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WASHINGTON Will anyone be left standing when the Republican circular firing squad runs out of ammunition? Or will everybody just reload and keep blasting away, leaving Democrats to clean up the bloody mess?

The political moment were living through is truly remarkable, but not in a good way. Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, so were basically in their hands. But they have nothing approaching consensus on what they should be doing and they have failed to show basic competence at doing much of anything.

This absurd situation was illustrated Thursday when House Speaker Paul Ryan, appearing on CBS This Morning, tried to explain why he wants to lead yet another suicide charge up Health Care Hill.

Ryan said he worries that if Republicans dont repeal the Affordable Care Act and pass some sort of replacement, then President Trump will just go work with Democrats to try and change Obamacare and thats not, thats hardly a conservative thing. ... If this Republican Congress allows the perfect to be the enemy of the good, I worry well push the president into working with Democrats. Hes been suggesting that as much.

Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, usually a man of measured words, responded with a barbed tweet: We have come a long way in our country when the speaker of one party urges a president NOT to work with the other party to solve a problem.

Trump went on Twitter as well, primarily to lash out at the House GOP conservatives who helped scuttle the slapdash American Health Care Act that Ryan tried and disastrously failed to ram through last week: The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they dont get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!

But which Republican agenda? The House majority wants ideological purity of the kind found in Ayn Rand novels and the writings of obscure Austrian economists. The Senate majority favors traditional conservative policies and seeks self-preservation. Trump seeks adulation, a crown of laurels and the strewing of rose petals at his feet.

The House looks hopeless. Republicans hold 241 seats, a massive majority yet could not come close to mustering the 216 needed last week to approve the ill-fated health care bill. House Republicans passed about 60 measures to repeal all or part of Obamacare while Barack Obama was president but now, with a Republican in the White House, cant pass even one.

Ryan somehow acquired a reputation as a policy wonk but really is an ideologue, as shown by his comments Thursday. He worries less about whether policies work or not whether, in this case, more people have health insurance than whether policies fit his definition of conservative or not conservative. Also, he doesnt seem to be very good at counting votes, which is a clear requirement in the House speaker job description.

To be fair, he does have the problem of the Freedom Caucus a group of 30 to 40 House Republicans who are far to Ryans right, which puts them beyond the outer fringe. If politics were the solar system, they would be the Oort Cloud, out there past Pluto. It is hard to imagine any health care bill that is acceptable to both the Freedom Caucus and a majority of Americans.

The White House looks hopeless, too. Trumps inner circle is like the Court of the Borgias, full of intrigue and backstabbing. And there have been plenty of opportunities for rivals to wield their knives: Advisers Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, the economic nationalists, came under attack when Trumps first, amateurish attempt at a Muslim travel ban got blocked by the courts. Chief of staff Staff Reince Priebus like Ryan, part of the Cheesehead Mafia from Wisconsin bore much of the blame for the health care debacle. Economic adviser Gary Cohn and his staff are derided by others as the Democrats. Jared Kushner is fortunate to have the Teflon coating that comes from being the bosss son-in-law.

That leaves just two viable centers of power Senate Republicans under Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is nothing if not wily; and House Democrats under Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Its probably going to take Democratic votes to keep the government funded past April 28 and avoid a shutdown. Trumps only path forward on health care, a problem he now owns, may indeed be working with the Democrats. When I saw her at the Capitol this week, Pelosi was in a surprisingly good mood.

Eugene Robinson is a columnist for The Washington Post.

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Eugene Robinson: Republican muddle an opening for Democrats (Gazette) - Charleston Gazette-Mail (subscription)

New York Post

It's not really a Republican Congress, 'fake news' didn't sway election & other comments New York Post Following November's election, House Speaker Paul Ryan welcomed a unified Republican government. But, as the failure of the GOP health-care bill shows, he seemed to see a much bigger victory than the GOP had actually won, says Russell Berman in ...

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It's not really a Republican Congress, 'fake news' didn't sway election & other comments - New York Post

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Maybe the "base" should just re-register as a separate party and quit complaining

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Jerrold Jordan, Knoxville, Letter to the Editor 5:32 p.m. CT March 31, 2017

Niko Medved, the new head coach of the Drake men's basketball team speaks during an introductory news conference on Monday, March 27, 2017, in the Knapp Center. (Photo: Kelsey Kremer/The Register)Buy Photo

I finally struggled through the latest diatribe of Joel Kurtinitis [Steve King kerfuffle exposes GOP establishment's priorities, March 26]. I may be wrong, because I'm never quite sure of the direction of his boat, but I think this torpedo was aimed at the Republican moderates, assuming there are any left.

I think everyone knows there is more than one Republican Party, especially after last week's health care scramble in the U.S. House. Maybe the "base" should just re-register as a separate party and quit complaining. The problem might be with the name.

I would be glad to sponsor a naming contest. It might help focus anyone trying to become a "poor man's" George Will.

Jerrold Jordan,Knoxville

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There's more than one Republican Party - DesMoinesRegister.com

Earl L. Jann Jr. was a former pharmaceutical sales rep and a long-time Marilla supervisor when he was appointed six years ago to the board of the Erie County Water Authority, a patronage post that paid him $22,500 a year.

But now he is preparing to maneuver into a bigger role. He wants to become executive director of the public utility, which supplies water to more than half a million people.

This job would pay more than $145,000 a year.

And why does Jann think he is fit for the job? Because he's been a hard-working board member.

"For my six years as a board member, I have worked to reform the Authority's employee relations, fix a deteriorating infrastructure, and replace an outdated IT system," Jann said in a statement to The Buffalo News. "There are many important things that still need to be done. With my board term finishing, I realize these remaining tasks require me to roll up my sleeves and take on a daily role within the Authority."

Whoever controls the Erie County Legislature currently the Republicans controls the top jobs at authority.

Jann has personally contributed more than $10,000 to local Republican committees and candidates since 2006. He's contributed $2,279 since the start of last year, including a $1,500 gift to the Erie County Republican Committee Chairman's Club in July.

Good government and public policy advocates have taken withering looks at the water authority and other public utilities that have become frequent stops for political patronage appointees. Agencies charged with providing clean, safe and reliable water are too important to be led by people with no trainingin the matter, they say.

Fred Floss, chair of Economics and Finance Department at SUNY Buffalo State, said that while Jann may be well intended, formal training matters.

"An executive director should probably have a degree in engineering and a specialty in water to understand how all of that works," Floss said. "It's hard to see how you can run something this technical if you don't have a reasonable background in the area."

If Jann is named executive director, he would take over from Robert Gaylord, a Democrat, former banking administrator and Collins town supervisor. The Republican-controlled ECWA Board refused to reappoint Gaylord to a second term last year.

Jann, a 1968 graduate of Canisius College who majored in history, is expected to lobby for the position based on his six years of experience overseeing the authority and on the long hours he already spends at ECWA headquarters. Those close to Jann say he can point to his role in improving employee relations, championing a more systematic approach to replacing old and deteriorating water lines, and pushing for much-needed technology upgrades during his time as chairman.

[PDF: Earl L. Jann Jr.'s resume]

Jann said he wants a more hands-on role to further his goals at the authority.

"For this reason, I feel the role of executive director will allow me to be most effective," Jann said in his statement.

Floss, however, contends that without professional expertise, it's harder for a Water Authority administrator to effectively lobby for state and federal support of water system needs. The authority is likely to spend more money than necessary on consultants and specialists because in-house expertise is insufficient.

"Water is a fundamental builder of all infrastructure," said Floss, who also serves on the Buffalo control board. "Without clean water, you can't do anything else. So to the extent that we're going to politicize this, it is a real problem. It's not just a problem in Buffalo, but all across the country and New York State."

He recommended the ECWA board conduct a national search for the next executive director and vet those candidates in an open, public process. If Jann is truly the most qualified for the job, he said, that will be become apparent in the vetting process.

"From a good government perspective, we want to have an open process and let the best person win," Floss said.

With Jann no longer in the running for a seat on the board, the Legislature will be asked to vet two other candidates for the board. They submitted resumes and letters of interest this week. They include Karl J. Simmeth Jr., a community liaison who works for Republican Assemblyman David DiPietro and was former Boston town councilman; and Blasdell resident Peter Reszka, who worked his way up the ranks as a Water Authority employee for more than 40 years.

Simmeth, a Town of Boston resident and assistant buildings supervisor for Erie County Medical Center, holds an associate's degree in business administration. Reszka holds no college degree, but he retired from the authority last year as an assistant business manager and previously served as a member of the Town of Hamburg Planning Board.

The families of both men have each contributed thousands of dollars to Republican candidates and committees.

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Republican water authority chairman angles for $145000 job - Buffalo News

Executive officers of the Henderson County Republican Party are, from left, JT Payne, youth chairman; Mac Neel, vice chair; Dave Chrisman, treasurer; Dwight Williams, chairman; and Andy Jones, secretary.(Photo: Photo furnished)

The Republican Party has seen a resurgence in Henderson as seen from the 2016 general election. With a Republican judge-executive andtwo state representatives, it seems a revitalization has been breathed into the party.

At the Henderson County Republican Party's reorganization convention on Tuesday night,as a group of young Republicans watched,the local party voted for a new slate of officers.

The new officers are Chairman Dwight Williams, Vice-Chairman Mac Neel, Treasurer Dave Chrisman, Secretary Andy Jones and Youth Chairman JT Payne.

"I remember when you could count the Republicans in Henderson on one hand," Williams wrote in an email."Drewy Scott was Republican Chairman, about 1972, and my dad was involved with local politics and leaders of that time like George Whittington. To skip forward 45 years and now be filling the shoes of such great Republican leaders is an honor. I wish my father was alive to see it and the growth in the local party. We have a vision to expand the party'sinfluence throughout Henderson County and help our local and state representatives bring jobs to Henderson and grow our local economy with fiscal conservative approaches."

Williams is a Henderson native who served as a colonel in the army. He is a board member of theRotary Club of Henderson and a director with the Henderson City-County Airport. He takes over from previous Republican Chairman Richard Shoulders.

Among the crowd of 140 at Henderson County High School for the reorganization Tuesday night, some younger faces were a part of the four-hour process.

"We're looking to grow the party and get moreinvolved," said Williams. "We're going to try to run a Republican candidate for mayor and also somemagistrates.We're going to promote fiscally conservative values and hopefully bring more people and interest to the local party. I think there are a lot more Republicans out there that mayonly beregistered as Democrats because their parents were Democrats."

A group of young Republicans attended Tuesday evening's reorganization meeting. From left are Addison Watson, Imara Peralta, Kelsey Nobles, J.T. Payne, Jayda Polivick, Kelly McIndoo and Isaac Oettle. Addison, Imara, Jayda, Kelly, J.T. are all Murray State University Students. Isaac is Henderson County High School Senior. Kelsey Nobles is Henderson Community College Student(Photo: Photo furnished)

A group of five students who are registered in Henderson and attend Murray State University made the trip to attend the meeting. Among them was JT Payne.

"We want to get more young people involved in the party," said Williams. "We have plenty of older people who are in the party, but younger people are so important because we need people who will be around, get involved and keep the party running. These young people coming to the meeting speaks to what is going on with younger people becoming more involved in politics."

Henderson County High School student Isaac Oettle, who is an active Republican and started the young Republican movement at HCHS,also attended the meeting.

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Henderson County Republican Party reorganizes - The Gleaner