It looks like the House of Representatives has a new Speaker. The vote won't come until next Thursday, but after speaking to his fellow Republicans (and getting the support of the so-called "Freedom Caucus"), Paul Ryan has said he will be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. In a letter to his fellow Republicans, he said:"I never thought I'd be speaker. But I pledged to you that if I could be a unifying figure, then I would serve—I would go all in. After talking with so many of you, and hearing your words of encouragement, I believe we are ready to move forward as a one, united team. And I am ready and eager to be our speaker."
Are the Republicans now really united? Has Paul Ryan really brought to together? I know that's the image they would like to present to the media (and through them the voters), but I don't believe it. I want to see how they handle a couple of things that are coming up very soon -- raising the debt ceiling, and passing a new budget. The debt ceiling will need to be raised in the first week of November to avoid a default on government debts, and a new budget will need to be passed by December 11th to avoid a government shutdown.
While the "Freedom Caucus" (the teabagger caucus in the House) is going along with Ryan as Speaker, that does not mean they have changed their minds about what they want. They (and some other House Republicans) want to stop the raising of the debt ceiling and pass a budget they know the Democrats and the president could never agree to -- which would shut down the government.
Is Ryan going to let them do that? Or is he going to want to compromise to avoid that (which is what killed Boehner's speakership). If Ryan can somehow maneuver the House through those, and still maintain a unified party, then I'll give him credit. But I think he's taken over a thankless job, and probably one that no one could do (considering the state of the current Republican Party).
