Paul Ryan Has Already Lost More Than He Can Possi

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Paul Ryan Has Already Lost More Than He Can Possibly Lose at the Polls


Profiles in cowardice.



Getty

By Charles P. Pierce


Oct 11, 2016


Another day, another rewrite of Sunset Boulevard by Paul Ryan, the zombie-eyed granny starver from the state of Wisconsin. Not content with Monday's fan dance of gilded pusillanimity, "sources close" to Speaker Paul Ryan—and very likely simultaneously wearing his socks and underwear—have taken to the pages of Tiger Beat On The Potomac to deliver Act II of Hamlet On The Banks Of The Rock River. And it's pretty much what you expected, if you happen to be a middle-school drama teacher

In fact, Ryan has personally been on the edge of pulling the plug but has held out because his decision is about more than just his personal feelings: It's about saving his massive 60-seat majority.

The Wisconsin Republican is in an excruciating spot: He feels torn between his own conscience and his obligations as the top Republican in the country, according to multiple sources in leadership familiar with the internal discussions.

Oh, my dear god in heaven, just step up to the bar and have this nice steaming cup of STFU.

His party has drifted into a bad MDMA trip. He senses, with the animal instinct politicians at his level possess, that even his speakership has been tossed into the hazard.

He knows that the rockhead portion of his caucus consider him a backsliding RINO, which is kind compared to what the Trumpaloopas think of him at this point. But instead of doing what any average statesman would do, he continues to take his besieged and delicate conscience out for public walks with the usual gang of sympathetic sycophants.


Many of his closest allies say left to his own devices, he'd dump Trump. But Ryan, who's seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2020, has held on, despite some possible long-term political upside of abandoning Trump.

The immediate calculation is this: If Ryan pulls his endorsement, the base could revolt or stay home on Election Day, damaging GOP House candidates. Plus, in some of the deep red districts around the country, constituents want House Republicans to rally around Trump no matter what.

See, here's the thing. He is left to his own devices. He's Speaker of the House of Representatives, third in line to the presidency. He represents as safe a congressional district as there is in Wisconsin and, even if he didn't, the Republican legislature would take care of him.

Whatever risk there is should be balanced out by some semblance of statesmanship and/or concern for the republic. In this dark, haunted political season, he's already lost more than he can possibly lose at the polls.

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