Government and Political Roundup: Ryan says Republicans must appeal to all Americans

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Paul Ryan

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Janesville’s Paul Ryan says Republicans must stop pandering to their political base, appeal to all Americans, and help the poor get out of poverty. Ryan, a potential White House hopeful for 2016, discussed his vision last night at a dinner in Washington honoring the late Jack Kemp. Ryan used to work for Kemp, and both can lay claim to being unsuccessful vice presidential nominees. Ryan, the House Budget chairman, said his G-O-P cannot write off large swaths of people – a nudge against Mitt Romney’s remark that the party should forget about the 47-percent of Americans who don’t pay income taxes. Ryan said the Republicans must quote, “speak to the aspirations and the anxieties of every American.” Marco Rubio, another potential 2016 presidential candidate, said his party risked being irrelevant if it only appeals to wealthy voters. He mentioned his father, a bartender whom he said was motherless with a limited education. Rubio said people like that are not looking for handouts – but they do want jobs that will provide for their families. And he said those people represent quote, “the promise of tomorrow.” Ryan said he was proud of the campaign he and Romney ran – and he said losing quote, “can often prepare the way for the greatest victories.”

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Wisconsin’s two U-S senators were on opposing sides, when their colleagues failed to ratify a United Nations treaty to protect the rights of those with disabilities. Republican Ron Johnson voted against the treaty yesterday, saying it could interfere with U-S laws. Democrat Herb Kohl was among 61 senators voting yes – but it was not enough for the required two-thirds majority. Tom Masseau of Disability Rights Wisconsin said it was disappointing that advocates could not round up enough votes to ratify the treaty. He said it previously had the support of Republicans like Bob Dole and former President George Herbert Walker Bush. The treaty was first drafted in 2006. It encourages other nations to adopt American standards for disability rights. But some conservatives believe it would let U-N violate the rights of parents with disabled children.

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