growing. Democrats need to net only 23 House seats in November’s elections to claim the majority for the first time since 2011, and 47 Republican incumbents in the House — including Ryan — have already announced that they’re calling it quits, either heading into retirement or seeking other offices. Republicans are bearish on their odds, and all the internal squabbling does little to unite the party behind a message they can sell to voters.

Business Insider: Paul Ryan is losing control of an increasingly chaotic House GOP

When House Speaker Paul Ryan informed the Republican conference in April that he would not seek reelection in 2018, he hammered in the point to his colleagues that he would “run through the tape” and hold the gavel until the new Congress arrives in January. The growing problem for Ryan is that the tape might be much closer than he thought.

Politico: Republicans claw at each other over farm bill implosion

And some Republicans even blamed Ryan, arguing they’re stuck with an outgoing speaker who couldn’t get the job done.

“Obviously the House Freedom Caucus is to blame, but this is the problem when you have a lame duck speaker who announces he’s leaving eight months in advance,” said one senior Republican source. “He can make calls to members to urge them to vote for something, but who will care?”

The Hill: GOP revolts multiply against retiring Ryan

“It’s difficult to close deals when you are a Speaker who’s announced you are leaving in a few months,” a senior GOP source said Friday after the farm bill went down. “If you have somebody who’s going to be stepping down eight months in advance, a lot of people are not going to care what you have to say.”

Added a GOP lawmaker: “The shelf life of a former anything in Congress, including Speaker, is about 30 minutes. That could not be refuted with a thousand examples — it’s just the way it is.”





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