The cliché, “when one door closes, another one opens,” certainly applies to Former Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner, as he finally feels inspired to do the GOP a favor. He’s relinquishing his role as Extremist Dictator of the House and passing the torch to current Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. On Oct. 29, 2015, the Era of Paul Ryan began on Capitol Hill. As soon as he finally agreed to fill Boehner’s empty throne, Ryan pledged, "We have an obligation here in the people's house to do the people's business. We are going to respect the people by representing the people." These are big words for a man who initially refused to even consider the position, but the GOP isn’t wrong for having faith in him. He is a family man from the Midwest who recognizes the importance and necessity of a middle ground.
The Republican Party’s slow demise started in 2008 when the recession hit, hurling the party into massive disarray. The House clearly has much to deal with; namely, the ever-noisy Tea Party. But Ryan is willing and enthusiastic to bridge — not burn — the gaps between parties. But can he do it? Only time will tell. His ultimate success would be bringing both sides together so that government can actually function without shutting down.
Let’s use this exciting moment of radical change in the GOP’s leadership to establish a status report on the Republican Party. The loudest republicans are the ones running for president, and as annoying and catty as they may seem, we cannot assume that all republicans are like them. We need to start with the ridiculous debate, which took place for some odd and unexplained reason in Boulder, Colorado on Oct. 28.
While there weren’t any declared winners or losers in the debate, some republicans definitely left with big smiles on their faces. The shining stars include Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, because their gloves came off at approximately 8:01 p.m. I’m no moderator, but here’s what made these guys shine last night:
Marco Rubio: Until last night, his mentor-mentee relationship with longtime politico, Jeb Bush, was sweet. Claws came out quickly when Bush accused Rubio of being an absentee senator. Rubio responded saying, “The only reason why you're doing [this] now is because we're running for the same position, and someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you.” Jeez, why don’t you tell him how you really feel?
Ted Cruz: Nothing he said seemed to have anything to do with the topics on the table. However, he still managed to do what he always does: say something ridiculous that renders a huge applause. He talked about the role of the media in politics for about 99 percent of the time and then ended up saying, “This is not a cage match. And you look at the questions: ‘Donald Trump, are you a comic-book villain?’ ‘Ben Carson, can you do math?’ ‘John Kasich, will you insult two people over here?’ ‘Marco Rubio, why don’t you resign?’ ‘Jeb Bush, why have your numbers fallen?’ How about talking about the substantive issues the people care about?” Then, everyone erupted in cheers. I’m still not sure why that is, for the media tears him apart every time he opens his mouth. All that matters, though, is that the audience liked the speech.
Donald Trump: A 2016 presidential debate would be nothing without Trump. His name even came up in the Democratic debate. He made a political name for himself by playing two cards: negotiation and political correctness. But last night he showed the country a softer and more resigned side of him, something no one expected from the man who swore to never return to Iowa if its people won’t elect him. He behaved almost presidentially, which was nice to finally see after spending the last two debates condemning Mexicans and insulting republicans. Although he shied away from mentioning any legitimate policies, he proved that he is capable of strapping on the imaginary muzzle and keeping it on until it’s his turn to talk.
The other seven candidates either lost big-time or didn’t change their status. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and quasi-racist, barely spoke. Poor Jeb Bush just can’t catch a break in this campaign. He’s an interesting case because he’s not doing anything wrong or offensive — he just isn’t doing enough. Every time Bush is on stage, he fades into the background, which just won’t cut it for the potential president of a country like the United States. John Kasich suffered a similar fate. He couldn’t seem to get it up for the cameras, the moderators and especially the other candidates. When presented with a perfect question (“What’s your greatest weakness?”), he didn’t even answer. Everyone knows how to spin that question, and he completely missed that opportunity. I think I speak for everyone when I say that Chris Christie needs to drop out already. The most ridiculous part of his responses was that they all centered around fantasy football … I’m sorry, is this a presidential debate or a fraternity chapter?
Paul Ryan has a big job trying to reign in this gaggle of loudmouths and shy guys in order to finally establish a properly functioning government, but if anyone can do it, it’s the guy who is determined to wipe the slate clean and bring back the original Republican Party with a new and refreshing air of moderation.
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