Introducing Speaker Nobody

UPDATED:

Sr. House official confirms @costareports report that Boehner is personally lobbying Ryan to run. Gowdy also urging Ryan to reconsider.

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) October 8, 2015

Ryan really doesn’t want the job, but it’s got to be hard to tell the outgoing Speaker no — especially given the chaos on the Hill.

[Original post below]

(Image courtesy Chuck Barris Productions)

Guy Benson explains the Republicans’ dilemma:

It’s a common refrain these days, but its undeniable truth bears repeating: Given the unchanged political dynamics within the fractured GOP caucus, who would want this job right now? The next Speaker will inevitably endure harsh criticism a relatively small group of dissatisfied conservatives, who often seem long on complaints but short on workable strategies. This faction’s intransigence has hamstrung party leaders repeatedly over the last five years; they’ve now collected two prized “establishment” scalps, yet appear to have no viable alternative in mind. The next Speaker will answer to dozens of moderate-leaning members intent on retaining swing district seats won over back-to-back midterm landslides. The next Speaker will also contend with an entrenched, very liberal, very disciplined Democratic minority — on whom he or she may occasionally be forced to rely for votes, thanks to the “hell no” hard-right flank’s tactics. (This phenomenon, incidentally, affords Democrats much more leverage than they’d otherwise have, allowing them to extract policy concessions as a price for their cooperation, making legislation less conservative). And the next Speaker will have to navigate all of these perilous crosscurrents with a string of unpleasant deadlines looming.

I still say give it to Trump.