paul ryan lost 45 republicans. remember, house freedom caucus endorsed webster in conference but are free to vote for whomever on the floor. justin amash. from michigan. congratulations to our republican conference number fee for -- nominee for speaker. and john mccain, congratulations to the next house speaker. representative paul ryan, an outstanding leader. hearing from you on twitter, on the phone, facebook. clayton, north carolina. tony, welcome. go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my phone call. i think it's a great move for the republican party even though i'm an independent. i think he'll do good for the party. let's face it, he'll do better than the last two speakers. the cry baby from ohio. so i think this man will do a better job. thank you. host: john boehner is expected to make his final speech on the house floor tomorrow. utica, michigan, and don's on the republican line. croip yes. thanks for taking -- caller: yes, thanks for taking my call. the last caller kind of -- went over some emails or some

paul ryan is 44. he can turn two or three or four terms of the speaker, turn that into a governor ship and run for the presidency or maybe became a senator. so i think what, a lot of people are saying it is a depped end job for him. i think that is wrong. he can do great things there and take it to whatever he wants to do. >> speaking of 70s something-year-old politician, one making the news today in washington. take a listen to this and then we'll talk about it. >> while i not be a candidate, i will not be silence. i intend to speak out and influence as much as can where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation. >> all the people with inside information were wrong, joe bide season not running for president. what do you make of that? >> it was a very emotional statement from joe biden and i know the supporters are very disappointed that he's not running. that said, i think you talk to any campaign strategyist at this point, he's right, it is hard to figure out what the path forward is f

>> i'm a big fan of paul ryan. i can't get on this train from the freedom caucus who say he is not conservative enough. trish: joe, you're enough after fan and pointing out that the republican party needs someone to bring them together but he does have his work cut out for him. >> well, look, i think a lot of the problems over many of the past years has been that john boehner couldn't move the party and get the caucus to be there with him. he could cut a grand bargain but it didn't do him any good. the question is can paul ryan do that. trish: you grew up in political household. you like what he said about his family making sure he had the time. >> i do. trish: share one of his comments. we can run it for you. he talks about the importance of family right now to him. >> i can not and will not give up my family time. i may not be on the road as often as previous speakers, but i pledge to try to make up for it with more time communicating our vision and message. trish: it is a tough job. you saw it first-hand. what a

his name was paul ryan. there's a difference between being asked to do something and being called to do something. paul was being called, i know he'll serve with grace and dignity and i wish him and his family all the best. [ applause ] i describe my life as a chase for the american dream. that chase began at the bottom of the hill to the main drag in ohio outside of cincinnati. the top of the hill was a small house with a big family, a shiny city in its own right. the hill had twists and turns and even a few tears. nothing wrong with that. but let me tell you, it was just perfect. i'll never forget, we're the luckiest people on earth. in america, you can do anything that you're willing to work for, willing to work hard at and things -- anything can happen if you're willing to make the necessary sacrifices in life. if you falter, and you will, you can just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go do it again. because hope always springs eternal. and if you just do the right things for the right reasons, go

that limits it to paul ryan. he's been able to bridge that gap because a lot of the work he's done on the budget and the heat he's taken from democrats because of the work he's done on the budget. paul ryan is their last best shot. short of john boehner saying i got to stick around for another year, it's got to be paul ryan for them. >> robert costa of the washington post tweeting, sending out a number of tweets. one of them says boehner to ryan pitching the chair, per sources. pitching the ways and means chair. okay, in addition. so committee chairmanship -- >> he has that now. >> he's saying -- sorry. he says if you really want to change policy, do it from the top. you can be a policy guy/healer. according to robert costa that's the pitch bostehner is making. >> be a leader. i think part of the -- in addition to all the personal factors we've talked about that are keeping paul ryan from wanting to do this. there's the basic reality that the republican house speaker, whoever it is, is going to be faced with the

. >> pressure is growing on congressman paul ryan to throw his hat in the ring. >> reportedly paul ryan got two calls from speaker boehner saying you're the only one who can unite the party. >> i did everything but carry his gym bag. >> he said, do you have something to tell me, mr. ryan and paul ryan said, no, i don't. >> trevor: because he's at the gym! he's always being accosted at the gym. he must feel like every woman at the gym. (laughter) paul ryan isn't an idiot either. >> he said his answer is still no and he's still not running. >> i haven't changed my mind. my answer is still the same. i have nothing more to say or nothing new to add. >> trevor: leave paul ryan alone! he's just not that into you. at this rate in a few days, i feel like paul ryan will probably grow a beard and someone will be like are you running? and someone will answer the door and say, paul ryan, you just missed him. i'm his brother paul brian, yeah, i don't know why our names are like that either. one more reason why paul ryan may not want to leave his party and that reason is the internet. >> paul ryan is

do you know what paul ryan is going to do? >> no, but i do expect we'll know later on this evening what his answer is. >> it's funny, as soon as john boehner said that on fox news tonight, we'll know later this evening what his answer is, as soon as he said that, paul ryan's office came out and said that, no, no, that's not true. a spokesman came out and said thanks, speaker boehner as if i wasn't getting enough e-mails. we don't expect a final decision tonight. then again, one decision did kind of happen. i mean, the reason all eyes have been on congressman paul ryan in the speaker contest is it because of two very incompatible things that are either known or strongly suspected about this leadership problem that the republicans have. the first thing is that paul ryan has been very clear about the fact he doesn't want the job of speaker. the second thing has been that paul ryan is apparently the only republican who could conceivably get the job of speaker if he decided to run for it, not wanting it and being the only guy who c

right now we are campaigning for paul ryan. >> paul ryan has said again and again and again doesn't want this job. what makes you think he might reconsider? mr. issa: paul ryan answered the call when he was called by mitt romney to consider being vice president. i believe he's going home this weekend to soul search with his family about whether or not he can, in fact, accept this job. a job he doesn't want. he isn't seeking, but is seeking him. >> can you describe the kind of pressure that is being placed on paul ryan right now to run? mr. issa: i did everything

a word about paul ryan. harry reid is saying i'm a paul ryan fan. we've been able to work with him. that is the most damaging thing harry reid could have possibly said today about paul ryan's candidacy. that's something you say if you want to leave the house of representatives in this chaos. >> and when i've spoken to house democrats today, they say they've been grabbing pact buckets of popcorn. they enjoy the chaos. and to see ryan play hardball with his own conference, that has startled democrats. you have to watch right now what the freedom caucus is going to do. i just spoke with the leaders of the freedom caucus a few minutes ago. they know they can't really beat ryan. their only candidate from florida doesn't have much of a chance. it's not about beating ryan at this moment, it's can you edge them out of the race? can they stand together as a bloc and say we're not going to be unified with you and does that force ryan out? that's they play, it seems at the moment. >> now we have some moderate republica

if paul ryan gets the nomination, i would support paul ryan. >> his time is now. many of us believe you will answer the call. >> i think he has gone from a hard no to he knows he has to consider it. all of us are trying to make sure he understands the he\ understands the support will be behind him if he chooses to do it. >> mitt romney's 2012 running mate in the current ways and means chairman is under pressure from all sides to run for the speakership. his answer is no, definitely not, almost certainly not. probably not. mark, does that mean he is going to definitively be the guy? mark: he might be. right now, it is the most likely option. there is a recess for 10 days. he will talk to his wife and have his first serious conversation about it. his dream job is to be chairman of ways and means. he has never wanted to be speaker. he understands most people in the party think he has no option. he has a lot of questions to deal with. can he do this job and still spend time with his kids? speaker involves raising a lot of money. would he be better at taming the conser

we will bring you to paul ryan. he has just been elected speaker of the house. >> it is not until then that you feel it, the weight of responsibility, the gravity of the remote -- the gravity of the moment. as i stand here, i cannot help but think what harry truman once said. the day he became president, he told a group of reporters that if they ever pray, pray for him now. when they told me what happened yesterday, i felt like the moon, the stars and all the planets had fallen on me. we should all feel that way. a lot is on our shoulders, so if you ever pray, let's pray for each other. republicans for democrats, and democrats for republicans. [applause] i don't mean pray for a conversion. [laughter] ,ray for a deeper understanding because when you're up here, you see it so clearly. wherever you come from, whatever you believe, we are all in the same boat. i never thought i would be speaker, but early in my life, i wanted to serve this house. i thought this place was exhilarating because here, you can make a differe

paul ryan, he's a squish on immigration. >> paul ryan going here are my demands. it seems to me like we are now in a negotiation and there's going to be some horse trading. > and paul ryan in kind of a funny way is saying to the freedom caucus, hey, guys, ball's in your court. one thing that's interesting given the timing of ryan's announcement that it's tonight is that this comes just a few days after ted cruz went on the sunday shows and said that and refused to say that paul ryan was a true conservative. i think what's really important for context on all this is how some of the goal posts for what it means to be conservative have shifted. since president obama's re-election, we've had two major issues galvanize the republican base. simultaneously galvanize them and divide them from the corporate interests that often back republican candidates. those issues are immigration and trade. the fact that paul ryan is almost adamantly against where sort of the trump base wing of the republican party is at on those issues, that's a problem for him. look, his presser toni

the question is, if not paul ryan, who else? i think that is the takeaway at least from this current statement we got from paul ryan. there was this thought earlier this morning that paul ryan would essentially do it, even on a temporary basis, because there is no other option. as my colleague, luke russert, puts it, he'd fall on a grenade just to help the party. but again, if it's paul ryan -- if we are to take this statement at face value, this means there's a mad scramble on for someone else. and we just don't know who that person would be, and can they actually get the votes? >> the larger picture here, mark, how do you describe the state of the republican party in the house? >> tamron, i actually wouldn't describe it just in the house. i would take it the entire republican party, as we even see on the campaign trail with donald trump, ben carson and carly fiorina, almost your one, two, three in the current polling. and this is a party in which leaders don't matter as much as they used to. you don't have the party discipline

he's providing an alternative to paul ryan. >> what's going to be different about paul ryan leading the house, assuming he's elected tomorrow morning? >> ryan is promising a more inclusive process to get more buy in from rank and file members. he's also pledging there will be fewer last minute deadline deals. ryan said yesterday this budget debt ceiling package was a lousy process and basically pledged to change it. last night he said in statement we need a robust dialogue about improving the process so each member has a greater voice. we need a firm deadline to implement change. that's music to the ears of many rank and file house conservatives. that's why we expect tomorrow morning when the house goes to vote for a new speaker that paul ryan should likely have plenty of votes. >> all right. that may be happening live in a couple of minutes. thank you. >>> round three of the republican debate just hours away. 14 republican candidates with two front runners. everybody else fighting for the top spots. what can we expect? >> there's potential for a very big moment. carson has now moved in

paul ryan is someone who is an ideas guy. he has a big long-term vision for the house gop conference. his thing that he would love to do more than anything is comprehensive tax reform right now. previously he talked about comprehensive immigration reform. probably a non-starter. but what you hear from ryan is that he would like to center his approach in governing based on long-term policy instead of constantly moving from chaotic situation to chaotic situation. that's something that's defined the so to speakership the last few years of john boehner. all that being said, josÉ, i think the next three days are critical because we're going to see whether the paul ryan pre-nub is okay in the eyes of house conservatives. that's what paul ryan did last night, put forward a prenewspaper. prenup. i'm going to undertake this marriage -- i don't necessarily want to be married to all of you. you're going to have to accept me for me. i don't think it's a slam-dunk. jake sherman. live tv from "politico." is it a slam dunk? >> i think it's

paul ryan is a really smart guy. i support him. he knows that the first thing he's going to have to do is work on a debt ceiling agreement, he's going to have to work on a budget agreement, and an omnibus appropriation bill. we know all of these measures are going to require some level of bipart sal collaboration and participation. i suspect some of the members who were critical of john boehner and kevin mccarthy will also be critical of paul ryan and may try to undermine him. that's my fear for paul. that's why paul has been guarded or hesitant in wanting to accept this position. we need to hear from paul ryan to see how he feels about this decision of the freedom caucus. i don't know how he'll take it. >> can i get your response to that matt salmon quote about you're try to hire a maid and the maid will only work certain hours. i found that such a strange metaphor. number one, we're talking about speaker of the house of the united states. people talking about this job in this way that just seems completely ahistorical. this is a

paul ryan does not matter to me. i am in this to win it. >> i do not think that there is really any viable reason. i think he has long-term aspirations. that is a tough, tough job. >> paul ryan has to be treasury secretary. he has to rewrite the tax code. some special tax breaks on marijuana usage. he wants to do stuff. i do not think he thinks he can do that as speaker. a great guy. here is the other thing, neil. does this strike you as odd that 40 members -- doesn't it seem odd that the tail is wagging the dog here? basically, running the republican party. >> they hijacked it. >> those that dominated the party and refused in the people that got them into that position. if you would like to get feedback, those that don't -- >> the demand of somebody working on the line. you have the republicans eating their own right now. i know. we are talking about the republicans in the house. 16% of the republican members in the house are making demands and accusing the leadership, the establishment. >> i said, the most painful

he voted for paul ryan. so the votes being cast against him at this moment are nominal and symbolic. >> john boehner ends nearly a quarter of a century of public service. what did he say and specifically what did he do? >> reporter: an emotional moment for an emotional man. he was moving around a box of tissues which everyone was laughing about, because he tends to tear up when he talks about his roots, and his family, and now he will be out of work. in addition to talking about some of the humble aspects of his life, he talks about what he believes republicans have been able to accomplish under his watch. >> the most significant spending reductions in modern times. we have banned earmarks all together. sorry. [ laughter ]. >> reporter: that's one of those sorry, not sorry, del. now certainly earmarks are something of the past, but getting rid of them has cost trouble on capitol hill. it seemed to be a way that members could do a little bit of horse trading. those days are over. john boehner is talking about

>> i like paul ryan. >> and protesting the president. the president flies to oregon today to console the families of those killed in that campus shooting but not everyone wants him in roseburg. >> it's a heart issue. it's not a gun issue. he is not wanted out here to push his agenda and using the families for that agenda is not just unacceptable, it's utterly despicable. >>> good day. i'm andrea mitchell in washington. what a day it is. a roller coaster ride for house republicans and it's far from over. the push for paul ryan among the republican conference has hit overdrive. the former vice presidential nominee and current ways and means chairman is so far not taking the bait. joining me, msnbc's luke russert live on the hill. here with me, nbc news political director chuck todd, moderator of "meet the press." we will try to get him some more jobs. and republican strategist john fehery, former house communications director for dennis hastert. back when they knew how to run the house. tell us the latest n

that has bought paul ryan some breathing room. but the honeymoon will not be long because he will be tested in this position. it is not like being chairman of a committee. you are in the line of fire, not only from democrats, but from within your own party. bill: reluctant leader but whether it was kicking or screaming i can't describe it that way. but now he is all-in as they say. you mentioned ted cruz. you speak to him tonight. >> yes. bill: what is the context for his positioning now, in the senate, you know, still considered a renegade? i think outgoing speaker who considered him, to use a polite word, a jackass? >> it's cable, bill. bill: yeah, it is cable. indeed it is. what is cruz going to say about how this congress acts now? >> listen, he is running an anti-washington, anti-establishment campaign. he arguably had a very good night last night going against the media, going against the moderators. he has pretty detailed flat tax plan he put out in op-ed in "wall street journal" today. we'll ask him about all of that and t

that would be wisconsin congressman paul ryan. you see the soon-to-be former house of speaker there standing up at the desk n front of the microphone. we're expecting him to announce at any moment that paul ryan is the new speaker of the house. let me listen to a little bit of what's going on. jeff zeleny, our political correspondent is going to pop in, too. they're still calling the roll, aren't they? >> reporter: yes, they are, carol, still calling the roll. paul ryan has surpassed the majority he needs to become the next house speaker. it's extraordinary, carol. only a handful of republicans declined to vote for him here, so he is even winning over some tea party conservatives who did not vote for him yesterday, so he is getting nearly the full unanimous call of support from this house republican conference. >> i saw paul ryan earlier on the house floor before the vote began, before this roll call began, talking with some members of the freedom caucus, including congressman jordan from ohio. they appeared to be having a very fu

ryan -- to hand this gavel to the speaker of the house, congressman and honorable paul ryan. [applause] the speaker: speaker ryan: thank you. thank you very much. [applause] thank you madam leader. before i begin, i would like to thank all of my family and friends who flew in from wisconsin and all over for being here today. in the gallery, i have my mom, betty, my sister, janet, my , anders stan and tobin more cousins i can count on one hand. [applause] speaker ryan: most important, i want to recognize my wife jenna and our children, liza, charlie, and stan. [applause] speaker ryan: i also want to i also want to thank speaker boehner. for 20 years he served. the offices he held, the loss he aws he passed. he is without question, the gentleman from ohio. please join me in saying one last time, thank you, speaker boehner. [applause] speaker ryan: now i know how he felt. it is not until you hold this spot and stand in the look out and see all 435 members as if all of america is sitting right in front of you, it is not until then that you feel it. the weight of responsibility. t

paul ryan or no paul ryan. and we're told that paul ryan is meeting with the freedom caucus, whose members were supposedly behind mr. webster. who can sort this out better than our own chad pergram. who joins us now. do you know something that dan webster doesn't know? or dan, that you don't know? that the group is still behind him? he says it is, is it? >> it seems that there might be a math problem here. the house freedom caucus has a rule that they vote as a bloc. if 80% of them all agree one way or the other. and that means that voting for the speaker of the house. if you have 247 republicans, you basically need 218 members of the house to become the speaker. you can only lose 30. you can see if there's 40 members, this is kind of an algebra occasion. if you only have 40 members of the freedom caucus and 80% of that. that math doesn't add up. it's generally thought there's a robust group of supporters for paul ryan, pretty muscular. one of the questions they need to get from ryan, do they need his endorseme

ryan runs, he won't run against paul ryan. darryl issa called paul ryan the consensus candidate, he's the guy for the job. he says everyone agrees on that, except everyone doesn't agree on that. paul ryan himself doesn't agree that he should with speaker. he's said he does not want the job. and honestly, the same republican hardline forces that took down john boehner as speaker and apparently blocked kevin mccarthy from trying to become speaker. those same elements in the modern insurrectionist republican party, those parts are coming out and saying they don't like paul ryan either! they'd block him, too. the former editor in chief of red state erick erickson today called paul ryan a dangerous pick for conservatives. a conservative website called breitbart says, paul ryan is the absolute worst pick for speaker. hardliner congressman thomas massey told cnn today that he would not support paul ryan for speaker. hardliner and occasionally hilarious texas govern louie gohmert said the same thing, he would about do it. if only he c

do i think paul ryan can do that? >> absolutely. >> i'm in with paul. he is the right person at the right time. >> there was overwhelming applause. i disn see anyone booing. >> trevor: yeah. that's where the republican party is right now. a successful meeting is when you don't get booed. nobody booed. nobody puked. nobody punched through the press room wall. and nobody pulled out a traditional japanese sword and disemboweled themselves. ya-- oh, wait, one guy did still a successful meeting! but here is why paul ryan is so bril yantd. he knows how much these people need him. and he's not going to come cheap. >> first he's got a list of demandzs. >> he will only run for speaker if inin-- everyone in the house unites behind him on the republican side. >> he says he wants changes for how the party can fire a speaker. >> eliminating the ability of house members to remove the speaker with a simple majority vote. >> and the last point, last point is personal. i cannot and i will not give up my family time. >> trevor: damn, paul ryan going ham. i haven't seen a

in other words, paul ryan. paul ryan is the person, it seems, congressman massey, that everyone is looking to right now. you more or less opposed kevin mccarthy. could you support paul ryan to be the speaker? >> he's intelligent, articulate and a capable chairman. some of my conservative colleagues, remember paul ryan's impassioned pleas for the t.a.r.p., the paul street bailout, he was asking for them toll vote for it several years ago. i don't have a problem with his ideology. i would want to talk to paul ryan about why he kicked conservatives off the budget committee when he was chairman of the budget committee. so, i'm still supporting daniel webster, because he has articulated for changing the process here in washington, d.c. making it functional again. >> just to be clear, that's not a yes on paul ryan. >> that's not a yes. that's a yes for daniel webster. >> is it a no, though, definitively for paul ryan or are you just saying you need to hear more from him? >> i need to hear why he supported t.a.r.p. an

you've been a friend with paul ryan for such a long time. he really spoke about the things that he wants to do, but you've been around congress for a long time. what do you think some of his biggest challenges are going to be going forward here as he tries to legislate? >> well, it's always to move the body but this is the unique position paul's in. this is a policy guy that has changed the direction of america when it comes to how we deal with the deficit and others, taxes. i think this puts him in a very key place that this house is going to become the power. this would start moving policy that's going to become law but it's going to be a thinking idea that every voice is heard. i'm excited about today. i think you're going to look back at this fundamental change, a generational and cultural change for the house. >> reporter: you know full well you can pass legislation here, but then it goes to the senate and sits there because they need 60 votes to two just about anything. what advice would you give paul ryan and how to deal with the folk

but we have reported that he is trying to get paul ryan to reconsider. if paul ryan decided that he was going to run for speaker, is he a consensus candidate who can get to the 218? >> i think he can. i don't know how paul gets over the issues. we talked to paul about running for majority leader back when eric cantor lost and his objections were that he has young kids at home. i fully respect and admire him for that if paul decides he wants to run, certainly he becomes the favorite and somebody who might be able to unite the party. >> if he doesn't run, though, it's interesting to see all of these names surface. how to get to the magic number of 218 is the question. does john boehner stay on and is that acceptable to your caucus? >> john staying on is not acceptable to anybody. there's a reason we're having this discussion, which is john had to leave. there's a lot of talent in the republican party. you haven't heard much about it. because we haven't been allowed to do our job the last several years. there's a lot of talent here and i'm satisfied that if

paul ryan could do that now. but paul ryan knows the job of the speaker ultimately, there are must-pass pieces of legislation. they involve making sure there's no debt ceiling default, they involve keeping the government funded, keeping the government open. and ultimately, he is going to have to, if he becomes speaker, cut those deals with the obama white house, with the democrats, to keep the government open, to avoid some kind of a default on the debt ceiling. and ultimately, when he cuts that deal, it doesn't matter how much trust the right has in him right now. there is a very, very good chance he will be called a traitor by the same people who are propping him up right now. and if you're paul ryan and you have some kind of ambition, some kind of political ambition that extends beyond the house, some kind of national political ambition, potentially, that job is a trap for you because the base of the party could very quickly revolt on you, not to mention the simple fact that it would be one heck of a headache.

it's very interesting with paul ryan. we talked about how john boehner did him a big favor taking the threat of a shutdown off the table so paul ryan looks clear in this job maybe through the 2016 election, but is that same fate that every other speaker before him since tip o'neill has suffered, will he ultimately suffer that too. >> historian and author michael beschloss, whoever was the first to invoke the term pendulum to describe the shift of power between the parties, between and among the parties in american politics was really on to something. think about the eras of o'neill, of rayburn, of mccormick, and think about what we witnessed today. >> right. and one of the pendulum swings has always been between strong speakers and weaker speakers. and there have been a lot more weak speakers in american history than strong speakers. if paul ryan wants to accomplish the things that he talked about today, he's going to have to be a strong speaker. one other thing unusual, this is a new speaker who had an awful lot of ameri

matter at hand right now is paul ryan. he says he thinks right now i think paul ryan will get support that he is looking for. want to bring in jim jordan, chairman of the house freedom caucus. good morning to you. you will interview, i am told, interview is the word that was reported paul ryan later today. what are you hearing? >> yeah. we'll have a meeting with chairman ryan later today, ask him questions and talk about what we think is the best way. as speaker just said, best way we can do those things, maybe those changes that are going to help the american people and accomplish what we told the voters we would do when they elected us to this position. bill: right now, does paul ryan get your vote? >> well, look, we're going to discuss all that. he made some statements in his presentation yesterday i thought were good. he made statements i think we need to have discussion about. that is what this afternoon we'll do with the entire group, sit down to answer questions and move forward. i think paul ryan is good spokesman.

and minutes ago, dmbz got this from paul ryan, this statement. i am grateful for the support of a super majority of the house freedom caucus. i look forward to hearing from the other two caucuses by the end of the week, but i believe this is a positive step towards a unified republican team. >> joining us now is a republican congressman, a member of the house tuesday group, which is a group of center right republicans. congressman, what's your reaction to the developments tonight? >> i think it's good news, and i think that all republicans are coming to the conclusion that paul ryan is the man, the leader that can help us advance an agenda that can make the american people proud. he is the man that can help us get congress to work for the american people and to leave behind all these petty distractions and the infighting that really is no good for our conference, but more importantly is no good for the country. >> and it sounds like the freedom caucus gave up on basically demanding conditions from paul ryan. >> well, i think they have probably re

on the good column we have paul ryan coming in. bad column obviously benghazi we put 30 seconds on the clock for you to convince everyone watching was it a good or bad week? >> i had to say it was good and bad week. ultimately a good week. house republicans finally have a speaker. it's paul ryan. the house freedom caucus i love the house freedom caucus. they flexed a muscle and did get a choice. obviously in the bad side benghazi the hearings 11 hours. i think it made hillary look a little better. they did learn some things but did make hillary look better and strengthen her in her quest to become president. she had a great week. everybody dropped out running against her. >> i'm going to have to do the buzzer. jamal, i'm guessing that was a good week for the house gop, right? >> yes. >> your turn. good week or bad week. >> i would have to agree with brian. both good and bad week for house republicans. it was a good week for the country. here is why i tell you that is true. we started out with a lot of uncertainty. we didn't know wh

paul ryan doesn't want to get into those waters. he wants to take a step back, maybe late next week be the only person standing, then take it. if he has to take the job and get muddied up by conservatives, he doesn't want to go down the same path and would rather stay chairman much the ways and means committee. we have a healthy skepticism going on. >> just remind us, after the postponement of yesterday, what is the time frame for him to make up his mind? >> reporter: the election was supposed to be october 29th. john boehner told the conference he would still like to have an election by the end of october but more likely than not, we don't foresee that happening. boehner will stay on until that election happens. in theory, ryan at least has this recess week. the idea is let some of the hot air clear out. but if he don't make a definitive statement say by next monday, or given some hints by the end of the week, it's safe to say the conference will move on. he at least has columbus day week. >> while he's taking into the consideratio

but we have reported that he is trying to get paul ryan to reconsider. if paul ryan decided that he was going to run for speaker, is he a consensus candidate who can get to the 218? >> i think he can. i don't know how paul gets over the issues. we talked to paul about running for majority leader back when eric cantor lost and his objections were that he has young kids at home. i fully respect and admire him for that if paul decides he wants to run, certainly he becomes the favorite and somebody who might be able to unite the party. >> if he doesn't run, though, it's interesting to see all of these names surface. how to get to the magic number of 218 is the question. does john boehner stay on and is that acceptable to your caucus? >> john staying on is not acceptable to anybody. there's a reason we're having this discussion, which is john had to leave. there's a lot of talent in the republican party. you haven't heard much about it. because we haven't been allowed to do our job the last several years. there's a lot of talent here and i'm satisfied that if

his name was paul ryan. i don't think he could pronounce my name back -- he was putting signs up for me. but cincinnati understood there is a difference between being asked to do something and being called to do something. . ul is being called i know he'll serve with grace and with energy and i want to wish him and his family all the best. my colleagues, i describe my life as a chase for the american dream and that chase began at the bottom of the hill just off the main drag in redding, ohio, right outside cincinnati. top of the hill was a small house with a big family, a shining city in its own right. the hill had twists. the hill had turns, and even a few tears. nothing wrong with that. but let me tell you, it was just perfect. never forget we're the luckiest people on the earth. in america, you can do anything that you're willing to work for, willing to work hard at and things -- anything can happen if you're willing to make the necessary sacrifices in life. if you falter, and you will, you can just pick