Politico: Paul Ryan retiring in 2018

[wonky]

Rumor on the hill (in the House, at least) is that he’s been offered Heritage. That’s where he’s expected to go.

[Measure_for_Measure]

@Stranger_On_A_Train

Sure, but it isn’t as if Ryan is going to get out of politics and just be a lobbyist or go lecture ineffectually at some Objectivist think tank. Ryan is young, presentable, well-spoken, and before accepting (read: being forced into) the job of Speaker of the House, had good popularity rankings in both his district and overall. Distancing himself from the current mess while rehabilitating his image gives him a good chance to “rebrand” his agenda as some kind of new fix-it plan for all that ails the nation, even though his agenda is pretty much the same “burn it all down” plan as the current efforts to remove protections and entitlements. Given how things are going with Trump it seems quite likely that the GOP may pretty much abandon him after the 2018 elections (or perhaps even before if he continues to undercut support), which means they’ll need a viable presidential candidate for 2020. And that won’t be anyone associated with Trump, nor likely any of the also-rans from the 2016 Republican primary. So look at the people who are or have reason to be critics, distancing themselves from the current mess (Corker, Flake, Sasse, potentially Ryan) as angling for 2020.

Very plausible: Ryan would hardly be the first candidate to start running for the Presidency 2 years ahead of time.

But not necessarily. I don’t know whether or not Ryan has the fire in the belly to run for the nation’s highest office. Wait: what the hell am I talking about? This is the GOP primary: it’s a freak show. Ryan could run in 2020 or 2024 as a real candidate or he could merely do it to extend his brand. So it’s a given: the only question is whether he will turn a profit.

Either way, a Heritage sinecure looks cozy.

[erysichthon]

@stpauler

From 2015:

Ryan, currently the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, had a succinct, one-word answer when asked if he wanted to succeed Boehner, following the Speaker’s stunning resignation on Friday morning: “No.”

Asked why, the Wisconsin Republican said “Because I don’t want to be Speaker.”

“This is a job for an empty nester,” Ryan told reporters on Friday.

It’s also a job for people who don’t want to be President. Only one former Speaker has been elected POTUS: James K. Polk in 1844—and Polk had also been governor of Tennessee.

[marshmallow]

Remember when the media pretended this guy was some genius policy wonk? Good times.

[Lord_Feldon]

My favorite part was when he was an inner-city anti-poverty crusader for like five minutes. I guess he got bored when he realized that getting rid of poverty didn’t mean getting rid of the poor.

[EddyTeddyFreddy]

@Lord_Feldon

My favorite part was when he was an inner-city anti-poverty crusader for like five minutes. I guess he got bored when he realized that getting rid of poverty didn’t mean getting rid of the poor.

^^^

[doorhinge]

@Snowboarder_Bo

Is that what was Politico saying? Because I read the whole article and I don’t recall once seeing where it said he was quitting or even leaving office before his term expired. So where in the article did you see that they wrote that Paul Ryan was quitting? :dubious:

At the very beginning.

*Paul Ryan Sees His Wild Washington Journey Coming to An End
He felt he was ‘made for this moment.’ But now, on the verge of achieving his long-sought legislative dream, he’s got his eyes on the exits.

By TIM ALBERTA and RACHAEL BADE
December 14, 2017*

Unless, of course, Tim and Rachael might merely be suggesting that Ryan was simply looking for the egress to the room he was currently sharing with Tim and Rachael?

[doorhinge]

@Jophiel

Hey, remember when Ryan said that he wouldn’t be House Speaker? Good times… good times…

No, I don’t remember Ryan himself saying those exact words. Didn’t Ryan say that he didn’t want to be Speaker? “Wouldn’t be” and “Not wanting to be” are not exactly the same thing.

[erysichthon]

@Lord_Feldon

My favorite part was when he was an inner-city anti-poverty crusader for like five minutes. I guess he got bored when he realized that getting rid of poverty didn’t mean getting rid of the poor.

My fave Paul Ryan moment is when he tried to take back all that “makers and takers” rhetoric.

Of course, he hasn’t repudiated his long-held desire to slash Social Security and Medicaid; he just isn’t talking about it in that brutal Randian way anymore. I have a feeling one of his GOP colleagues pulled him aside and said, “Dude, stop saying that shit out loud.”

[wonky]

Other people may beer goggle potential sex partners. Paul Ryan beer goggles ending the Medicaid program.