The House 'Freedom' Caucus (as in, free to be off your rocker) is having a lot of "private" meetings these days about how to make Paul Ryan's life H-E-double toothpicks following the election. Fun! Their latest is a scheme to install one of their own in a House leadership role in exchange for their support to keep Ryan speaker, thereby ensuring they'll be a near constant cudgel over Ryan's head during his every waking moment. Politico writes:
Though the position would likely be low in the leadership pecking order, it would be the first time a member of the group of hardliners became part of official party governance.
The House Republican Conference is set to hold secret-ballot internal leadership elections on Nov. 15, so the Freedom Caucus will have to organize quickly. The full House will hold a floor vote in January to elect the next speaker. [...]
The Freedom Caucus's gambit could hinge on the results of the election next week. The more seats Republicans lose, the more powerful the Freedom Caucus could become, because its members would comprise a bigger share of a smaller conference.
One of two things is going to happen in the House following Election Day: Either Nancy Pelosi will be holding the gavel or Paul Ryan will be facing the most empowered Crazy Caucus the House has seen to date. Frankly, the former is a better scenario for him.
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