Rep Paul Ryan Urges 'United Front' in the House

Rep Ryan speaks with so much common sense and understanding of how the political process works.  You don't show your hand and allow the opposition to get the upper hand which is exactly what has been done by the 'no' caucus.  It is like going to play poker and showing the other players your hand.  It is not smart in poker or government.  We have some grand standers on both sides who would rather get face time then be politically smart.  That way their base will continue to vote for them.  How about getting a backbone and doing what is right for the Country and their constituents no matter if it is right or left.

Excuse me but when you are elected to Congress, you are to represent all the people of your district and do what is best for your constituents.  Sometimes you have to compromise to get the job done in Government.  No one side can be the party of 'NO' and unwilling to listen as their minds are already made up.  What is the difference when the left in the House for four years refusing to listen to Republicans and said 'NO' to Republican initiatives or to President Bush and now with a group doing same on the Republican side?

It has to be frustrating for Ryan and others to deal with the arrogant, know it all in the White House, who has no interest in compromising and wants to have his way on everything.  Then he has to also deal with fellow conference members with the attitude no matter what they get in spending cuts their vote is 'no.'

July 18, 2011 4:00 A.M.Ryan Urges ‘United Front’ The “no” caucus should consider the big picture. 

Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Budget Committee chairman, tells National Review Online that as the debt-limit negotiations continue, House Republicans should present Democrats with a “unified front,” pushing for spending cuts, instead of pledging to block an extension under any circumstances, which would “weaken our hand.” 

“No one is interested in default,” Ryan says, when asked about Republicans, such as Rep. Michele Bachmann (R., Minn.), who have firmly opposed raising the debt ceiling — the party’s “no” caucus. “But look, when someone says they are not interested in participating in this process, it does lower the strength of our majority to get spending cuts.” 

“The debt limit is an opportunity to cut spending,” Ryan says. “There is no budget process, since the Senate is not going to do a budget.” Any bloc that fails to recognize this, he says, “weakens our ability to present a unified front and get more spending cuts.” 

Last Friday, Ryan reiterated this message to his colleagues at a closed-door conference meeting. “I always talk about how we have to see the forest through the trees, and I reminded them not to forget about the forest,” he says. “We cannot have irrational expectations when we control one-half of one-third of the government.” 

Ryan is hopeful that Republicans this week will be able to pass “Cut, Cap, and Balance,” a legislative package sponsored by the Republican Study Committee. “It mirrors our budget framework,” he says. “It also puts down the marker, showing the other side where we stand.”
But numerous GOP aides tell NRO that “Cut, Cap, and Balance” faces long odds in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Ryan acknowledges that buzz, but says little about the GOP strategy should it stall. “No one has hit the panic button,” he says. “There remains a strong appetite for cuts. [House Republicans] have already voted for $6 trillion in cuts, so folks are more worried about them being too small than too big.” 

Beyond the details of any potential deal, Ryan says that he is very frustrated with how President Obama has handled the negotiations, especially in how he has painted Republicans as intransigent. Recent presidential press conferences, Ryan says, have notably soured the White House’s relationship with the House GOP, perhaps to the point of no return. Such a development, he sighs, is unfortunate for the country, which wants the president to work with Congress. 

Ryan, who was elected to Congress in 1998, says Obama is a stark contrast to former president Bill Clinton, who often disagreed with House Republicans but for the most part respectfully engaged with lawmakers. Obama, he says, could learn a couple of things from Clinton, who knew how to negotiate in a divided government. “I was pretty new when Clinton was president,” Ryan says. “But I learned then that presidents serve themselves well when they say the same thing in public as they do in private, dealing with congressional leaders earnestly and honestly.” 

“[Obama] has made it harder to establish trust, which will make it harder to find compromise,” Ryan says. “As much as he wants to come off as a leader, every time he talks about Republicans holding out to save fat-cat corporate-jet loopholes — which he knows is false — or leaks alleged spending cuts to the press, he reduces his leadership. He knows how that damages his credibility up here. Yet he continues to spin.” 

Excerpt:  Read More at National Review

It is easy to just say 'no' then it is to lead and make sure you get the best deal possible.  Like Cong Ryan and others most of us are not willing to take a chance on default for not raising the debt ceiling.  It is too big of risk.