Ryan is Boehner Pt 2


Can Ryan shake the illusion that he is going to be Boehner 2.0?  With rumors that he will keep the same staff, many of whom were and are lobbyists, there is a real concern that he won’t be significantly different from Boehner and that those who influenced Boehner the most, will now bend the ear of Ryan.

Even Ryan’s pick for Chief of Staff is David Hoppe, “a former chief of staff to former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and to other top Republicans like former Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and former Rep. Jack Kemp, has been an influential D.C. insider for years. He’s also been a high-power lobbyist through his own firm Hoppe Strategies.”

Ryan’s decision to surround himself with lobbyists—hiring one as his chief of staff—could be a troubling signal that he’s going to operate just like Boehner did. Boehner’s affinity for lobbyists—something Ryan seems to be following—is something that earned him a reputation unlike any other Speaker in U.S. history.

Boehner’s ties to special interests, ties Ryan seems ready to continue, run so deep according to a 2010 New York Times profile that those close to him are part of what’s become known as “Boehner land.”

“While many lawmakers in each party have networks of donors, lobbyists and former aides who now represent corporate interests, Mr. Boehner’s ties seem especially deep,” the Times’ Eric Lipton wrote in September 2010, as Boehner’s Republicans were on the brink of electing a House majority to make him Speaker. “His clique of friends and current and former staff members even has a nickname on Capitol Hill, Boehner Land. The members of this inner circle said their association with Mr. Boehner translates into open access to him and his staff.”

Republicans are expected to nominate Ryan as their Speakership candidate on Wednesday, and then Ryan is expected to win the Speakership on Thursday on the House floor as Boehner exits. Looks like Washington, D.C., is going to turn into “Ryan Land” after it leaves “Boehner Land.”

Will Ryan be his own man, able to overcome the swirling rumors that he will be following way to closely in Boehner’s footstep, or will he get swallowed up by the “Boehner land” terrain?

Source: Breitbart 



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