There is so, so much here to unpack about Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell.
WASHINGTON — The top two Republicans in Congress are divided when it comes to divided government.
Speaker Paul D. Ryan says he has had it with Republicans and Democrats sharing power, complaining that it breeds dysfunction and prevents major accomplishments.
In contrast, Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, says those periods when the parties split control of Congress and the White House are the ideal time to get big things done.
Where to start? McConnell, with "his belief that a divided government can spur politically risky deals that neither party would attempt alone." As long as one of the parties isn't the nation's first black president, with whom you make no deals risky or not. "My greatest disappointment with President Obama," he says in regards to not making deals, "is that we had numerous discussions on all of those issues […] And he was not willing to move to the political center, which obviously would have been necessary since he hasn’t had control of Congress for six years, in order to achieve that." Because all Obama had to do when McConnell took his numerous hostages was "move to the political center," which is McConnell's euphemism for total capitulation. Mitch McConnell has no big governing philosophy beyond winning.
Then there's Ryan: "We're just at loggerheads," he said. "We’ve gotten some good things done. But the big things — poverty, the debt crisis, the economy, health care — these things are stuck in divided government, and that's why we think a unified Republican government's the way to go." Achieve a unified Republican conference, Mr. Ryan, then maybe we can talk about a whole unified Republican government. Good lord, where has he been for the last eight years?
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Did he miss the part where the maniacs took over and stopped his Republican leadership—and now him—from accomplishing anything in just that one chamber? Now he's dreaming of a united government, with Donald Trump in the White House? Honestly, if Paul Ryan is the Republicans' future, they've got even more serious work to do than this smoldering dumpster of an election would indicate.
There is one thing that both McConnell and Ryan seem to agree on: not working. There hasn't been a lazier Congress in modern history—not only in terms of not getting anything done, but just not bothering to show up for work. Seriously, the House scheduled 111 days—less than one-third of all the days in 2016—as work days in Washington. The Senate will have worked the fewest days in 60 years. Which actually is a good thing for the nation. Can you imagine how much worse it would be if they really put their backs into it?