Ryan's contradiction: Talk inclusive politics but work with Trump
By Paul Kane April 12 at 6:00 AM
Paul D. Ryan has one big regret about American politics. “The thing that bothers me most in politics today is identity politics,” the House speaker said Wednesday, a few hours after announcing his plan to retire at the end of his term.
Ryan (R-Wis.) defined that as politicians “playing to people’s divisions and exploiting people’s frustrations,” something he felt that liberals have long done. “The left was really good at it; now the right does it,” Ryan said in an interview.
A couple of hours later, Ryan drove down Pennsylvania Avenue to have dinner at the White House with President Trump. He planned to bring a checklist of five or six legislative agenda items to discuss with Trump.
That has been the inherent contradiction of Ryan’s position in Washington. He’s someone who at 3:30 p.m. name-checked himself as a “Jack Kemp guy” who “believes strongly in inclusive, aspirational politics” and by sunset broke bread with a president who mastered the art of grievance politics all the way into the Oval Office.
Trump’s personal character traits of bravado and confidence, denigrating some people while championing others, have run counter to what Ryan has stood for in his 20-year career in Congress.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/ryans-contradiction-talk-inclusive-politics-but-work-with-trump/2018/04/11/fd40febe-3dc8-11e8-974f-aacd97698cef_story.html
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