# The Agony of Paul Ryan: It's going to be a looooong five month, Paul **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 15, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390 "2016-06-15T02:21:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [August 2, 2016, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/61 "2016-08-02T21:42:37Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Can we dare dream? No. That poll seems to be utter bullshit. Otherwise, I’m sure Euphonious Polemic would have been able linked to something less lame than [prntly.com](http://prntly.com) ---
**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:** [August 2, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/62 "2016-08-02T22:11:10Z")
Current headlines on prntly: Clintons August panic: Trump beats Hillary with Millennials as Sanders fans join Must Read: Trump’s brutal response to Obama’s press conference calling Trump unfit New Leaks show that the real reason why FOX and other media honchos hate Trump Must Share: Gold Star Mothers rebuke Khan’s DNC comments: Media stunned New VA poll shows Trump SURGED after Conventions and Khan-Troversy to lead Media KhanTroversy masks new Clinton plot to put White Rust Belt families out of work ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/63 "2016-08-02T22:29:04Z")
Ryan responds to Trump praising his opponent: “Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump’s endorsement” I don’t know if Ryan is being callous, tweaking Donald’s nose, or both. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/64 "2016-08-02T22:36:52Z")
Sorry! The above was in response to some lie Donald made to WaPo about Ryan asking Trump to endorse Ryan. Still awaiting a press release about the other. Might never come, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/65 "2016-08-03T04:15:53Z")
Hey Paul, [President Obama on line 1!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16KtYaTooQU) [Oh, and Khizr Khan on line 2!](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/khizr-khan-paul-ryan-mitch-mcconnell-donald-trump-226463) ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/66 "2016-08-03T05:05:48Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > No. That poll seems to be utter bullshit. Otherwise, I’m sure Euphonious Polemic would have been able linked to something less lame than [prntly.com](http://prntly.com) FWIW, I couldn’t find a poll like that. The anti-Trump National Review cites other polling evidence favoring Ryan, as well as some comparisons to Cantor who also led in the polls before his defeat. [Ryan: I Never Asked For Trump's Endorsement | National Review](http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/438621/ryan-i-never-asked-trumps-endorsement) Trump is a negotiator. We should interpret this as an opening bid. It’s all part of a plan. First Trump dangles an endorsement in front of Ryan. Then Ryan says he never asked for an endorsement to begin with. Then Ryan wins his primary. And the last step is Trump gains nothing at all aside from additional seething resentment from another part of the GOP base. To those who say that Trump couldn’t negotiate his way out of a paper bag I say this: try thinking laterally. Trump is moving _into_ the bag, not out of it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/67 "2016-08-04T18:59:25Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > To those who say that Trump couldn’t negotiate his way out of a paper bag I say this: try thinking laterally. Trump is moving _into_ the bag, not out of it. That is brilliant. Hope you don’t mind if some of us Not-On-Social-Media-Yet-So-Yeah-Probably-Never types email that line to all our friends. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/68 "2016-08-09T21:14:55Z")
Just a bump to remind all that today is Paul’s primary day. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/69 "2016-08-10T01:53:45Z")
Looks like Ryan won with 90% of the vote. 1. Trump has no legs 2. Paul is now free to do what he wants w/o worry in regards to primary election Does he dump Trump or double down? Next day or three will be telling… ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/70 "2016-08-10T02:19:30Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Does he dump Trump or double down? Next day or three will be telling… If Ryan does not dump Trump in the next couple of days, he will be stuck with him (and Every. Single. Stupid. Thing. Trump. Says.) for the next 90. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/71 "2016-08-10T02:22:18Z")
He keeps playing it as he has. His perspective is believing that this is his long game play. He assumes that Trump will lose, wants Trump to lose, and is positioning himself to lead the party from there. He does not want Trump supporters to end up saying that Trump lost because he was sabotaged by “mainstream” Republicans who would not be team players when one of their preferred candidates failed to be the standard-bearer. So he endorses and supports. He does want the traditional GOP elements to see him as able to lead the party into a less “other” phobic positioning in the marketplace of ideas, to a rebranding that allows some outreach to conservative-minded Blacks, Hispanics, and college-educated White women. He believes that he is threading that needle, a path that he thinks that will not cause Trump supporters to completely abandon the party in what they feel is disgust after Trump loses with much traditional GOP defection while clearly staying on an outreach message long term that limit-sets hateful speech. Not sure the play will work but clearly such is his intent. A Trump win would be his worst outcome I think. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/72 "2016-08-10T02:27:12Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > If Ryan does not dump Trump in the next couple of days, he will be stuck with him (and Every. Single. Stupid. Thing. Trump. Says.) for the next 90. Ryan’s walking the fence as best he can. Looks like he doesn’t have to worry much about how this affects his reelection. Eta: oh, I guess that poll you cited last week was only off by 40%. Lol ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/73 "2016-08-10T02:32:41Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Ryan’s walking the fence as best he can. Looks like he doesn’t have to worry much about how this affects his reelection. > > Eta: oh, I guess that poll you cited last week was only off by 40%. Lol Ha ha! I did not check the source before posting. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/74 "2016-08-10T02:32:48Z")
So is Ryan now — erm - bulletproof? He survived the challenge, so now I could see him at least repudiating the remarks, though not actually dumping Trump. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/75 "2016-08-10T02:33:31Z")
“He [Ryan] does not want Trump supporters to end up saying that Trump lost because he was sabotaged by ‘mainstream’ Republicans who would not be team players when one of their preferred candidates failed to be the standard-bearer. So he endorses and supports.” Trump’s supporters will say that [del]if[/del] when Trump loses whether Ryan and the others continue to support him or not. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/76 "2016-08-10T03:33:54Z")
Paul Ryan claims that he hasn’t seen the footage or really know what the latest controversy is about. Who believes him? Perhaps the testiest ending to a victory presser in history. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/77 "2016-08-10T10:26:48Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > “He [Ryan] does not want Trump supporters to end up saying that Trump lost because he was sabotaged by ‘mainstream’ Republicans who would not be team players when one of their preferred candidates failed to be the standard-bearer. So he endorses and supports.” > > Trump’s supporters will say that [del]if[/del] when Trump loses whether Ryan and the others continue to support him or not. From his perspective some will and some won’t and what those who do say say that _do_ may be different if he merely repudiates individual comments versus withdraws support. Which is not to disagree with you. It may be too fine a needle to thread. But I see the logic. There is a distinction between those who grumble but end up voting or not voting as they did before, and those who are angry enough about something to act on it in some way. If he can bring the haters along in the clown car as he (if he) manages to get the steering wheel after Trump loses and drives the car more into the direction he believes the party should be going, into a place that can become acceptable to some more “others” within a couple of cycles, then he has done as good as he can hope for. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/78 "2016-08-10T13:01:49Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Paul Ryan claims that he hasn’t seen the footage or really know what the latest controversy is about. > > Who believes him? Trumpists would, but having tried to honestly engage with them, I assure you they are uninterested in the facts. “I haven’t seen the video” is as pathetic an out as you can possibly come up with, and he’s actually pulled it out of his hat. He’s Sergeant Shultz. Truly astounding. I understand Ryan is probably the most important Republican there is, and abandoning his party’s candidate is a political nuclear move but… **Donald Trump just said someone should murder Hillary Clinton.** If Ryan is determined to toe the party line the next three months will see him tap dancing to make Fred Astaire look like an amateur. He’s got to find a way to actually endorse a traitor to be President of the United States. That’s way past any level of spin a politician is used to playing. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/79 "2016-08-10T13:26:28Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > If Ryan is determined to toe the party line the next three months will see him tap dancing to make Fred Astaire look like an amateur. He’s got to find a way to actually endorse a traitor to be President of the United States. That’s way past any level of spin a politician is used to playing. It’s a bit easier when you are as utterly unencumbered by courage and convictions as Paul Ryan. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390/80 "2016-08-10T13:42:14Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > It’s a bit easier when you are as utterly unencumbered by courage and convictions as Paul Ryan. +1 And I am particularly embarrassed about him because I am a Wisconsinite. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-agony-of-paul-ryan-its-going-to-be-a-looooong-five-month-paul/757390.md?page=5)