Althouse: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor pushes Paul Ryan to enter the 2012 presidential race.

May 23, 2011

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor pushes Paul Ryan to enter the 2012 presidential race.

"Paul’s about real leadership. I think that that’s what this public so desperately wants to do right now. They don’t want to see individuals that just dismiss problems that we can just sweep under the rug."

Here's that poll I took on the blog a couple weeks about about whether Ryan should run. People were pretty evenly split, but the paucity of candidates has become more obvious since then.

31 comments:

David said...: Ryan should not run for President. He needs to focus on legislation, and not get caught up in Presidential politics. He can make a better contribution that way at this time.; 5/23/11, 4:46 PM
G Joubert said...: Has any sitting member of the House ever been elected president?; 5/23/11, 4:52 PM
Phil 314 said...: As much as I like him I'd say, not yet. And I do think he's the only effective spokesperson in Congress regarding Medicare reform

Besides, he's not a Governor. I'd like someone with previous executive office experience.

Its tough when all of the "rising stars" are just that:

rising stars.

The rosters of baseball are littered with "promising rookies"; 5/23/11, 4:54 PM
Original Mike said...: @David: I was where you were before Daniels dropped out, and I probably still agree Ryan is best for the cause where he is. But I have to say, every time I hear him interviewed, and I watched him again Sunday on "Meet the Press", he is so articulate and clear on what needs to be done and why, that maybe he should run. This country will not be intact in 2016 with four more years of Obama.; 5/23/11, 4:58 PM
Pastafarian said...: Original Mike has it right: If not now, when? After we've been reduced to a penniless ash-heap? If Obama wins in 2012, we won't need a president in 2016. Tina Turner will be the one to beat, as leader of Bartertown.; 5/23/11, 5:06 PM
Original Mike said...: "Two men enter, one man leaves."; 5/23/11, 5:08 PM
ricpic said...: It's Sarah. They can't stop her. This is just RINO's flailing around for someone, anyone but Sarah. Utterly futile. Sarah's inevitable. Then it's on to beating Obama - all together now - LIKE A RENTED MULE!; 5/23/11, 5:10 PM
garage mahal said...: Ryan needs to keep focusing on writing hugely unpopular legislation that will never be enacted into law.; 5/23/11, 5:13 PM
Original Mike said...: "Ryan needs to keep focusing on writing hugely unpopular legislation ..."

In other polling news, children deplore spinach by 3 to 1.; 5/23/11, 5:18 PM
garage mahal said...: It's not children that don't like it, it's seniors. Apparently they're not content being handed a jar of leeches and a picture of Reagan in lieu of Medicare. Deep red NY-26 looks to be turning blue over RyanCare.; 5/23/11, 5:24 PM
KCFleming said...: The Medicare and Social Security Ponzi schemes are hugely popular and completely broke.

See also: Greece, Spain, Britain.; 5/23/11, 5:25 PM
Original Mike said...: "Deep red NY-26 looks to be turning blue over RyanCare."

People here are too informed for that bullshit, garage. Peddle it elsewhere.; 5/23/11, 5:26 PM
Calypso Facto said...: Garage would rather we just turn loose 50% of the prison population when there's a fiscal crisis, rather than trying to trim entitlements responsibly now.; 5/23/11, 5:30 PM
garage mahal said...: People here are too informed for that bullshit, garage. Peddle it elsewhere.

NY-26 is deep red. Hochul is up 6 over Corwin. Medicare is the top issue to voters according to the polls.; 5/23/11, 5:32 PM
Original Mike said...: How many candidates are in the race, garage? What is the true political affiliation of the candidate who claims he is a Tea Partier?; 5/23/11, 5:35 PM
Original Mike said...: Not that popularity is the issue in any case.; 5/23/11, 5:35 PM
Ricardo said...: Oh please let him run. I don't want to have to live through the next 17 months of nonsense, and we can end this here and now by making Medicare the defining issue of the 2012 election.; 5/23/11, 5:51 PM
garage mahal said...: Corwin last ditch flip flopping on RyanCare doesn't bode well. McConnell isn't even whipping his members in support ahead of the vote in the Senate.; 5/23/11, 5:52 PM
edutcher said...: What David said. Ryan isn't ready yet. Next time maybe.

garage mahal said...

Deep red NY-26 looks to be turning blue over RyanCare.

Maybe the fact that they have a Lefty running under the guise of a Tea Partier to split the vote and the Demos are running their usual Mediscare tactics (obviously they can't debate the issues) might have something to do with it.

How blue it is we may see next year when Little Zero has to run on his record instead of HopeNChange.; 5/23/11, 5:55 PM
Joanna said...: I love Paul Ryan. I think he's smart and well-spoken. And dreamy.

I think he's too tied to Medicare* to run for POTUS -- this time. Way too easy to attack. You wouldn't even need to attack him... just make up lies about Medicare, and people will associate the negative press with him. On the other hand, Ryan sure does have charisma. I'd love to see him debate Obama.

* I'm thinking about who the independents will respond to. Wait a sec -- does general, not politically educated America respond positively or negatively to Ryan's budget plan? I've been assuming it's negative, but maybe that's just because I live in Madison.

If Obama wins 2012, I've got my fingers & toes crossed for Ryan in 2016.

It's Sarah. They can't stop her.
I would love to watch Palin/Ryan campaign for the next year. I have NO idea if they'd have a chance to win, but I'd love to watch them campaign. Ryan/Palin is even more appealing...

I'm listening to Krauthammer on Special Report w Bret Baier. He thinks this is Ryan's time, that Ryan's the only one fit to make/defend the fiscal argument that will dominate the campaign. "I wouldn't just ask him to run. I'd get together a posse to bang on his door." (typing from memory.) Interesting.

If Ryan runs for either president or VP, does he have to give up his House seat? (Was this already covered recently?); 5/23/11, 5:55 PM
Beldar said...: I intend no disrespect to Boehner or McConnell or other GOP House or Senate leaders, nor to any of the other rumored or announced candidates, but:

Right now Ryan is THE guy walking the walk on THE bundle of domestic issues that will likely decide the 2012 election. We can argue about how well the others are talking the talk, but at some point one has to say, "Hey, you -- your party and your country NEED you!"

He says he's needed in his current job. He's very busy walking the walk, yes. His best campaign strategy in a presidential run is to keep doing what he's doing until at least mid-summer, while not closing any doors.

Announcing a run for Kohl's seat, for example, would have closed the door on running for POTUS.

Draft Paul Ryan.; 5/23/11, 6:14 PM
Anonymous said...: I would love to see Paul Ryan run. As for a member of the House running and winning, one guy was a member of the House, didn't get re-elected, and ran for POTUS as a simple lawyer from Illinois: Abraham Lincoln.
I'd vote for Ryan in a heart beat.
And he's an incredibly good speaker at town hall type meetings and in shows like "Meet the Press" and I think he'd chew Obama up and spit him out in any fair debates.; 5/23/11, 6:34 PM
edutcher said...: Beldar said...

Right now Ryan is THE guy walking the walk on THE bundle of domestic issues that will likely decide the 2012 election. We can argue about how well the others are talking the talk, but at some point one has to say, "Hey, you -- your party and your country NEED you!"

With the possible exception of Rand Paul, that is precisely the issue. I still say Ryan needs more time in grade, but Beldar's point is quite valid.; 5/23/11, 6:37 PM
garage mahal said...: Maybe the fact that they have a Lefty running under the guise of a Tea Partier to split the vote

Interesting, you think Tea Partiers in NY-26 don't even know who they are supporting? Or why.; 5/23/11, 6:43 PM
Joanna said...: If Ryan ran in 2012, it'd be a great forum to educate people about his fiscal ideas and correct misinformation that may have been spread around.

I'm a pessimist and doubt anyone has a realistic shot at beating Obama, but it'd be nice if the campaign had a silver lining.

(Pessimism aside, when I picture Ryan running, it feels good and it feels right. When I picture any of the other options running, it feels like playing dress up. Beldar is totally right.)

wv: scourf. What I do to bacon. Scourf it up.; 5/23/11, 6:51 PM
Phil 314 said...: or Garage:

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
Thomas Jefferson

""A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury"
source?

"Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people's money. It's quite a characteristic of them."
Margaret Thatcher; 5/23/11, 6:58 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Ryan should be available to be a Veep, for Cain, or Romney/ Pawlenty.; 5/23/11, 7:13 PM
garage mahal said...: "The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
Thomas Jefferson

Except people work who pay into Medicare and Social Security. Probably why RyanCare is radioactive.; 5/23/11, 7:26 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: He is not a baby boomer. That is a big advantage. The baby boomers had a big part in the country's insolvency.; 5/23/11, 7:46 PM
Titus said...: What about Eric Cantor?

But when he talks flowers and perfume come out.

He has sucked a dick before, definitely.

He's a major lady.; 5/23/11, 10:04 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Cantor sees a way to get rid of one of his rivals in the House power structure.

Phil, it doesn't appear that Jefferson is the author of the quote you cite: source.; 5/24/11, 9:50 AM