October 21, 2015 12:58 PM UTC

Rep. Ken Buck on Speaker Paul Ryan: Not So Fast

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE #3: CNN now reporting, Oh Lordy, Kumbaya:

Rep. Paul Ryan is pushing ahead with his — now likely successful — bid to be the next House speaker.

In a closed-door session, more than 70% of the House Freedom Caucus voted in favor of Ryan’s candidacy. But that is short of the 80% needed for an official endorsement, something Ryan has demanded.

It appears to be close enough for Ryan, and now he is just waiting for two other key House GOP caucuses to make their support known before he officially jumps in.

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UPDATE #2: The “House Freedom Caucus,” of which Rep. Ken Buck is a member, says it will not endorse Ryan for Speaker. If Ryan holds to his earlier requirements for seeking the position, the bus stops here.

You will never leave this place, John Boehner! Neverrrrrr!!!

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UPDATE: As Politico reports, Ryan’s requirements for running for House Speaker are not going over well with the right wing of the GOP:

Conservative media pundits chafed at Paul Ryan’s list of conditions upon which he would agree to the speakership, mocking him as “Emperor Ryan” and “King Paul.”…

…At one point on Drudge Report, headlines blared: “KING PAUL: PLEDGE YOUR ALLEGIANCE TO ME,” “DO IT BY FRIDAY,” “HE’S A DEM FAVORITE,” “OBAMA’S NEW PARTNER,” ‘F’ conservative rating,” and “WANTS TO SCRAP THOMAS JEFFERSON’S RULE.”

“[Ryan] wants to get elected after it is made impossible to get rid of him, then he will really get into specifics…Amnesty anyone?” Red State founder Erick Erickson wrote. “This would be a terrible, terrible deal for House Conservatives. It would gut their ability to pull the House Republicans to the right.”

This seems to be working out brilliantly.

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AP reports via CBS4 Denver on the quickly developing story of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan’s possible bid to succeed the outgoing Rep. John Boehner as Speaker of the House:

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan told GOP lawmakers late Tuesday that he will run for speaker, but only if they embrace him by week’s end as their consensus candidate — an ambitious bid to impose unity on a disordered and divided House.

Dragged reluctantly into seeking a job he never wanted, Ryan spoke to his colleagues behind closed doors, telling them he will run only with the endorsement of the major caucuses in the House. That includes the hardline Freedom Caucus that chased out the current speaker and his No. 2, and will now have veto power over Ryan.

Our local stalwart on the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Ken Buck, isn’t doing much to encourage Ryan to make the jump:

“I think there are other candidates in this race, and I want to hear what they have to say,” said another Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado. [Pols emphasis]

Perhaps hoping to shore up support on his right, Ryan told House Republicans on Tuesday that there would be no immigration reform bill passed by the GOP-controlled House if he is elected Speaker — at least as long as Barack Obama remains President. Despite this concession, Freedom Caucus members reportedly remain concerned about demands by Ryan that the procedural tactic used this year to attempt to force Boehner to resign, the “motion to vacate,” be ruled out before he accepts the job. Or as New York Congressman Peter King colorfully explained, “He said he’s willing to take arrows in his chest, but not in his back.”

The Freedom Caucus indicated on Tuesday that it would stand by its endorsement of Florida Rep. Daniel Webster as the next House Speaker, but other candidates have been migrating toward Paul. Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who was a favorite of Colorado Rep. Scott Tipton, withdrew his own candidacy to back Paul for Speaker.

Ryan and other Republicans have been busy pushing the narrative that Ryan doesn’t really want to be Speaker, but would do it for the greater good of the GOP. Serving as House Speaker has not historically been a good launching point for a Presidential campaign, and Ryan is believed to still have his eyes on the White House; still, it would be hard to see Ryan not grabbing hold of the chance to increase his political power.

If Ryan is still having trouble getting support from the Freedom Caucus, perhaps he can ask his spokesman to appeal to Ken Buck based on a shared last name (Ryan’s spokesperson is named Brendan Buck).