House Speaker Paul Ryan announced he will not seek re-election as a member of congress. This creates an interesting, and potentially problematic, scenario for congressional Republicans in their General Election campaigns.
One of the major responsibilities of the Speaker is to travel the country for fundraisers to help their Party’s candidates raise a ton of money. How can Ryan do that now? And if he does, what message would he bring? He won’t be able to champion the agenda for next year because he won’t be part of creating that agenda.
He could still travel the country for Republican candidates in what could be billed as a farewell tour. Ask The Rolling Stones how sweet farewell tours (they had several; Last Tour Ever!). Candidates could advertise that it’s your last chance to meet Ryan, but I’m not sure if that’s any kind of an exciting draw.
Ryan should never have been Speaker to begin with. House Republicans asked Ryan to step in as Speaker when Boehner stepped down and Ryan said no. Then House Republicans came back and asked again, persuaded him to do so, and Ryan said yes. I never understood why it had to be Ryan. He said no. He was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee at the time, one of the most powerful committees on the Hill. It’s a great gig and one that is not easy to give up. The chairman of Ways and Means flies under the national media radar even though they have far reaching power; enough power that committee members cannot serve on any other congressional committee without a special waiver. Contrast that with House Speaker, which is a national media target that is hammered daily. I would never trade Ways and Means for Speaker.
Now that Ryan is out, House Republicans will be able to elect a more conservative Speaker. I like either Rep. Daniel Webster or Rep. Mark Meadows as the best choices. Both are members of the House Freedom Caucus. Webster was the speaker of the Florida state house before coming to congress and Meadows is currently the chairman of the Freedom Caucus. Both have the necessary experience and conservative bona fides to excel at the position. Either would be great. Other excellent choices are Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Thomas Massie.
So what is a Republican congressional nominee to do? As they hit the stump they will be constantly asked who they like for Speaker. This could create an inconsistent message, but that may not be a bad thing. Favorite sons could pop up everywhere. Florida candidates can say they like Webster, while North Carolina candidates can say they like Meadows, while Ohio candidates can say they like Jordan, while California candidates can say they like Rep. Kevin McCarthy (I really don’t), Louisiana candidates can say they like Rep. Steve Scalise, and so on and so on. But then that will leave everyone vulnerable to commenting on how their colleague in another state/region answered, which could create unneeded division. On the other hand, a unified message will meet a unified attack from the press, liberals, and even moderate Republicans.
It is probably best for Ryan to resign as Speaker over the summer recess. That would allow House Republicans to meet over the summer, select their candidate for Speaker, and then hit the campaign trail hard with a unified message of conservative stewardship for the country. The Democrats are energized against President Donald Trump. Republicans need to support the president’s agenda while being their own conservative candidate as well. Keep in mind that congress is a co-equal branch of government and there is nothing conservative about a mindless rubberstamp. We need congressmen who will defend the Constitution above all else.
This is a tough situation for Republican congressional candidates to be in, who were already facing an uphill battle. Ryan’s departure at the end of his term will make things a little more confusing and therefore a little more difficult. But every Democrat in the country expected Hillary Clinton to win two years ago, so seeing every Democrat in the country think that they will take over the majority in congress could set the stage for another big loss for the Democrats.
.