Paul Ryan discusses his involvement in the national politics and policy of the years of the Obama presidency, including his service on the House Committee on the Budget, as the Republican nominee for vice president in 2012, and as speaker of the House from 2015 to 2019. Ryan focuses on his contribution to the policy debates of the period, and provides details about both his opposition to Obama admi nistration proposals on economic stimulus, healthcare reform, and federal spending, and the alternatives he drafted in these areas. Ryan also describes changes in the Republican party during the period of the Obama presidency, including the evolution of the conservative movement and the growth of the Tea Party; the importance and effects of new forms of conservative media; the use of increasingly radical parliamentary tactics, including the shutting down of the federal government; and the emergence of new populist politics. Ryan outlines the process by which he was selected to serve as Mitt Romney's running mate in the 2012 presidential election, and discusses the campaign's strategy, defining issues, and the role of the vice presidential nominee in the campaign. Also discussed are Ryan's relationship and collaboration with House Republicans Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy, Ryan's support of the Troubled Asset Relief Program and the Obama administration's automotive industry rescue, and the collapse of efforts in pursuit of comprehensive immigration reform after Cantor's primary defeat in 2014
Presidents--United States; Health care reform--United States; Tea Party Patriots; Bailouts (Government policy)--United States; Vice-presidential candidates; Ryan, Paul, 1970-; Obama, Barack; Romney, Mitt; Troubled Asset Relief Program (U.S.); United States. Congress
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2020
Physical Description
61 pages
Note (Biographical)
Paul Ryan served as a member of the House of Representatives from Wisconsin's first district from 1999 to 2019. He was the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2012, and served as speaker of the House from 2015 to 2019
Note
Interviewed by Nicole R. Hemmer on December 11, 2020. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Paul D. Ryan, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2022