McConnell May Just Dump Budget Mess On Ryan

Mitch McConnell may have decided to just get out of town and let Paul Ryan deal with the mess he leaves behind. After the obligatory votes on Obamacare this week, it looks like McConnell may just pass a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government only until December, which is exactly what Harry Reid and the Democrats have been demanding. Then he will simply adjourn and let his struggling members focus on their re-election efforts and keep McConnell as Senate Majority Leader. That would leave poor Paul Ryan to have to deal with his recalcitrant Freedom Caucus in order to pass that CR and keep the government from shutting down.

House Republicans have seen that game before and they are afraid that any deal made during the lame duck session after the election will result in higher spending and bigger government as the budget gets loaded up with perks for individual members who may no longer be accountable to the electorate. Even worse, there is a fear that Ryan may actually cut a deal with the Democrats in order to pass the budget in the House, doing an end-run around the Freedom Caucus. And here is what one of those Freedom Caucus leaders, Tim Huelskamp, had to say about that: "It's leadership's fault. They decided not to move appropriations bills through so here we are in September having to do a CR. Why? Don't forget it's because they didn't do the full appropriations. It's what Boehner did. What's the difference?...I think Reid and Ryan have already worked out a deal that we all go home and Obama wins again and we are going to abdicate our power of the purse...Trust is built over a series of promises kept, and we are still trying to figure out what promises were kept, but we are very worried about a lame duck because what we saw under Speaker Boehner and what we fear under Speaker Ryan they are going to come back and do things the American people don't want to do."

So far, Paul Ryan does not appear to be doing any better than John Boehner in keeping those 40 to 60 Republicans that make up the Freedom Caucus, a group that seems unwilling and unable to make the necessary compromises to actually govern, happy. And when they start saying there is no difference between Boehner and Ryan, then you know there will be some sort of leadership challenge for Speaker of the House next year. And if Democrats cut into the GOP House majority this November, Ryan's margin becomes razor thin, especially as those seats would have probably been occupied by moderate Republicans. At times, Ryan really must wonder why he took the job at all.