House Speaker John Boehner told ABC News last week that he is “not wedded” to Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget. On ABC’s This Week, Ryan responded to that comment. “I’ve talked to John about this,” Ryan said. “It’s an institutional statement reflecting budget resolutions.”
“I didn’t take it personally,” Ryan said, noting that he is in close communication with the speaker. “It wasn’t meant to be personal. I don’t take it that way.”
On Friday, I wrote about the Boehner-Ryan dance and why it is important for swing-district Republicans:
Meehan’s tack is a common one. Republicans from conservative states can slice off the red meat about fiscal doom, but in suburban outposts, the language is softer. House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) has given members room to present a few concerns along with the pro-Ryan case, by expressing his own reservations about the budget.
In an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, Boehner said that he is “not wedded” to the Ryan plan and noted that though he is “for it,” there are “other people” who have “other ideas.”
But much of that is political posturing. When you get past the couched language, Boehner and most Republicans are standing with Ryan and his broad goals for reform, regardless of the occasional public dustup. In one sense, the united bloc is an impressive change from earlier this year, when numerous House GOP freshmen told NRO that they were unsure whether they would get behind Ryan’s proposals.