# Paul Ryan not running for re-election **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 11, 2018, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210 "2018-04-11T12:35:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/21 "2018-04-11T15:24:34Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > However, as **BobLibDem** suggests, this could also signal yet a further strengthening of the Insane Caucus within the GOP if the putative mainstreamers get cleaned out. That’s the problem. The Batshit Choir has no interest in responsible governing, they’re simply there to vote against everything. They could not possibly care less if the government shuts down when it hits the spending limit. They don’t care if there is social or economic or criminal justice, all they want is for government to be as bankrupt fiscally and as powerless as possible. No negotiations are possible with them as they want absolutely nothing in exchange for their votes. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/22 "2018-04-11T15:27:27Z")
Luckily, Ryan will now have more time to devote to running marathons. Maybe he can finally get his time under 2:50. You can get a head start on your training, Paul, by running fast enough that the door doesn’t hit your ass on the way out. You were only too willing to get Trump all over you for the sake of ruinous tax cuts. Fuck you. Can you drag Mitch McConnell along with you? And, seriously, wishing “ass cancer” on anyone, especially his family?? Really? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/23 "2018-04-11T15:32:36Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > This is just plain silly. So post-election there must be no questioning of elected officials because “the people have spoken” no matter what those officials do? And where was this devotion to the will of the public during the previous administration (you know, the one actually elected by a plurality of voters)? The opposition party is in a completely different position, because their voters don’t support the guy who was elected, and do support full-throated opposition to him. (That applies to Democrats now and to Republicans under the previous administration.) The way it works in a democracy is that you can’t get elected if no one supports you. You need some core of support, and if that same core of support also supports something else that you’re uncomfortable with, you’re going to have to make some trade-offs. Otherwise you go home and some other guy willing to make these trade-offs (or worse) takes your place. To my knowledge, the level of public opposition to Trump by Ryan and other leading Republicans is pretty much unprecedented for members of the same party. I would have wanted more (personally I’d like to see Trump impeached) but political realities are at work. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/24 "2018-04-11T15:39:45Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > And, seriously, wishing “ass cancer” on anyone, especially his family?? Really? Maybe that was over the line. Sorry. Feeling particularly angry and misanthropic today. But still, Paul Ryan is an unrepentant asshole, always has been. Fuck him. . ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/25 "2018-04-11T16:04:44Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > The voters elected Trump as president, and a large portion of the voters and their elected representatives continue to support him. No, the voters elected Hillary. The electoral college elected Trump. You can’t claim a mandate from a minority of the voters. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/26 "2018-04-11T16:12:24Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > The opposition party is in a completely different position, because their voters don’t support the guy who was elected, and do support full-throated opposition to him. (That applies to Democrats now and to Republicans under the previous administration.) > > The way it works in a democracy is that you can’t get elected if no one supports you. You need some core of support, and if that same core of support also supports something else that you’re uncomfortable with, you’re going to have to make some trade-offs. Otherwise you go home and some other guy willing to make these trade-offs (or worse) takes your place. > > To my knowledge, the level of public opposition to Trump by Ryan and other leading Republicans is pretty much unprecedented for members of the same party. I would have wanted more (personally I’d like to see Trump impeached) but political realities are at work. So we both want more public opposition, we just disagree on how much to condemn those who failed to deliver. I think Trump is bad enough (and it was clear during the campaign how bad he was and would be) that opposing him should have very easily and obviously trumped party loyalty, and a failure to do so is cowardice and/or morally reprehensible. You, perhaps, don’t go this far. But that’s the difference – just the vehemence in our advocacy for opposing Trump. Yes, it would have been very politically costly… but it’s far more morally costly, IMO, to not do so. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/27 "2018-04-11T16:15:48Z")
OK. But the bottom line is that you’re calling him “one of the most politically cowardly men in US high office in a long, long time” for failing to do something that has never been done by anyone, ever. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/28 "2018-04-11T16:24:24Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Fuck that guy. What a piece of shit. I hope his whole family gets ass cancer and dies horrific deaths. Anybody who worships Ayn Rand is a fucking idiot, and anyone who follows _them_ is both a fucking idiot and a terrible, selfish person. 1 - This is not the Pit. That’s where the ranting goes. 2 - Do not state or imply that any individual or group is deserving of harm. From the [registration agreement:](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=847137&highlight=harm) > [@](#): > > You are free to express your views in a forceful manner provided you remain civil. Hate speech, insults, and purposely inflammatory remarks (i.e., trolling) will not be tolerated.\*\* Do not post threats or state or imply that any individual or group is deserving of harm.\*\* We recognize that this rule cannot be strictly applied in discussions of war, capital punishment and the like but urge users to express themselves in moderate terms nonetheless. If we tell you to refrain from behavior that we regard as uncivil, or that in our view detracts from productive discussion, do so or face revocation of your posting privileges. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/29 "2018-04-11T16:25:46Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > OK. But the bottom line is that you’re calling him “one of the most politically cowardly men in US high office in a long, long time” for failing to do something that has never been done by anyone, ever. I’m comparing him to others in the same office or higher – basically Senate maj leaders, House speakers, Presidents, and VPs. I think his reversal from rhetorically being very critical of Trump’s racism and misogyny, to campaigning for him for President, to being mostly subservient to him publicly while in office, is extreme cowardice. He didn’t have to campaign for him; he didn’t have to stay speaker; he didn’t have to be so obsequeious as speaker; etc. After his initial criticism, he chose the easiest path with every juncture. And we’ve never had a President, or even major party nominee, like Trump. That no one has been in position to resist such an obviously unsuitable (and dangerous) president/candidate before (since there was no such candidate/president to resist) doesn’t absolve Ryan of his moral and patriotic responsibility. He failed due to cowardice. Or maybe some other morally reprehensible calculation. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/30 "2018-04-11T16:36:01Z")
As happy as I am to see Ryan go, this strikes me as a politically savvy move. He hitched his wagon to Trump just long enough to get his ruinous tax cuts passed, which is the main thing he’s been salivating over for years. Now he will disappear for a while to disassociate himself from the toxic brand of Trump and the current GOP, only to re-emerge in a few years as an “elder statesman”, stable and ready to jump into a presidential election. Could be 2020, but 2024 is more likely, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/31 "2018-04-11T16:39:46Z")
Just in, he’s doing it to spend more time with his family. And he has his eye on the future, as the huge economic boom that is sure to roll down from the wonderful tax cuts the people will remember him as the numbers guy, policy wonk, and intellectual powerhouse of the party. Gotta wonder, though, what happens if a bunch of other Pubbies misunderstand his sincere commitment to family values and see it as gittin’ gone while the gittin’ is good. What happens if ten…twenty…fifty?..of his colleagues take the Great Leap Overboard, in the tradition of rodents confronted with a nautical calamity? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/32 "2018-04-11T16:55:10Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Ryan is not a dictator. The voters elected Trump as president, and a large portion of the voters and their elected representatives continue to support him. “The voters” elected Hillary Clinton as President; the Electoral College elected Donald Trump as President. Good riddance Paul Ryan, now if only Nancy Pelosi would gracefully make way for someone younger. I mean I like her, but I think she’s too much of a lightening rod to lead the party. Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/33 "2018-04-11T17:03:49Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > “The voters” elected Hillary Clinton as President; the Electoral College elected Donald Trump as President. > > Good riddance Paul Ryan, now if only Nancy Pelosi would gracefully make way for someone younger. I mean I like her, but I think she’s too much of a lightening rod to lead the party. > > Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk The problem with thinking that way is that, taken to its logical conclusion, it allows the opposition a “heckler’s veto” over your leadership. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/34 "2018-04-11T17:03:58Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > No, the voters elected Hillary. No, they didn’t. That’s not how our Presidential elections _work_. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/35 "2018-04-11T17:05:20Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > “The voters” elected Hillary Clinton as President; the Electoral College elected Donald Trump as President. This gets sadder every time I read it and now it’s twice in this thread. > [@](#): > > Good riddance Paul Ryan, now if only Nancy Pelosi would gracefully make way for someone younger. I mean I like her, but I think she’s too much of a lightening rod to lead the party. Being a lightning rod is half the job. People wouldn’t be wishing ass cancer on Ryan’s children if he was still happily sitting on the Ways and Means Committee. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/36 "2018-04-11T17:09:21Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > No, they didn’t. That’s not how our Presidential elections _work_. Then why do people keep saying the voters elected Trump when they know that’s not how it works? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/37 "2018-04-11T17:25:27Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Then why do people keep saying the voters elected Trump when they know that’s not how it works? Who knows but since Trump actually got elected it’s still 50% more correct. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/38 "2018-04-11T17:33:12Z")
I do hope he gets in legal trouble for that ‘thats how we know we’re a family’ recording where he talked about GOP congressmen working for Russia. Also I hope the rumors that he knowingly allowed Russian money to be funneled through 3rd parties to fund GOP races is true and he faces prosecution for that. We desperately need rule of law for the rich and powerful in America. We don’t have it. Nixon was pardoned. Everyone associated with Reagan’s crimes was pardoned. Nobody from the Clinton or Bush admin was held accountable for torture. Obama let the bankers off without prosecution. The line needs to be drawn, we need to start putting politicians and billionaires in prison when they break the law. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/39 "2018-04-11T17:53:54Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > IMO, Paul Ryan is one of the finest people in all of politics. Unfortunately, dealing with an impossible situation. You are a funny guy. You should try out on the open mike night sometime. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Everyone associated with Reagan’s crimes was pardoned. Not entirely true. Bill Breedon, a former minister, served prison time for stealing a sign in John Poindexter’s home town of Odon, IN from a street renamed after Dex and tried to ransom it for the $30M that was provided to the Contras. So…there’s that. > [@ShadowFacts](#): > > As happy as I am to see Ryan go, this strikes me as a politically savvy move. He hitched his wagon to Trump just long enough to get his ruinous tax cuts passed, which is the main thing he’s been salivating over for years. Now he will disappear for a while to disassociate himself from the toxic brand of Trump and the current GOP, only to re-emerge in a few years as an “elder statesman”, stable and ready to jump into a presidential election. Could be 2020, but 2024 is more likely, IMO. Yeah, anybody who thinks Ryan is retiring to focus on his P90X workouts and write a blog about the genius of [Ayn Rand](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_8m8cQI4DgM) (“Stories of rapey heroes who complaining about how no one appreciates their true genius.”) He’s quite deliberately distancing himself from the bonfire of crazy that is the current GOP Congressional leadership, of which he is ostensibly a member but can barely express an independent thought or objection even when his own agenda is being submarined by mercurial executive pronouncements, in the hope that he can return in a couple of years either making a run for the title or challenging Tammy Baldwin in 2022 for the Senate seat. I understand he is also undergoing an experimental gene therapy using a combination of supersoldier serum, gamma rays, and blood from a mysterious donor intended to help regrow his spine and give him more resilliance. Gee, I hope it doesn’t [go badly wrong for him](http://cdn2.darkhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/feige-open-to-incredible-hulk-villains-return.jpg). Stranger ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/40 "2018-04-11T17:57:56Z")
Your blind link punchlines are getting kinda old, Stranger. Just saying. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210.md?page=3)