Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks during a media briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 7, 2016. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:08 pm
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) intends to punish House Democrats for their peaceful protest sit-in on the House floor after the Orlando nightclub mass shooting.
Politico reported that Ryan is preparing to reprimand House Democrats:
The exact language is still in flux, and multiple sources said discussions are ongoing. But Speaker Paul Ryan’s office and other leadership staff have been researching ways they can punish Democrats for their controversial occupation of the House floor to protest the chamber’s lack of response to the Orlando, Florida shooting massacre.
GOP lawmakers are expected to discuss the matter next week upon returning from their summer recess. While no votes have been scheduled, some members have been given notice that the response could come to the floor in September.
Speaker Ryan could have chosen a number of different options to avoid making himself look bad. Ryan could have met with the Democrats privately to make his displeasure known. Rep. Ryan could have worked out an agreement establishing guidelines for any future protests by members or either party, or he could have compromised and worked with Democrats on allowing some votes on legislation aimed at reducing gun violence.
Ryan rejected all of these plans and has chosen to punish the House Democrats who were involved in the sit-in.
It will be fascinating to see if Speaker Ryan has the guts to punish civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis for the protest. Ryan is this step because he feels humiliated by Democrats calling him out for not doing his job, so he is going to punish the people who were taking action to get legislation passed that would combat gun violence.
Speaker Ryan has failed to live up to the lofty promises that he made when he took over for John Boehner. As time goes on, it is clear that Ryan shares the same thin-skinned and petty vindictiveness that characterizes Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Ryan is more like Trump than the phony image of principled policy wonk that he created for himself. Whatever punishment Speaker Ryan dishes out, will only make House Democrats stronger.
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