NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland–Over the last year, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan has been on the receiving end of criticism from the right in a way he has never been before.
Ryan has drawn ire first for pushing immigration reform harder and more effectively than any House Republican and then because of a budget deal that traded sequester cuts in part for cuts to veterans’ benefits – and seems to already be unraveling.
In an excerpt of his speech to be delivered today at the Conservative Political Action Convention, Ryan addresses the fights that have consumed the Republican party and conservative movement. But the Wisconsin Republican is ultimately optimistic, calling the conflict “creative tension.”
“The way the Left tells it, the Republican Party is in a civil war,” Ryan will say in his speech according to the excerpt. He goes on:
It’s Tea Party versus establishment–libertarians versus social conservatives. There’s infighting, conflict, backbiting…I don’t see this great divide in our party. What I see is a vibrant debate. We’re figuring out the best way to apply our principles to the challenges of the day. Sure, we have our disagreements. And yes, they can get a little passionate. I like to think of it as “creative tension.”