Republicans Self-Destruct: Paul Ryan Refuses To Run For Speaker As Boehner Forced To Stay

The story coming out of the House Republican caucus is only getting crazier. Rep. Paul Ryan is refusing to run for Speaker while John Boehner is being forced to stick around until a new leader can be found.

Rep. Ryan said that McCarthy was the right person for a job that apparently no sane person wants, “Kevin McCarthy is the best person to lead the House, and so I’m disappointed in this decision. Now it is important that we, as a conference, take time to deliberate and seek new candidates for the speakership. While I am grateful for the encouragement I’ve received, I will not be a candidate. I continue to believe I can best serve the country and this conference as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.”

In other words, Paul Ryan has no interest in dealing with the crazies in his own party.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

The election of a new Speaker has been postponed, and allies of John Boehner admitted that he is going to have to stick around longer than anyone expected. Boehner’s October 30th retirement looks to be off the table, as the Republicans who pushed Boehner out may be stuck with him for months longer if the GOP can’t agree on who should be the next Speaker of the House.

What is happening in the House Republican caucus has been years in the making. The nation is witnessing the complete self-destruction of the majority party in the House of Representatives.

House Republicans are so fractured and divided that no one who could lead them wants the job. The idea is being floated that Republicans may have to elect a temporary “caretaker” Speaker to get through next year’s elections.

Citizens United has made each Republican member of the House responsive to only their donors. There is little party unity among the House GOP. The reality is that the Republican caucus is ungovernable, and they have paralyzed the country with their constant desire for crisis and confrontation.

If anyone needs to know why the government can’t get anything done, look no further than the dysfunctional misfits who call themselves House Republicans.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association