WASHINGTON
– Republican Rep. Paul Ryan was formally elected House
speaker Thursday, and will take the gavel from John Boehner as he tries to heal
deep divisions in the party.
The selection of Ryan
marks the end of a head-spinning and unpredictable succession. Boehner shocked
Washington by resigning mid-term, and only after his deputy Kevin McCarthy
suddenly bowed out of the race to replace him did Ryan seek the job -- after
initially rebuffing appeals to do so.
Ryan, though, vowed to
do his best to start "turning a page" in the House, where Boehner has
sparred with a conservative wing whose legislative demands and penchant for
battle over once-routine items have in turn frustrated GOP leadership.
"Our party has lost
its vision, and we are going to replace it with a vision," Ryan said
Wednesday. The Wisconsin congressman and 2012 GOP vice presidential
nominee was elected with 236 votes, a majority. The outcome effectively was
predetermined after he locked down most Republican members' support. Democrats
put up their leader, Nancy Pelosi, who got 184 votes, to run on Thursday. But
Ryan's chief GOP opponent Daniel Webster, R-Fla., took himself out of the
running after Ryan easily beat him for the nomination -- though several
Republicans voted for Webster on the floor anyway.
Amiable and just 45,
Ryan has been in Congress 17 years and has strong ties with all wings of the
GOP. Past chairman of the House Budget Committee and current head of the Ways
and Means Committee, he has put his imprint on deficit reduction, tax, health
and trade legislation -- prime subjects that have raised his stature and put
him at the center of many of Congress' highest profile debates.
Many Democrats like Ryan
but none is hesitating to attack him as a symbol of Republican policies they
consider harsh. These include efforts to reshape Medicare into a voucher-like
program, squeeze savings from Medicaid and pare taxes for the rich.
Ryan becomes the House's
54th speaker, putting him second in line to succeed the president, and the
youngest speaker since Rep. James Blaine, R-Maine, who was 39 when he took the
job in 1869.
Ryan was elected
Thursday after Boehner, the 25-year House veteran who stunningly announced his
resignation last month after leading the House since 2011, delivered emotional
farewell remarks.
Ryan's ascension was
coming as Congress neared completion of a bipartisan accord to lift the debt ceiling
and fund the government for two years. The House approved the bill Wednesday
266-167, with final Senate passage on track in a few days, despite opposition
from conservatives including senators seeking the GOP presidential
nomination.
The budget vote
underscored Ryan's challenge in leading Republicans who often have scant
interest in compromise with Democrats, especially with a GOP presidential
contest dominated by candidates who vilify Washington insiders. Republicans
opposed the budget deal by 167-79, but Democrats supported it
unanimously.
Conservatives complain
that Boehner has been excessively powerful, forcing bills to the House floor
without rank-and-filed input, dictating committee chairs and punishing rebels.
One Freedom Caucus leader, Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, said conservatives
expect Ryan to alter that.
"We're going to
have his back for the next few months and make sure that we give him the
opportunity to show that he can be the leader that we hope he can be,"
Labrador said.
Boehner's resignation
prompted a month of GOP turbulence after the Freedom Caucus derailed the
candidacy of the heir-apparent, Majority Leader McCarthy, R-Calif.
Establishment
Republicans pressured a reluctant Ryan to seek the speakership, viewing him as
their best shot at patching the GOP's ragged ruptures.
Ryan, though, set
several conditions for him taking the job -- including that the chamber strip a
tool that can be used to oust a sitting speaker; that all major caucuses
support him; and that he be able to spend time with his family.
The
Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/29/house-elects-ryan-as-speaker/
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