In the land of the blind, the one-eyed
man is king. In other words, due to one's 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. Rahn's
muddled analysis of Paul
Ryan (R-WI), an 18-year veteran of the Washington
bog. Given this writer's 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. Ryan's fellow representatives
supposed to
be playboys for him to pal around with? If that's now the
prevailing
mind-set on Capitol Hill, it certainly explains a lot!
Specifically, Gallup's record low approval rating for Congress in
2017: a measly 16%. And is that statistic any surprise given their
collective failure
to repeal Obamacare—after seven years of broken GOP promises?
Thus, is it reasonable to sing Paul Ryan's praises as he's one of the
primary figures responsible for the ongoing legislative morass?
That's not Pauly's
fault, says Rahn. The real
trouble is he's 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
honey's sweetness
attracts many more flies than vinegar; so it is with human
nature. In fact, didn't President Ronald
Reagan epitomize a sunny disposition—and didn't that trait make
him more effective as a leader, not less so?
Naturally, the reality of Speaker
Ryan's 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
$223,500 annual salary. That's a whopping $49,500 more than the
House's rank and file. (By comparison, President
Trump runs the entire executive branch for $400,000 a year, per
Title 3 of the U.S. Code; donating his whole salary, save one dollar,
to charity.) Mr. Ryan has not followed suit—and given his lack of
positive results—perhaps he should.
But wait, Rahn claims, Mr. Ryan real
aptitude is as a “policy
wonk”. If that's 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 $18,152,590,112,385.69. As of this writing, it has
increased to $20,173,505,864,062.25. 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 nation's
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 doesn't 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,
I'm a politician which means I'm a cheat
and a liar, and when I'm not kissing babies I'm 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, that's who Paul Ryan really is. That's 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
dysfunction—that even a clear-eyed low-information voter can
see.
Twitter: @DavidHunterblog
http://patriotpost.us/commentators/446
http://www.americanthinker.com/author/david_l_hunter/
http://canadafreepress.com/members/74987/DavidLHunter/976
http://newstex.aci.info/authors/15977720f5100100002
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