WASHINGTON (AP) – Five days after Paul Ryan was sworn in as House speaker, the White House promised to invite him to meet President Barack Obama for a perfunctory but traditional photo opportunity. It would be a chance for the leaders to shake hands for the cameras and exchange pledges to work together.
Ryan never got that invitation.
It turns out the White House didn’t want a photo marking the advent of a new Republican speaker. And despite the new leadership, neither side was eager to signal a reset in relations. Instead, both Republican and White House officials say they picked up this fall where Obama and former House Speaker John Boehner left off.
As Ryan himself put it, the House has an agenda and “it doesn’t require the president.”
The mutual lack of interest has taken hold with little drama.