# Whatever happened to Paul Ryan? Wasn't he running for office? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 28, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158 "2012-10-28T21:52:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/21 "2012-10-29T02:43:30Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I don’t recall there being much talk about Biden in 2008. > > Sarah Palin was a phenomenon I have never seen in any other Presidential election in my lifetime, a VP pick who overshadowed the Presidential candidate. I think Dan Quayle was similar, though not to the same degree as Palin. He was constantly in the news for making stupid gaffes. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/22 "2012-10-29T02:51:56Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > While true, it has nothing to with the question. I heard all about Biden back when we didn’t know anything about him. And I definitely heard about Sarah Palin. You haven’t heard all about Ryan? I have. Maybe you need to listen better. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/23 "2012-10-29T03:01:22Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Yep. But when you are predisposed to think the worst of Republicans, then everything they do, or don’t do, can re-enforce that predisposition. You actually have a pretty good point there. For instance, the way Paul Ryan _breathes_ kinda bugs me. I wish he’d cut it out. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/24 "2012-10-29T18:42:00Z")
What’s surprising is there hasn’t been more reporting on Paul Ryan running for office… for his _reelection to Congress_. Seriously, is there not one news organization that thought there might be a story to be told how someone juggles simultaneously running for Vice-President _and_ Congress (in case that VP thing doesn’t work out)? I’d think there’d be pitfalls galore to be covered on this. Do Wisconsinites get “Vote for Romney/Ryan” ads following “Reelect Ryan” ads? If Ryan does appearances in Wisconsin, is it for his Congressional campaign, or as a VP candidate? Yet all my desultory googling turns up are a few meek news stories from months ago. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/25 "2012-10-29T19:09:57Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The VP candidate isn’t supposed to upstage the main candidate. [You mean like this](http://gawker.com/5946392/mitt-romney-stops-supporters-from-chanting-ryan-to-ensure-they-say-his-name-too)? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/26 "2012-10-29T19:18:51Z")
The media are going to concentrate on the Presidential candidates. The only way the VP candidates make the news is by doing something wrong - either screwing up or by doing something so good it overshadows their running mate. If you’re not hearing about Ryan or Biden it means they’re out there, doing their job. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/27 "2012-10-29T20:19:24Z")
[QUOTE=LightRay] What’s surprising is there hasn’t been more reporting on Paul Ryan running for office… for his reelection to Congress. Seriously, is there not one news organization that thought there might be a story to be told how someone juggles simultaneously running for Vice-President and Congress (in case that VP thing doesn’t work out)? [/QUOTE] Well, they aren’t covering that because it isn’t news. This is pretty standard for candidates who sit in Congress. In fact, you might have heard of a guy by the name of Joe Biden. In 2008 he ran for re-election to the Senate at the same time as he was running for VP. In fact, he not only ran - and won - but did not formally resign until after he was sworn in as Senator, which allowed him to set a record as the youngest 7-term Senator in history. Then he voted on a bill or two, resigned, and was sworn in as VP. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/28 "2012-10-29T20:26:43Z")
i’ve heard that Ryan has just spent millions more on tv ads for his representative position. maybe he has a feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/29 "2012-10-29T20:38:45Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > In fact, you might have heard of a guy by the name of Joe Biden. In 2008 he ran for re-election to the Senate at the same time as he was running for VP. In fact, he not only ran - and won - but did not formally resign until after he was sworn in as Senator, which allowed him to set a record as the youngest 7-term Senator in history. Then he voted on a bill or two, resigned, and was sworn in as VP. I _did_ hear it about Biden in 2008. I’m _not_ hearing it about Ryan in 2012. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/30 "2012-10-29T21:23:04Z")
Rachel Maddow did a segment on this last week. The gist of it was that Ryan has an unusually rapey group of friends and supporters, like Richard Mourdock, and the campaign’s been trying to keep that from blowing up by sending him to safe districts instead of places where he’d be asked if he supports these crazy nutjobs. Romney also ducked that question a few times, pretending not to hear the question and then beating great haste out of wherever the reporters were ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/31 "2012-10-29T21:30:39Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I actually had a thing going on Facebook where every day, I’d post other things that were more important than Paul Ryan according to the headlines at Google News–baseball scores, a kid with a puppy, a new kind of moss discovered on rocks in the Baltic Sea… > > I think his campaign managers are just trying to keep things like [this](http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/2012-election/video-rep-paul-ryan-refuses-answer-questions-unemployed-man-offers-him) under wraps. Jesus, what a prick. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/32 "2012-10-30T01:21:27Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > I _did_ hear it about Biden in 2008. I’m _not_ hearing it about Ryan in 2012. 1. I have. 2. They didn’t really play it up that much about Biden, and 3. Biden, after all, was a SENATOR. A senior, important Senator, in a Senate where the balance of power was at stake. Ryan is a Representative, a far less important or revered position. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/33 "2012-10-30T01:33:55Z")
Sorry my firewall blocks a lot of stuff… 1. Did Ryan really give financial support to Mr Rape supporter AFTER his comments? 2. Is Romney still “supporting” the 1890s escapee? (one headline I was able to read suggested that he hasn’t withdrawn his endorsement?) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158/34 "2012-10-30T02:17:16Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > On Wednesday evening, Ryan raised money in an event in Atlanta, Georgia that closed down major roads during rush hour and produced some aggravated tones from commuters on social media. > > On Thursday morning, Ryan raised money ($25,000/couple) in an event in Midland, Texas. > > On Friday morning, Ryan is scheduled for two fund raising events in Greenville, South Carolina, one for $5,000 per couple, the second at $25,000 per couple. > > On Friday afternoon, Ryan will hold a fund raising lunch in Huntsville, Alabama. > > [http://blogs.ajc.com/jamie-dupree-washington-insider/2012/10/25/why-is-paul-ryan-in-states-that-dont-matter/](http://blogs.ajc.com/jamie-dupree-washington-insider/2012/10/25/why-is-paul-ryan-in-states-that-dont-matter/) So, apparently, for whatever reason, they don’t want him showing his face in any swing states. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-paul-ryan-wasnt-he-running-for-office/639158.md?page=1)