Paul Ryan ELECTED as 62nd House Speaker, youngest since 1869

'We have an obligation here in the people's house to do the people's business'

Republican Paul Ryan has been officially elected as the 62nd House Speaker. During the Thursday morning vote, he won the support from 236 House members. Forty-five-year-old Ryan is the youngest speaker elected since 1869.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Ryan's ascent to the Speaker position came after Boehner surprised America with his announcement that he was stepping down. While Boehner's leadership brought about constant protests and conservative criticisms, and nearly led America to default in 2011 and a government shutdown in 2013, Ryan pledged to unify House Republicans.

"We have an obligation here in the people's house to do the people's business," Ryan told reporters following the secret-ballot vote, adding, "We are going to respect the people by representing the people."

"Tomorrow, we are turning the page," he said. "We are not going to have a House that looks like it's looked the last few years. . Our party lost its vision, and we are going to replace it with a vision."

Though Ryan has spoken against taking the position in the past, he agreed to run on the condition that the House GOP factions backed him and his wishes to protect his family time with his wife and three children.

California GOP Rep. Devin Nunes, a close ally of Boehner's, said, "Ryan is a really a thought leader for the Republican Party. We've been operating under his blueprints and he's one of the best communicators that we've had -- equal or even greater to Newt Gingrich."

Rep. Dennis Ross, said, "It's our onus, it's our burden to set the agenda now because we don't have anyone on the presidential side."

In a closed meeting on Wednesday, Ryan was nominated by Trey Gowdy, whose endorsement was seen as an important indication of Ryan's leadership.

Though Ryan won 200 votes from fellow Republicans, he is still required to earn 218 to win on the House floor. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, said he voted for Webster but believes Ryan will get the majority vote.

Rep. Mo Brooks, another Freedom Caucus member, said he voted for Webster but will support Ryan on the floor, adding, "[H]e's the nominee."

Many House GOP members told CNN they believed Ryan's success will be determined by whether he can follow through with his pledge to make the House use a bottom-up governing method. Rep. Jim Renacci told CNN, "If I had one recommendation for a Speaker Ryan it would be - make sure the process gets in place very quickly so he can continue the policy side, and the process can then can continue to work."

Nunes said, "We're in a new era of politics. This is all about marketing." Ryan's seems to be marketing himself very well, with his plans to shake things up keeping people interested and hopeful.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online