Paul Ryan Will Not Seek Re-election

[Cheerful Charlie]

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paul-ryan-reelection_us_5a328e40e4b07ff75b00d34a

WASHINGTON ― House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) reportedly plans to tell colleagues Wednesday morning that he will not seek re-election this year, capping off months of rumors that he was mulling stepping down from his leadership post.

Axios reported that Ryan would soon announce that he will not run in November, citing confidants. The Atlantic and Politico also confirmed that he plans to tell GOP House members Wednesday morning.

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Well that may be good news. Depending on who will replace him as Speaker of the House. Hopefully he will take his copies of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" with him when he leaves. Of course, if the Dems retake the House, he'd have been out as speaker anyway.
But if not, there are few competent moderate Republicans that could get the wretched GOP to vote them in as speaker. So this may unleash a vicious little power struggle between the doctrinaire conservatives and rabid ultraconservatives.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Paul Ryan announces retirement and being sold out to stud. Having passed the greatest theft of the American people, Ryan can now go somewhere and reap the benefits, well before the economic costs become painfully real.

The US is to have deficits totalling $2 trillion in Trump's first two years. It was something like $2.5 trillion for Obama's first two years, which included the largest economic downfall in the world since the Great Depression.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

And now, GOP scum are whining about these huge deficits and how we need to deal with Social Security and Medicare to balance the budget. Starve the Beast rat fuckery, right on schedule. I strongly suspect Ryan knows this will be a rather unpopular move and has no stomach for this coming fight. Which may well doom the GOP by 2020. This election cycle is still a tough situation for the Democrats as far as the Senate goes. But will be hard on the GOP in 2020. A good battle over SS and Medicare while the deficits pile up as the tax cuts for the rich create these deficits is a long term disaster for the GOP.

 

[Bronzeage]

It helps to remember, Paul Ryan never wanted to be Speaker. He reluctantly took the job after John Bohner was run out of town. The last thing Ryan expected was to be saddled with Donald Trump as President. Now, he finds himself responsible for a borrowed money Federal budget that is going to haunt the Capitol Building like the ghost of Herbert Hoover.

There's really no upside for Ryan if he stays. It's either a reduced majority that makes his job impossible, or a loss of majority, for which he will be the scapegoat of record.

In any case, look for Ryan to triple his salary, wherever he goes.

 

[starwater]

It's about time the amphibian stepped aside.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

It's always nice after you blow up a building to wander off and let other people clean up the mess and then make a lot of money complaining about how it's the other guys' fault that there's all this rubble lying around on the street.

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[braces_for_impact]

So, the spineless Speaker will become the spineless lobbyist. OK.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

The only thing Ryan needs to seek is asylum.

 

[Sarpedon]

I took the liberty of looking up the thread we made when Boehner resigned. Does everyone remember Boehner? Good times, back when all we had to worry about was a Speaker who would shut down the government and then cry, instead of a President who would take bribes and start wars to distract from his scandals.

https://talkfreethought.org/showthread.php?6256-John-Boehner-resigning-in-October&highlight=boehner

I recall McCarthy being in the running for speaker back then, and ignominiously withdrawing after losing a closed-door poll of his party members. Ryan was brought on because he was the only one who had a chance of uniting the Caucus.

Now, McCarthy and Scalise are the favorites. McCarthy has attempted to improve his chances by planting his face directly between Trump's buttcheeks. What do people think of Scalise?

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

If Ryan is not running, his GOP opponent Paul Nehlen is now the GOP front runner apparently. Unless some other Republican enters that race. Paul Nehlen is an avowed white supremacist and far right extremist. Democrat Randy Bryce has a much better shot against Nehlen than Ryan. I suspect that as we speak, desperate efforts to draft another candidate for the GOP are under way.

 

[Thomas II]

It helps to remember, Paul Ryan never wanted to be Speaker. He reluctantly took the job after John Bohner was run out of town. The last thing Ryan expected was to be saddled with Donald Trump as President. Now, he finds himself responsible for a borrowed money Federal budget that is going to haunt the Capitol Building like the ghost of Herbert Hoover.

There's really no upside for Ryan if he stays. It's either a reduced majority that makes his job impossible, or a loss of majority, for which he will be the scapegoat of record.

In any case, look for Ryan to triple his salary, wherever he goes.

Talking about John Boehner...

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/us/politics/boehner-cannabis-marijuana.html

 

[Treedbear]

If Ryan is not running, his GOP opponent Paul Nehlen is now the GOP front runner apparently. Unless some other Republican enters that race. Paul Nehlen is an avowed white supremacist and far right extremist. Democrat Randy Bryce has a much better shot against Nehlen than Ryan. I suspect that as we speak, desperate efforts to draft another candidate for the GOP are under way.

Does this make Ryan a lame duck speaker, and therefore it's a lame duck congress?

 

[Sarpedon]

Keep in mind that its not considered a good move to run against your incumbent, especially if he's speaker. With Ryan retiring, there's time for any number of more respectable republican candidates to come forward.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Keep in mind that its not considered a good move to run against your incumbent, especially if he's speaker. With Ryan retiring, there's time for any number of more respectable republican candidates to come forward.

Many states have a deadline for a candidate to apply by to get on a ballot for an election. The GOP may be running out of time. Getting elected as a write in candidate would be hard. In Wisconsin, it is June 1st. So they have a little time to draft a candidate. That is 50 calendar days.

 

[Sarpedon]

I'm willing to bet he's let the local GOP know before now. There were rumors back in December.

 

[Treedbear]

If Ryan is not running, his GOP opponent Paul Nehlen is now the GOP front runner apparently. Unless some other Republican enters that race. Paul Nehlen is an avowed white supremacist and far right extremist. Democrat Randy Bryce has a much better shot against Nehlen than Ryan. I suspect that as we speak, desperate efforts to draft another candidate for the GOP are under way.

Does this make Ryan a lame duck speaker, and therefore it's a lame duck congress?

Looks like Ryan may be forced to leave speakership by summer.

 

[Elixir]

Keep in mind that its not considered a good move to run against your incumbent, especially if he's speaker. With Ryan retiring, there's time for any number of more respectable republican candidates to come forward.

"Respectable Republican" is an outdated term. These days, it's a textbook example of an oxymoron.

 

[Angry Floof]

I think all the speculation I've heard so far is probably true - that he sees the blue writing on the wall and doesn't want to go out in a blaze of humiliation, and that he wants to bail on the Trump disaster of which the Cohen raid was the undeniable event horizon and he's getting out while the getting's good. Coward.

One thing I haven't heard mentioned yet is the possibility of kickbacks for passing the tax bill. Is his leaving also a cashing out? If so, would we know about it?

All in all, he's a yellow bellied Trump sucking obedience machine. Good riddance.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

If Ryan is not running, his GOP opponent Paul Nehlen is now the GOP front runner apparently. Unless some other Republican enters that race. Paul Nehlen is an avowed white supremacist and far right extremist. Democrat Randy Bryce has a much better shot against Nehlen than Ryan. I suspect that as we speak, desperate efforts to draft another candidate for the GOP are under way.

Does this make Ryan a lame duck speaker, and therefore it's a lame duck congress?

As we debate, some GOP members are declaring Ryan a lame duck and are suggesting he be replaced as fast as possible. The knives are already out. More popcorn!