Speaker of the House Paul Ryan effectively conceded the race for the White House during a conference call with his caucus members yesterday afternoon.
Ryan told House Republicans that he will focus all of his efforts on retaining control of the House so they can obstruct President Hillary Clinton.
Indeed, Ryan said he would devote his energy to ensuring Clinton doesn't get a "blank check" as president with a Democratic-controlled Congress, according to people on his private conference call with GOP House members. While the Wisconsin Republican did not formally rescind his own tepid endorsement of Trump, he told lawmakers they were free to do just that and fight for their own re-election.
Our very weak and ineffective leader, Paul Ryan, had a bad conference call where his members went wild at his disloyalty.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016
Disloyal R's are far more difficult than Crooked Hillary. They come at you from all sides. They don’t know how to win - I will teach them!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016
While recent polls showed Hillary Clinton with a fairly commanding lead even before the entire nation saw footage of Trump bragging about sexual assault, it's possible internal polls show even bigger trouble for the GOP.
If Clinton actually wins by more than 7 or 8 percent as recent polling indicates, control of the House of Representatives very well could be in play. If Ryan is as concerned about his future as Speaker as he appears to be, that's probably more of a reflection of internal polling than public media polls.
It's up to everyone reading this to get out and vote. Take a friend or family member with you.