Paul Ryan nutshells GOP Politics 2016

Appearing on Fox News The Kelly File, Rep. Paul Ryan explained to Megyn Kelly, in one sentence that perfectly embodies projection, how conservatives view governing circa 2016, explaining that if we have  “a progressive president, he’s not going to sign conservative bills into law.”

Actually, they do.  And, in the past, conservative presidents signed progressive bills into law.  If they were good for the nation.  But, post-2009, conservatives have twisted themselves into what Megyn Kelly aptly describes as their current "die trying" mentality,  where anything smacking of even reasonable compromise is derided as a betrayal of core principles.

House Speaker Ryan illustrated his point by saying President Obama has vetoed very bill the House has sent him - what he meant, I assume, was every archly conservative bill that got to his desk.  The president has vetoed only nine bills, 2009-the present:

• The XL Keystone Pipeline
• Various appropriations bills that would have essentially defunded Obamacare
• A bill crippling the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
• The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 because its costs soared past existing spending caps
• Twice vetoed bills related to rule submitted by the EPA
• The Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 which would have repealed Obamacare
• A bill that would have compromised the Federal Water Pollution Control Act

 

Over his two terms in the Oval Office, President George W. Bush vetoed 12 bills that made it to his desk.  His father, President George H.W. Bush officially vetoed 29 bills & "pocket" vetoed 15 more, for a grand total of 44.  Over his two terms, President Reagan vetoed 78!

Now, my guess is that what galls Speaker Ryan isn't the comparatively paltry number of vetos the president has signed, but the fact that the House has not, to date, been able to override so much as one of them, whereas 2% of Bush 41's were overriden & a whopping 33% of Bush 43's.

But my piffle on the history of presidential vetoes (forgot to mention Clinton's 47) digresses from the Speaker's succinct sentence re: progressive presidents never signing conservative bills.  I would agree with him that progressive presidents never sign SIGNATURE conservative bills, bills that go against the very heart of their ideals & belief about what's best for the country.  But Democratic presidents have & do sign bills that have the support of Republican representatives & senators. 

Even in 2016.

 

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