Paul Ryan elected Speaker

[mystery-ak]

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/258516-house-elects-paul-ryan-as-speaker

 By Scott Wong - 10/29/15 10:36 AM EDT

Lawmakers on Thursday elected Rep. Paul Ryan as the 54th Speaker of the House, putting an end to weeks of uncertainty over who would lead the raucous 247-member GOP conference after John Boehner’s surprise resignation.

On a day filled with pomp and excitement, the Wisconsin Republican received 236 votes for Speaker — more than the 218 needed to win on the first ballot. His only challenger, little-known Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), whom Ryan defeated in an internal GOP election Wednesday, received 9 votes on the floor.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a former Speaker herself who will present the gavel to Ryan, received 188 votes, all from Democrats.

Three votes were cast for other candidates: former Rep. Jim Cooper (R-Tenn.), Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Colin Powell.

Webster did not vote, nor did Ryan.

The nine lawmakers who voted for Webster were Reps. Dave Brat (Va.), Curt Clawson (Fla.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Walter Jones (N.C.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Bill Posey (Fla.), Randy Weber (Texas) and Ted Yoho (Fla.).

Ryan’s election gives House Republicans a chance to hit the reset button. Throughout Boehner’s nearly five years as Speaker, centrist members and Tea Party conservatives were at war with each other over policy and tactics.

Now, it’s all Ryan’s problem.

He has made peace with conservative hard-liners for now, saying he’s open to rules changes that will bring more rank-and-file members into the decision-making process. And Boehner helped “clean out the barn” for Ryan this week, ensuring his successor won’t face any major fiscal crises until after the 2016 election. 

“If he’s committed to the process changes that he’s espoused, a honeymoon could last well into the first and second anniversary,” said conservative Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who authored a resolution this summer that sparked a debate over whether to oust Boehner from power.

“If the actions follow the rhetoric we’ve heard, it will be a monumental and historic time for the Hill and the way we do business.”

After he takes the oath of office, Ryan will give a speech declaring it a new day in Congress.

“We have nothing to fear from honest differences honestly stated. If you have ideas, let’s hear them,” Ryan will tell his colleagues. “A greater clarity between us can lead to a greater charity among us.”

Before his election, Ryan was spotted on the first floor of the Capitol, sharing a few laughs with his old boss, former Rep. Sam Brownback, now the GOP governor of Kansas. He hugged family members, friends and staffers.

Asked by The Hill how he was feeling, Ryan replied: “Great!”

Ryan’s wife Janna and their three children — ages 13, 12 and 10 — looked on from the Speaker’s Box, as did 2012 GOP presidential nominee, Mitt Romney and his wife Ann. Mitt Romney tapped Ryan as his vice presidential running mate that summer.

At just 45, Ryan, a fitness fanatic, is the youngest Speaker in roughly 150 years. He also the first to hail from the Badger State and the first to jump directly from Ways and Means chairman to the Speaker’s office.

Thursday marks the fifth time in the last century the House has voted to elect a new Speaker midway through a term.

In an interview, Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), one of Ryan’s closest friends in Congress, called it a “good day.”

“I’m not sure he really wanted to reach this [pinnacle],” Hensarling said, “but the republic needed him and he’s answering its call.”

After a quarter-century career in Congress, Boehner now returns to private life. He is submitting letters to Ryan and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a former House GOP colleague, informing them that his resignation is effective on Friday.

Boehner will fly back to Ohio that same day.

[truth_seeker]

Webster 9 votes. Narrow but loud. The movement ought to focus on strengthening their numbers.

Without greater numbers, it amounts to only an occasional demonstration, giving the false perception of real political power.

I wrote a couple of days ago, that conservatism was once valued for protecting the status quo (Establishment), against reckless and too rapid change. An example is vilifying The Chambers of Commerce, and the Export Import Banks, which are involved with securing American jobs.

I remember the loud rallies and demonstrations by the anti-Vietnam War students, which led to the deaths of four students at Kent State in May 1970. Those students truly believed they were doing the right thing, and that they had the strength of numbers.

In November 1972 Nixon won 49 states. In the US Senate a few days ago, by a vote of 98-2 Cruz was asked to sit down and shut up.

An accurate assessment of your true strength is essential. Forming coalitions of powerful entities is also essential.

I expect the GOP will have four (more) years in the wilderness during President Clinton's first administration, to become a unified source of power.

 

[Relic]

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
 Take a bow for the new revolution
 Smile and grin at the change all around
 Pick up my guitar and play, just like yesterday
 Then I'll get on my knees and pray
 We don't get fooled again
 Don't get fooled again, no no

Yeah
Meet the new boss
 Same as the old boss

[flowers]

 

[Free Vulcan]

Webster 9 votes. Narrow but loud. The movement ought to focus on strengthening their numbers.

Without greater numbers, it amounts to only an occasional demonstration, giving the false perception of real political power.

I wrote a couple of days ago, that conservatism was once valued for protecting the status quo (Establishment), against reckless and too rapid change. An example is vilifying The Chambers of Commerce, and the Export Import Banks, which are involved with securing American jobs.

I remember the loud rallies and demonstrations by the anti-Vietnam War students, which led to the deaths of four students at Kent State in May 1970. Those students truly believed they were doing the right thing, and that they had the strength of numbers.

In November 1972 Nixon won 49 states. In the US Senate a few days ago, by a vote of 98-2 Cruz was asked to sit down and shut up.

An accurate assessment of your true strength is essential. Forming coalitions of powerful entities is also essential.

I expect the GOP will have four (more) years in the wilderness during President Clinton's first administration, to become a unified source of power.

Yawn. You can make all the coalitions and shuffle the deck chairs all you want, but you're still riding on the Titanic. I may not agree with tactics at times of the Freedom Caucus, but they do make the most of what they got. Classic Sun Tzu and good strategy. They have and are sounding the alarm that the rest of the GOP are too ignorant to listen to, because they are listening to the figureheads at places like the Chamber of Commerce who want cheap imported labor to grease their wheel, even if it's doubtful that's what their rank and file wants.

The centrists can smugly chum along as they wish, but if we don't get real, hard reform and quickly, when we go into the next recession we simply won't come out of it. It will be worse than the Great Depression stories my grandfather told me.

Thing is, I can live Amish. Can you?

[Bigun]

Webster 9 votes. Narrow but loud. The movement ought to focus on strengthening their numbers.

Without greater numbers, it amounts to only an occasional demonstration, giving the false perception of real political power.

I wrote a couple of days ago, that conservatism was once valued for protecting the status quo (Establishment), against reckless and too rapid change. An example is vilifying The Chambers of Commerce, and the Export Import Banks, which are involved with securing American jobs.

I remember the loud rallies and demonstrations by the anti-Vietnam War students, which led to the deaths of four students at Kent State in May 1970. Those students truly believed they were doing the right thing, and that they had the strength of numbers.

In November 1972 Nixon won 49 states. In the US Senate a few days ago, by a vote of 98-2 Cruz was asked to sit down and shut up.

An accurate assessment of your true strength is essential. Forming coalitions of powerful entities is also essential.

I expect the GOP will have four (more) years in the wilderness during President Clinton's first administration, to become a unified source of power.

"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will. Find out just what a people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress."

Frederick Douglass August 4, 1857