A Republican congressman aligned with the tea party says Rep. Paul Ryan is demanding far too much before he hops into the race to replace Speaker John A. Boehner.
“You know, I’m not sure he wants the job,” Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky told CNN. “His list of demands were so bold, they pass almost into the unreasonable.”
Mr. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, announced late Tuesday he will answer the call to run for the top job so long as the House GOP conference unites around a positive agenda, respects his family time and eliminates the power to oust the speaker mid-session.
That last demand has been called a non-starter by Rep. Raul Labrador, Idaho Republican and key member of the influential House Freedom Caucus, a vocal conservative group that nudged Mr. Boehner out and derailed Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s short-lived bid for the speaker’s chair.
The caucus is set to meet with Mr. Ryan later Wednesday, although 80 percent of the caucus will have to agree to stake out a new position on the speaker’s race.
“That’s a hard threshold to make,” Rep. John Fleming, Louisiana Republican and Freedom Caucus member, said Wednesday.
SEE ALSO: Paul Ryan’s demands include ‘non-starter’
Mr. Massie said he’s still in Mr. Webster’s corner, saying the Floridian wants to empower members, while Mr. Ryan appeared to seek new powers for the speaker.
He also said he understands why Mr. Ryan would want to retain his family time, but he thinks “it’s sort of an unreasonable demand to say you’re not going to work on weekends.”
He said up to “50 more people” would try to run for speaker under those conditions.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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