http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/paul-ryan-warns-if-dems-win-theyll-hold-trump-accountable
"House Speaker Paul Ryan warned that Democratic gains in November’s congressional elections could make it impossible to get anything accomplished and expose President Donald Trump’s administration to more aggressive oversight. Should Republicans lose control of either the House or Senate, “you’ll have gridlock, you’ll have subpoenas,” with the whole legislative system “shutting down,” Ryan said Wednesday in Beverly Hills, California, at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference. This is not a good argument. Just at face value, I don’t imagine many political observers would say the legislative process has worked efficiently and effectively since the GOP took control of the levers of federal power – they’ve passed one big bill, and they did so in a reckless way, rife with mistakes and abuses – which makes dire warnings about “gridlock” difficult to take seriously. For that matter, there have been plenty of times in American history in which the parties have shared power in D.C. For Ryan to assume that the entire system would “shut down” if Republicans had to compromise with Democrats is a mistake. But it’s use of the word “subpoenas” that jumped out at me. What the retiring House Speaker seemed to suggest was that Democrats, if given any meaningful authority in Congress, would take steps to hold the president accountable for his actions. Or put another way, Ryan wants voters to back Republican candidates in order to ensure that the pro-Trump cover-up can continue on Capitol Hill. “Vote GOP in 2018,” the slogan effectively goes, “We’re against oversight and accountability for Republican presidents"."
