Paul Ryan: GOP must not be "the villain" in Obama's "morality plays"

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., warned Republicans today that President Obama must "delegitimize" the Republican party to achieve his goals, urging his colleagues to pick their battles with the president judiciously and avoid playing "the villain" in Mr. Obama's "morality plays."

The president "needs to delegitimize the Republican party - and House Republicans in particular," said Ryan, the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee, during a speech at the National Review Institute Summit in Washington, D.C.

"The president will bait us. He'll portray us as cruel and unyielding," Ryan said. "Just the other day, he said Republicans had 'suspicions' about Social Security. He said we had 'suspicions' about feeding hungry children."

"It's the same trick he plays every time: Fight a straw man. Avoid honest debate. Win the argument by default," Ryan explained. "We can't get rattled. We won't play the villain in his morality play. We have to stay united. We have to show that, if given the chance, we can govern."

The dual plea - for Republican unity and strategic prudence - was a recurring theme in Ryan's remarks, which focused primarily on how Republicans must orient themselves in Mr. Obama's second term and beyond to reestablish the party as a governing force.

The president will "try to divide us with phony emergencies and bogus deals," Ryan warned. "He'll try to get us to fight with each other, to question each other's motives, so we don't challenge him."

But "If we play into his hands," Ryan explained, "We will betray the voters who supported us and the country we mean to serve. We can't let that happen. We have to be smart. We have to show prudence."

Ryan referenced the recently passed "fiscal cliff" legislation as an example of the dangers of disunity - while he voted for the compromise legislation that allowed taxes to rise on individual income in excess of $400,000, he was not joined by a majority of his House GOP colleagues.

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"We'll face some tough moments, like the fiscal cliff," he said. "I know we all didn't see eye to eye on that vote, but here's how I saw it...President Obama got less revenue than the Speaker [of the House John Boehner] offered in the first place. In short, there was no way we'd get a better deal."

Despite the plea for circumspection, Ryan reassured his audience that prudence will necessarily submit to confrontation when appropriate.

"I'm not saying we should be excessively cautious," he explained. "When we see an opening, however small, we should take it. What I'm saying is, if we want to promote conservatism, we'll need to use every tool at our disposal. Sometimes, we'll have to reject the president's proposals, and sometimes, we'll have to make them better."

[cbshasworstcommentsection]

If losing the popular vote while remaining in power does not deligitimize them, nothing will.

[88Ronin]

Ryan is so radical; I would like him questioned, under TRUTH SERUM.
Ryan should be asked if he belongs to the secret, radical catholic sub-cult, OPUS DEI.

OPUS DEI had FBI Agent, Robert Hanssen, spying for Russia.
Beware of cultists lusting for power.

[OldTimeTruth]

What Ryan is really saying is attack from the back. Well Ryan that still being a Villain. LOL

[michaelamsterdam]

The zombie-eyed granny-starver did not say the GOP should not BE the villian...only that they should not APPEAR to be the villian

Nothing new for the GOP in that...a lie is not a lie if it's not found out...it's really just as good as the truth in most cases

Remember...this cretin actually publicly linked himself with Mitt Romney...speaking of lies and liars

[Larnan5]

Paul Ryan is for destruction of jobs, the middle class and our social structure to increase profits and the price of companies stock in effect making the rich richer with little or no paying forward. What a wonderful and proud achievement. The end result....a two class society of haves and have not's . The American dream is in shambles. The major victims will be the mostly white, hard working middle class people of the tea party who unknowingly are cutting their own throats.

[bronxboy7]

Well... the Republicans are trying to finally wise up to the fact that Obama is so far ahead of them in intelligence, political savvy and largess that they're now publicly spouting off how they must change their ways because their past strategies during Obama's first term went absolutely nowhere. I've got news for these Republicans... forget it. Unless you can outwit Obama, which you can't, then just sit back and watch the Democrats stay in office for the next ten or more years. You're only hope is Gov. Christie. He's the sharpest knife in the Republican drawer. He can see the futility of following his party's blunders, and there have been a plethora of them during this past election cycle. Don't blame Obama for your demise.
You're your own worst enemy. Good Luck!!!

[tsprague52]

If the GOP wants to be taken as serious, then they need to stop pretending that the debt ceiling is for anything other than paying past debts. It has nothing to do with future debts.

Plus, Congress (which passed the funding bills in the first place) has no right to not pay for what they have already authorized (by passing the funding bills).

[hondarider420]

One has to feel sorry for mr obama, picked on by the repub's, now the news media. He only has the Fatherland Security to fall back on. Ofcourse they have 4.5 million rounds of .40 cal ammo, wait that can't be right, he wants to outlaw guns. He only gave a few shiploads to Turkey, for Syria, and only afew dozen truckloads to the Mexican cartels, and don't forget the Lyberians, yes we should arm our enimies, way to go mr obama. Yes I am sure it is time for the American people to stand up and give up their guns.

[hondarider420]

00

[zerses]

Mr. Obama is a pandering, tele-prompt-puppet, whose puppeteers have waited since the 60s for their try at overthrowing the government from within.

It's working - and the liberals won't GET that they have been duped until it's down to a decision they will be forced to see for what this truly is - and I am sad for my Democratic brothers and sisters being so absolutely uninformed as to get us into this by believing those who will give you the moon, and take our freedoms, not one by one, but all at once in the end.

[GoGoUsa]

And you wonder why we call you crazy.

[zerses]

BenJordon you are a toon. A true shadow of what could be a really amazing life - you accept mediocrity. You hate those who are self-sufficient. You are jealous of others who have more.

Sad. Very, very sad. I truly feel sorry for you lack of self-education.