House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) is slated to speak for 10 minutes at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week.
The speech will focus on his policy blueprint for the House–the Better Way project–and is expected to draw a crisp distinction between the House GOP’s agenda and what is being proposed by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
But Ryan’s role at the convention will extend far beyond what is
captured on cameras in prime time or even what is seen of his official
duties as chairman of the Republican convention.
In many ways, Ryan’s role at the 2016 convention may even eclipse the one he
held four years ago when he emerged as the party’s vice presidential
nominee, then just a 42-year-old chairman of the House Budget Committee.
Ryan now is a leader in his own right, having reluctantly accepted the
speaker’s gavel last fall and weathered the storm of appropriations
battles, a Democratic sit-in over gun control and growing frustration by some on his right flank that he is not taking their positions into account. Ryan will spend the convention performing his official party duties as well as meeting with state delegations from Wisconsin, Texas, Pennsylvania and Mississippi. He will also spend part of the convention promoting his House agenda, including speeches as well as venturing off-site to meet with local community leaders to talk health care and poverty.
But Ryan will have a symbolic role as well. He is tasked with more than just delivering a speech or stumping for a nominee this time, Ryan will be at the convention this cycle working to preserve the party’s ideological and structural integrity at a time when many Republicans opposed to Trump openly wonder how the party will pick up the pieces if Trump loses in November.
“The priority for Paul Ryan is to not cash in all his chips in trying to make 2016 a winner for the Republicans because they don’t have a prayer,” said Wisconsin-based Republican operative and former Wisconsin Republican Party executive director Brandon Scholz. “It is more about laying the foundation as he has been doing … it’s about the future.”
For now, it appears that the last gasps of the Never Trump movement have been squelched and any chance of a messy, contested floor fight have officially been stopped, but the underlying unrest in the party will still be an undeniable factor at the convention. Already, the Republican platform has moved to the right on issues like immigration where leaders like Ryan once urged the party to moderate. The platform rejected the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal Ryan has been vocal in supporting. And Ryan’s position on the nominee himself, has left some wondering if Ryan is the leader they thought he was.
The leaders of the party that ended slavery now endorse a man who bullies women, lies habitually, and incites violence. My heart breaks.
— David French (@DavidAFrench) June 2, 2016
In Trump’s messy, albeit eventual decision to select Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate, some establishment leaders are finding a small dose of comfort ahead of the convention. But all eyes are still on Ryan to contend with a convention that even Republican operatives are dreading.
“You couldn’t pay me to go,” Scholz said.
Ryan Williams, a Republican operative who worked for Mitt Romney’s campaign in 2012, will also be avoiding the convention in Cleveland, but he says that the best path for Ryan at the convention is to do what he has already been doing on Capitol Hill.
“He is working hard to preserve the Republican majority in the House and present a clear set of policy principles for Republicans running for the House to campaign on,” Williams said.
Ryan spent the month of June unveiling broad policy proposals on everything from health care to poverty. The plans were criticized for lacking specifics, but gave Republican members at least something to run on in 2016 that went beyond Trump’s border wall and squishy trade positions. The convention will also give Ryan a chance to catch up with party leaders and donors who numbers show he’s continued to have positive relationships with despite Trump’s lack of fundraising prowess.
A report from the Wall Street Journal last week showed Ryan raised $15.6 million in the second quarter of the year, a staggering haul for a young speaker who some predicted would come up short on fundraising in order to make more time for his family.
Scholz contended that fears of a Trump loss may weigh heavy on the convention even as balloons fall on the final night. The absence of key senators, congressman and operatives is obvious, he said, but Ryan can still stay above the chaos even in the moments when the party looks to be fraying.
“I feel like Donald Trump losing is the best thing that could happen to the Republicans. The party under Donald Trump would die and wither,” Scholz said. “Having Hillary Clinton win is going to be painful … but it is the best thing that is going to happen. With Hillary Clinton as president, Republicans will maintain their donor base, they will recruit candidates, they will build the infrastructure in the state parties.”
Scholz said that the backstory of the convention is going to be that “Paul Ryan emerges.”
“He is speaker so in a way he already has. He is the leader in waiting until the day after Trump loses,” Scholz said. “He just has to make sure there is no tarnish.”
