Joseph Lawler of the Washington Examiner offers a positive assessment of U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan’s performance.
Throughout his two-plus years as speaker, Ryan has been able to maintain a tenuous peace within the House Republican conference, a group of politicians with wildly divergent views and styles that proved unmanageable for Boehner and that might have been unable to settle on a leader if Ryan hadn’t been drafted in 2015.
For that measure of success, House Republicans, outside conservatives, and lobbyists credit Ryan’s efforts to include the rank-and-file in the legislative process, and to provide transparency about the leadership’s goals and strategy. They also prize his ability to debate and educate individuals about detailed policy initiatives, a skill honed in his days on the Budget Committee.
With those tools, Ryan has managed to pass major controversial legislation, such as the tax bill, the latest budget extension to avert a government shutdown, and a rewrite of Obamacare, even under tremendous pressure from right and left enraged and energized by the Trump-GOP partnership. In several cases, the Senate was unable to do the same.
In coming weeks, Ryan’s speakership will have to navigate some of the same obstacles that felled Boehner, such as legislation on immigration and spending.
Most House Republicans view Ryan as a uniting force, and some fear, amid rumors that he may not run again, that no one else could fill his shoes so successfully.
