"Is Paul Ryan Playing a Long Game?"

[applegrove]

Is Paul Ryan Playing a Long Game?

By Pema Levy at Newsweek

http://www.newsweek.com/paul-ryan-playing-long-game-224792

"SNIP...................................


Last summer, Ryan’s bona fides as a fiscal conservative landed him the vice-presidential spot on Mitt Romney’s ticket. Famous for his spending and entitlement-slashing budgets, Ryan was recruited to energize the conservative base of the GOP.

A year and a half later, with speculation already swirling about who the Republicans will field in the next presidential election, Ryan could find himself on the opposite side of the equation, having sacrificed his well earned reputation for fiscal conservatism on the altar of compromise.

The other top 2016 conservative contenders -- Senators Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz -- have spotted the chance to outflank Ryan on the inside. They have conspicuously refused to back the bipartisan budget agreement Ryan crafted and are poised to vote against it, leaving the Wisconsin congressman all alone on the budget issue.

..........

In many ways, Ryan’s work hammering out a compromise, then seeing it through the House of Representatives by an overwhelming 332-94 vote margin, was a momentous victory. He can take credit for working with both sides of the aisle, ending the budget stalemate and putting under his name a major legislative achievement – not just another proposal.

“He is looking to make himself a problem solver on Capitol Hill,” O’Connell said. “He’s one of the few people, at least in the House, that can really take up that mantle because he’s trusted by both conservatives and members of the establishment in the party.”




...................................SNIP"

[Skittles]

1. he is a smarmy little worm

he is disgusting

[applegrove]

2. I know. But people like him will don a cloak of respectability to get more pawns to follow him.

[Mass]

3. More media fawning about Paul Ryan...

Everybody is asking the same question, and it is hard to understand why they find the guy that impressive (the media, I mean, not the GOP conservatives. This guy is arguably one of the most conservative guys in the House, voting against Sandy funding and against rising the debt limit. He talks better than the average tea party guy, but he is squarely one of them.

[pansypoo53219]

4. yep. this was a cookie for the media.

[pampango]

5. If he were on our side, you might hear "4-D chess" rather than "long game".

We shall see if the conservative base views him as a "sellout" or as a "realist" who can get things done. IMHO, the former is much more likely among the tea party faithful.