For Immediate Release: November 6, 2015
Contact: Bob Weiner / Ben Lasky 301-283-0821 Cell 202-306-1200 weinerpublic@comcast.net
FORMER WHITEHOUSE SPOKESMAN ROBERT WEINER AND POLICY ANALYST BRENDAN AGNEW SAY DESPITE BOEHNER’S “CLEAN BARN,” RYAN SPEAKERSHIP COULD BRING CONTINUED GRIDLOCK FROM RIGHT WING AGENDA’S CUTS AND DEMOCRATIC REFUSAL TO HARM MIDDLE CLASS
Weiner and Agnew assert “For all of [Ryan’s] talk of ‘homework’, he has offered little by way of positive policy” and his Congress “could come to be known more for what it left undone than what it achieved”.
(Washington, DC)- Former White House Spokesman and congressional committee chief of staff Robert Weiner and Policy Analyst Brendan Agnew argue in a newly released Op-Ed that despite claiming to have “Cleared the Barn” by passing a budget, Former Speaker of the House John Boehner has left his successor, Representative Paul Ryan, with a long agenda of unfinished business. They argue that pressing issues that Congress has been inactive on, such as infrastructure spending, social programs, and immigration reform may continue to go unaddressed under Ryan’s leadership because of Ryan’s support for the right wing’s agenda.
The pair has written a piece published in Op-Ed News, one of the country’s top 50 progressive opinion news sites, “Despite ‘Clearing the Barn’, Boehner Leaves Legacy of Loose Ends for Ryan.”
The authors refer to Boehner and Ryan’s rhetoric regarding the changing of speakers. “In a speech before turning over the speakership to Paul Ryan, outgoing speaker John Boehner said he was ‘clearing the barn’. Accepting his election as Speaker, Congressman Ryan spoke of Congress’ duty to “do the homework” on pressing policy issues, imploring elected officials to ‘get our act together’ on behalf of everyday Americans”.
The authors go on to contend that “Ryan was right to accuse Congress of gridlock and inaction. For all of his talk of ‘homework’, however, he has offered little by way of positive policy either in his speech or in his proposed ‘Path to Prosperity’ budget.”
The authors argue that “one of the more remarkable failures of this Congress is its inaction on infrastructure funding, a historically bipartisan issue. Last year, the American Society of Civil Engineers assessed the nation’s infrastructure, giving it a D+ rating. The report called for roughly $3.6 trillion in repairs and maintenance.” They remark that, when it comes to repairing the nation’s infrastructure, “American trains are now on the political third rail”.
The piece also contends that Congress’s failure to address immigration issues will continue: “Progress on immigration reform…screeched to a halt under this Congress. Representative Ryan has vowed to avoid comprehensive reform –he blinked on that as a condition of winning votes from the Freedom Caucus for the Speakership while the Freedom Caucus blinked on his family time.”
Weiner and Agnew discuss the possible future of the Ryan-led Congress, adding: “Paul Ryan is often praised for being a policy wonk, but if he sticks to his own budget proposal, it is likely that House Democrats, the Senate, and President Obama will balk, and Ryan and House Republicans will re-enter the world of gridlock. Slashing taxes for the rich, Cutting and privatizing Social Security and Medicare, dismantling social programs and siphoning all of the federal government’s social program and medical research resources towards military spending don’t move Congress any closer to its lofty goals, or build House and Senate Democratic support needed to move a bill to the White House that President Obama will sign.”
The article notes in particular that “Ryan has proposed ‘bold’ changes in entitlements — a foreboding action that Democrats will properly oppose if they are an alias for cuts”.
The authors conclude: “It’s not enough for the Republicans just to have a speaker, even a youthful and dynamic one like Paul Ryan. Don’t be blinded by the love and bipartisanship for Ryan displayed and spoken by Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Jim Clyburn (D-SC), and Ryan’s swearing in by Dean of the House John Conyers (D-MI). Without negotiation and leadership, and despite Boehner’s gift of a budget, no shutdowns, and no debt ceiling crises for two years, Ryan’s Congress could come to be known more for what it left undone that could have been positive than what it achieved”.
Robert Weiner is a former spokesman for the Clinton White House, and was senior staff for Reps. John Conyers Jr., Charles Rangel, Claude Pepper and Ed Koch and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Brendan Agnew is Economic Policy Analyst at Robert Weiner Associates and Solutions for Change.
Headshots
Weiner: http://www.weinerpublic.com/bobweiner.jpg
Agnew: http://www.weinerpublic.com/bagnew.jpg
LINK TO FULL, ARTICLE: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Despite-Clearing-the-Barn-by-Robert-Weiner-Barack-Obama_Barack-Obama_Barack-Obama_Barack-Obama-Administration-151106-685.html
Source: Robert Weiner Associates and Solutions for Change
For Immediate Release: November 6, 2015
Contact: Bob Weiner / Ben Lasky 301-283-0821 Cell 202-306-1200 weinerpublic@comcast.net
FORMER WHITEHOUSE SPOKESMAN ROBERT WEINER AND POLICY ANALYST BRENDAN AGNEW SAY DESPITE BOEHNER’S “CLEAN BARN,” RYAN SPEAKERSHIP COULD BRING CONTINUED GRIDLOCK FROM RIGHT WING AGENDA’S CUTS AND DEMOCRATIC REFUSAL TO HARM MIDDLE CLASS
Weiner and Agnew assert “For all of [Ryan’s] talk of ‘homework’, he has offered little by way of positive policy” and his Congress “could come to be known more for what it left undone than what it achieved”.
(Washington, DC)- Former White House Spokesman and congressional committee chief of staff Robert Weiner and Policy Analyst Brendan Agnew argue in a newly released Op-Ed that despite claiming to have “Cleared the Barn” by passing a budget, Former Speaker of the House John Boehner has left his successor, Representative Paul Ryan, with a long agenda of unfinished business. They argue that pressing issues that Congress has been inactive on, such as infrastructure spending, social programs, and immigration reform may continue to go unaddressed under Ryan’s leadership because of Ryan’s support for the right wing’s agenda.
The pair has written a piece published in Op-Ed News, one of the country’s top 50 progressive opinion news sites, “Despite ‘Clearing the Barn’, Boehner Leaves Legacy of Loose Ends for Ryan.”
The authors refer to Boehner and Ryan’s rhetoric regarding the changing of speakers. “In a speech before turning over the speakership to Paul Ryan, outgoing speaker John Boehner said he was ‘clearing the barn’. Accepting his election as Speaker, Congressman Ryan spoke of Congress’ duty to “do the homework” on pressing policy issues, imploring elected officials to ‘get our act together’ on behalf of everyday Americans”.
The authors go on to contend that “Ryan was right to accuse Congress of gridlock and inaction. For all of his talk of ‘homework’, however, he has offered little by way of positive policy either in his speech or in his proposed ‘Path to Prosperity’ budget.”
The authors argue that “one of the more remarkable failures of this Congress is its inaction on infrastructure funding, a historically bipartisan issue. Last year, the American Society of Civil Engineers assessed the nation’s infrastructure, giving it a D+ rating. The report called for roughly $3.6 trillion in repairs and maintenance.” They remark that, when it comes to repairing the nation’s infrastructure, “American trains are now on the political third rail”.
The piece also contends that Congress’s failure to address immigration issues will continue: “Progress on immigration reform…screeched to a halt under this Congress. Representative Ryan has vowed to avoid comprehensive reform –he blinked on that as a condition of winning votes from the Freedom Caucus for the Speakership while the Freedom Caucus blinked on his family time.”
Weiner and Agnew discuss the possible future of the Ryan-led Congress, adding: “Paul Ryan is often praised for being a policy wonk, but if he sticks to his own budget proposal, it is likely that House Democrats, the Senate, and President Obama will balk, and Ryan and House Republicans will re-enter the world of gridlock. Slashing taxes for the rich, Cutting and privatizing Social Security and Medicare, dismantling social programs and siphoning all of the federal government’s social program and medical research resources towards military spending don’t move Congress any closer to its lofty goals, or build House and Senate Democratic support needed to move a bill to the White House that President Obama will sign.”
The article notes in particular that “Ryan has proposed ‘bold’ changes in entitlements — a foreboding action that Democrats will properly oppose if they are an alias for cuts”.
The authors conclude: “It’s not enough for the Republicans just to have a speaker, even a youthful and dynamic one like Paul Ryan. Don’t be blinded by the love and bipartisanship for Ryan displayed and spoken by Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Jim Clyburn (D-SC), and Ryan’s swearing in by Dean of the House John Conyers (D-MI). Without negotiation and leadership, and despite Boehner’s gift of a budget, no shutdowns, and no debt ceiling crises for two years, Ryan’s Congress could come to be known more for what it left undone that could have been positive than what it achieved”.
Robert Weiner is a former spokesman for the Clinton White House, and was senior staff for Reps. John Conyers Jr., Charles Rangel, Claude Pepper and Ed Koch and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Brendan Agnew is Economic Policy Analyst at Robert Weiner Associates and Solutions for Change.
Headshots
Weiner: http://www.weinerpublic.com/bobweiner.jpg
Agnew: http://www.weinerpublic.com/bagnew.jpg
LINK TO FULL, ARTICLE: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Despite-Clearing-the-Barn-by-Robert-Weiner-Barack-Obama_Barack-Obama_Barack-Obama_Barack-Obama-Administration-151106-685.html
Source: Robert Weiner Associates and Solutions for Change