May 6, 2016

"[A]fter repeating the standard line for months that he would support the party's nominee, the country's highest-ranking Republican could not bring himself to do so once Trump actually became that person."

"And so, in the most searing and drastic defection of this wild campaign season, [Paul] Ryan broke ranks with the brash New York billionaire. The decision will shape Ryan's political future in the short and long term, and could have a real effect on the outcome of the 2016 election. Immediately, the move could give the 200-plus Republicans up for reelection — particularly those in the swing districts that will decide the size of the GOP's majority, or even whether it keeps the House — a measure of cover from Trump's unpopularity. Many of them think the presumptive nominee is too politically crude to represent the party. Ryan's move came just hours after Trump tweeted 'I love Hispanics!' along with a picture of him eating a taco bowl, not exactly the kind of fence-mending with a growing voting bloc that GOP brass had in mind for Trump's general election pivot. But Ryan's decision to buck the nominee-in-waiting was borne out of opposition to Trump's principles, not any particular policy, according to a source familiar with his thinking...."

From "How Ryan decided to ditch Trump/The speaker did not expect Trump to clinch the nomination so soon and huddled quickly with advisers to plot his break," in Politico.

172 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ryan is just posturing. Art of the Deal. He wants to get a concession in return for his support.

The GOP, Vicente Fox, and others are now officially in bargaining mode.

MayBee said...

What, exactly, is the Hispanic "voting bloc"?

Anything can be a voting bloc if you group them together and then declare the position of the majority to be that group's issue.

Is eating a taco bowl and saying "I love Hispanics" better or worse than declaring there's a war on women because some people don't support abortion?

Tank said...

Ryan stabs all primary voters for highest Repub primary vote getter in the back.

Not news.

He's been a back stabber for years. Equally corrupt as The Big V. He'll probably endorse her.

rehajm said...

If he and Romney were as passionate at opposing Obama as they are with Trump we wouldn't have Trump to worry about.

Anonymous said...

Trump's taco bowl tweet is pushing 100 thousand likes, by the way. If that's failure, I'd hate to see success. How many of those likes are people offended at a taco bowl, as opposed to laughing at the pepole getting offended over a taco bowl as the world burns?

Trump is the greatest troll to ever live, and there is nobody more deserving than his targets.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Ryan is old think. His job isn't as secure as he thinks that it is.
The world is moving under his feet, and ours.

Chuck said...

Well at least the Speaker did not call him "Lyin' Don." Or "Short-fingered Vulgarian." Or "Trumpy McTrumpface."

So compared to Trump's run through the primaries, this was like a church service. Because no one reads the bible as much as Donald J. Trump. Also, no one reads the collected speeches of Adolf Hitler as much as Donald J. Trump. He loves the evangelicals. He loves the poorly educated. He loves the poorly educated evangelical Germanic blacks. All if them; the ones working in the West Virginia coal mines too.

AllenS said...

Ryan is being challenged by Paul Nehlen. I sent Nehlen $25 yesterday.

iowan2 said...

Good thing the RNC tricked Trump into signing the loyalty oath. The day that happened I told a co-worker, its started. Trump tricked the RNC into forceing them to honor is primary victory.

But I see the RNC is not bound by loyalty committments.

And the wonder why they are bleeding members. The never follow through with their promises

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Chuck said...
He loves the evangelicals. He loves the poorly educated. He loves the poorly educated evangelical Germanic blacks. All if them; the ones working in the West Virginia coal mines too.


All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

Simon Kenton said...

Ryan? Ryan breaks with him because of his principles? God knows how much I want to follow where Speaker Paul leads me, but I just wish somebody had told me Ryan has principles, and what they are. If only, I could have been such a good follower.

Mary Beth said...

Maybe Trump could do a photo shoot showing him wearing a backwards hat and lifting weights. Would that be classy enough to make Ryan forget about the political crudeness?

Henry said...

Do not underestimate the power of the Speaker of the House in his own domain. There's not a single Republican Representative who will.

Tank said...

Simon Kenton said...

Ryan? Ryan breaks with him because of his principles? God knows how much I want to follow where Speaker Paul leads me, but I just wish somebody had told me Ryan has principles, and what they are. If only, I could have been such a good follower.


Ryan has principles. He's a big gov't Republican war monger, loyal to his, and his' party's, donors.

Mr. D said...

Paul Ryan would argue the term Republican has meaning; he is into denotation
Trump traffics in connotation and now the term Republican means whatever Trump says at any given moment
Trump tweets about Taco Bowls
Ryan values his iron rice bowl

AllenS said...

Nehlen starts out his commercial with him riding his Harley, and making sure everyone knows where they are built (WI). Business owner with tattoos, he tells everyone Ryan voted for TPP, which is killing jobs in Wisconsin. I might have to send him more money.

rhhardin said...

Ryan sold out on the budget.

Wilbur said...

No endorsement/non-endorsement has mattered in the last 40 years.

If anything, Ryan's doing him a favor. You think Trump wants to be lumped in the public's mind with the Ryans, Romneys and Bush's? His campaign is about NOT being them.

Phil 314 said...

Little love for Ryan here. Maybe Rep. Ryan is concerned about vulnerable House members. Whoever wins the White House will need to figure out how to work with a non-compliant House.

Meade said...

"Ryan is being challenged by Paul Nehlen. I sent Nehlen $25 yesterday."

More evidence that Paul Nehlen is for sale.

shiloh said...

Indeed, a human tragedy as a former Althouse heartthrob won't support a current Althouse heartthrob. Quite the dilemma ...

traditionalguy said...

What occurs to me now is how the heck did Scott Walker ever win an election in Wisconsin. Ryan has exposed himself to be a proud supporter of Clinton, Inc.'s game of bribes bid and asked until a price can be negotiated.

Trump won too fast for that corrupt process to finish its auction off of power. That exposed that there really is just one National Party playing a game to enrich certain corruptocrats. Trump's victory was like watching the Washington Generals decisively beat the Harlem Globe Trotters without buying permisssion to do so from Paul Ryan.

Sadly we have not had an honorable Speaker of the House of Representative since the Ohio child molester cut his secret deals to eliminate Newt Gingrich and open up the corruption flood gates.

MayBee said...

I can't believe people are attacking Paul Ryan now.

I mean, Republicans and conservatives are now attacking Paul Ryan. How small of a party do you want to have?

John Henry said...

remember when Megan Kelly asked all the candidates to pledge to support the eventual nominee whoever it was?

Remember how all except Trump agreed to do so? Even Trump agreed though with some caveats.

We need to hold those slimy bastards to their promises. If they break their promise to support the eventual nominee, that needs to be pointed out loudly and often.

Rand Paul came out yesterday and said something like "I pledged to support the nominee and I will keep my pledge."

Good for him. I have always been sorry he did not do better.

John Henry

robother said...

Ryan is preserving his chances at a vice presidential slot on Hillary's ticket: the Beltway Unity Party.

In your heart, you know He's With Her.

shiloh said...

"We need to hold those slimy bastards to their promises."

Hold a politician to their promises !@#$%^&*

Surely you can't be serious!

I am serious, and don't call me Shirley ...

chickelit said...

MayBee said...I can't believe people are attacking Paul Ryan now.

But I found two good reasons in the comments here:

"Ryan sold out on the budget."

And

"If he and Romney were as passionate at opposing Obama as they are with Trump we wouldn't have Trump to worry about."

Laslo Spatula said...

Ryan has decided he, too, does not want anyone Shitting in the Caviar.

I am Laslo.

Birches said...

I'm with you maybee. It's as if everyone just likes having pitchforks out.

And on the opposition thing...you expect the democrats to have ridiculous policies you don't agree with, you don't expect that nonsense from your own party.

Danno said...

No one seems to have read that Ryan is not endorsing Trump YET. It is too soon to get excited on such a trivial matter.

shiloh said...

"It is too soon to get excited on such a trivial matter."

Althouse disagrees as minutiae is her forte.

Too early to call or too close to call?

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Seems to me the smart play is to say "I certainly want to support my party's candidate and I hope to be able to do so. Mr. Trump is now the presumptive nominee and he's going to be asking for our votes--he's going to be trying to win our votes. He can win mine by making it clear that he believes X (and Y, and Z) and will fight for A (and B, and C) because that's what this party and this nation need, and if he does that I will be happy to give him my full support."

traditionalguy said...

Benedict Arnold was a fine man cutting a deal with the Establishment. And he was a hero...who wanted lots of money.

Anonymous said...

TCom: How many of those likes are people offended at a taco bowl, as opposed to laughing at the pepole getting offended over a taco bowl as the world burns?

Remember, the taco bowl analysts are the serious people. It's those other guys who're the clowns.

(Politico) "And so, in the most searing and drastic defection of this wild campaign season, [Paul] Ryan broke ranks with the brash New York billionaire.

"Searing". "Drastic". "Ryan". Lol.

Sebastian said...

How long before he becomes "Lyin' Ryan"?

Jupiter said...

MayBee said...
"I can't believe people are attacking Paul Ryan now.

I mean, Republicans and conservatives are now attacking Paul Ryan. How small of a party do you want to have?"

So your theory is that it doesn't matter that he is one of them, just as long as he pretends to be one of us?

Hagar said...

I don't know what Trump is going to do, but it won't be what these pundits say he has to do.

And Paul Ryan will be a fool if he keeps going with the pundits.

Darrell said...

Ryan is a piece of shit, and he has always been Lyin' Ryan. When the Republican Party starts to clean house, he needs to be on the first "boat."

Quaestor said...

Here's the deal about Paul Ryan, the beneficiary of the coup d'état against John Boehner: Boehner was deposed because he was allegedly responsible for a do-nothing Congress with working Republican majorities in both Houses. Voters gave the Congress to the Republicans as a means to restrain Barack Obama, to force him to govern through compromise rather than extra-legislative fiat. Unfortunately their expectations went unfulfilled. From the perspective of the ordinary voter the elections of 2012 and 2015 might as well have not taken place. Nothing changed. None of Obama's appointees were seriously challenged. No part of Obama's highly dubious foreign policy was challenged or blocked. Obama never once used his veto to defend his debt-fueled domestic debacle. From all appearances the Congress seemed even more of a Executive lapdog than even its Democrat-controled predecessor. The leadership, specifically Speaker Boehner and his senatorial colleague Mitch McConnell, became the focus of rank-and-file wrath, which led to Boehner's replacement with Ryan, a younger man with presumably fewer ties to the arcane channels of influence that make special interest more powerful in Washington than the general interest of the ordinary citizen.

Thus the gavel passed to Ryan, and a dizzying whirlwind of non-events followed in its wake. Nothing was reformed. No expenditure was curtailed. No "social justice" lunacy was kicked off the national stage. No grasping hand of Executive fiat was rebuffed. The coup d'état was an illusion. The citizens discovered they had replaced a feckless man unable to cope with entrenched power with an ambitious man unwilling to reform a corrupt system, indeed cooperate with it in hopes of gaining the ultimate prize — perhaps not this year, but later after Hillary had her fill of jollies. This is the fountainhead of the Trump phenomenon. Without Ryan Trump would have gone nowhere.

tom swift said...

This is consistent with the theory that the GOPe was planning to sideline both Trump and Cruz at the nominating convention, instead making someone else the nominee—most likely Ryan.

Trump isn't the nominee yet. He still needs the magic 1237 delegates who will put him over the top on the first ballot.

With Cruz and Kasich out, it seems pretty much impossible for Trump to not get enough delegates. But maybe Ryan hasn't gotten the memo yet.

Darrell said...

Ryan's views are aligned more with Obama and Hillary, thyan with Reagan's Republican Party. The jackals took over when few were watching. Remember the "Elite" came up with Ryan's name for their contested convention substitute. The "elite" are pieces of shit, every man jack of them.

Christopher said...

That's a whole lotta effort up there to substitute for the word "lied."

grackle said...

Ryan’s playing for time for the House GOP members to get a feel in their home districts of the mood of their constituents towards Trump. I see political viability as Ryan’s motive, not “conservative principles.”

The Senate has already completed this chore and has evidently determined that Trump will not hurt them, thus the Mitch McConnell endorsement.

Despite some lip service to Trump and Trump voters Ryan’s interview is a model of self-fulfilling prophesy. Paraphrase: The party simply has to become united or Hillary wins but we may not allow that to happen unless Trump stops being Trump and changes his positions on major issues.

Ryan needs to remember what happened to Eric Cantor, who also had a habit of ignoring the GOP voters.

And what are the changes expected of Trump? Read the GOP “Growth & Opportunity Project Report” and you’ll get a pretty good idea because it seems to be the Ryan/eGOP policy blueprint. Capitulation on illegal immigration in order to suck up to Latino voters is one of the main recommendations. This ‘autopsy’ of the Romney defeat is a treasure trove of false analysis which Trump’s victory makes irrelevant.

http://tinyurl.com/ldw8mj3

p.8 –“we must embrace and champion comprehensive
immigration reform.”

Most of the conclusions and recommendations are harmless and some may actually help but they are window dressing for an open borders policy.

Anonymous said...

“Reads?” As in turns the pages more than once? So the complaint is he remembers the assigned reading from his high school days? From what we can see here from the rim of the crater his eidetic memory means he only needs to see something once, which is a curse. Anyone that can take Alterman to a draw half the time can see at least three moves ahead in a multidimensional space. Your pTb ought to be ashamed. Taking candy from babies. Then again, cut Reince a little slack, there's no more establishment a figure, who worked his way up the RNC the hard way. Loyalty oath? Beating them like Baby Seals. Wiping a paper cut with vinegar he does. I need to get another bowl of popcorn, I love the smell of yellow journalism burning in the morning . They are finally held responsible for the devastation they leave in their wake, PETA these five words are for you. Kill off entire Inuit villages with one front page? Starve all those nursing infants for lack of milk with the nutrients that can only come from the (saturated) fat in the flesh of baby seals. Has the word “Strumpets” shown up in the campaign yet?

Darrell said...

I see they plugged in the router at the Mental Hospital.

holdfast said...

"If he and Romney were as passionate at opposing Obama as they are with Trump we wouldn't have Trump to worry about"

So. Much. This.

khesanh0802 said...

@ Quaestor The only thing you left out was that this was a one more stupid move by Ryan. This kind of discussion belongs behind closed doors. Of course everyone wants to bargain, but the outright public stupidity of the Republican leadership is astounding! There are high school kids throughout the country who show more savvy than the Republicans in DC.

CStanley said...

So what I'm reading from the proTrump commenters is that they will be fine with Speaker Pelosi retaking the gavel next year.

Darrell said...

No. You are reading that Republicans want a real Republican as Speaker.

AllenS said...

Well, Meade, let me explain it to you. It's kinda like helping out with the expenses. Sorta like this blog. If you go to the top of the column on the right, you'll see this:

"You can support this blog by shopping through Amazon:

Subscribe

Donate"

Now, ask yourself, is this more evidence that Althouse is for sale? No, she isn't, she just wants others to help with the endeavor.

rcocean said...

Nobody outside of the DC bubble and maybe Wisconsin cares whether paul ryan endorses Trump or not.

Ryan wasn't a popular VP candidate. While running with a bland Top-of-the-ticket candidate he managed to make himself almost invisible. He did run with Romney, didn't he?

Besides, he has definite policy differences with Trump. He wants to cut Social Security benefits, pass more bad trade deals, and work with CHuck Shumer and pass Amnesty. And he just gave Obama everything he wanted in the Omnibus bill.

He's everything a lot of Trump supporters despise.

rcocean said...

"So what I'm reading from the proTrump commenters is that they will be fine with Speaker Pelosi retaking the gavel next year."

Yeah, in the same way anti-Trump commentators are OK with Hillary being President and appointing the next 3 SCOTUS judges.

Meade said...

Lighten up, Allen.

Darrell said...

Zell Miller might make a good Trump VP. Better than Ryan, Rubio, or Cruz.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Is it okay to describe Trump as a "polarizing figure" or has that been beaten to death already?

CStanley said...

No. You are reading that Republicans want a real Republican as Speaker.

5/6/16, 9:06 AM


And who would that be, Darrell, and how do you get there when you insist on a course that will lead to defeat for GOP House members in vulnerable seats?

khesanh0802 said...

Sorry Meade, Allen's analogy is absolutely correct. Take off your Madison blinders.

Darrell said...

I'll interview candidates, if you insist. I think we might get some applicants for the Speaker's job, if I give Ryan the boot.

Paul said...

"So what I'm reading from the proTrump commenters is that they will be fine with Speaker Pelosi retaking the gavel next year."

I guess reading comprehension isn't one of your strong suits.

rcocean said...

"Capitulation on illegal immigration in order to suck up to Latino voters is one of the main recommendations."

Yeah, that really worked for us in the late 80s and 90s after Reagan's Amnesty - the Republican share of the national Hispanic vote went from 35% to 35.1%

Anmesty isn't about the Hispanic votes, its about giving the Billionaire $Donors$ what they want - cheap labor. Its why the WSJ wants a constitutional amendment abolishing the USA borders and unlimited immigration.

CStanley said...

"So what I'm reading from the proTrump commenters is that they will be fine with Speaker Pelosi retaking the gavel next year."

Yeah, in the same way anti-Trump commentators are OK with Hillary being President and appointing the next 3 SCOTUS judges.

5/6/16, 9:08 AM

rocean, a lot of antiTrumpers would say that is more likely now that Trump is the nominee. Me, I don't know, I think in normal times that would be true and it still might hold true, or might not.

I wish people would stop attributing intent where it doesn't belong (I was doing it sarcastically- I know very well that most Trump voters assume he will keep a GOP House at least, and want that to happen.)

But rethink your assumptions and follow them through to logical conclusions. Ryan doing this is a plus for Trump, so why take this as an opportunity to hate on him?

rcocean said...

BTW, who on the Democrat side is a "Polarizing figure" ?

It always seems to be conservatives and Republicans. No matter how unpopular a Democrat is, he's always portrayed as normal and "Mainstream".

Paul said...

"Anmesty isn't about the Hispanic votes, its about giving the Billionaire $Donors$ what they want - cheap labor. Its why the WSJ wants a constitutional amendment abolishing the USA borders and unlimited immigration."

On the one hand. On the other it insures a demographic replacement of the people who might believe in the principals espoused in the founding documents with a population of big government gimmedat perpetual Democrat voters and the guaranteed destruction of the country as we know it.

mccullough said...

Ryan should resign his House seat in protest of Trump. Show some integrity.

Darrell said...

Ryan should resign his House seat in protest of Trump.

After shaving his head . . .

Birches said...

I can't wait to see some of these commenters contort themselves with who the "real" establishment is once Boehner is the VP pick.

Fabi said...

Continuing Resolution Ryan! The ultimate back stabber. I'll be sending his primary opponent a very nice check this morning.

trumpetdaddy said...

Paul Ryan has exactly one job for the next six months. Making sure that at least 218 Republicans are re-elected to the House. Period.

If that means that Trump Chumps have to hear him diss their Orange Man-god for the next six months, too bad. Trump needs Paul Ryan a shit-ton more than Ryan needs him. Because the polling says that Trump gets crushed nationally by Hillary, and in the districts that Ryan needs his members to win, that is just as true.

Perhaps Trump Chumps haven't noticed that no down-ticket incumbent Republicans have been defeated in primaries. That's because voters are distinguishing between Trump and their local Congressman. Ryan will do everything in his power to make sure that that distinction continues through Trump's inevitable landslide defeat.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Darrell said...Zell Miller might make a good Trump VP. Better than Ryan, Rubio, or Cruz.

Zell Miller is 84.

Michael said...

Allen S

Good one!!

CStanley said...

Trumpet daddy: Word

Fabi said...

trumpetdaddy sounds about as whiny and clueless as the rest of the never Trump crybabies. Ryan is a sell-out. He has no clout around the country for individual House races. We are coming after him.

traditionalguy said...

Ryan has gone all in. The only thing he can hope to accomplish with that move is electing Hillary.

Trump can read a map. The General Election has started and Ryan's Republican power base plans to lose to Hillary, and make a great comeback in 2020. Will The Donald outflank them and raise up his own Party that wins anyway? That is a bridge too far. The pledge of supporting the GOP Nominee was hot air. Trump has to blame himself for ever believing Ryan and Preiebus.

But take heart for the good things Ryan has accomplished. Hillary will be a first Woman President, after all. And the Dems will get credit for the financial collapse and Martial Law they set up during Obama's years. And Trump voters will have learned to never trust any thing Republican again.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

I'm not as hard on Ryan as a lot of people here seem to be--he hasn't accomplished what I'd like for him to have accomplished as Speaker but he's constrained by the reality of the situation he faces (vote count, party divisions, Dem President, etc). I certainly didn't like that he seemed to go back on a promise to get tough budget-wise but even there I'll cut him a little slack and say that his claim to have inherited most of what was agreed to (and not being able to put his preferred changes in right away) isn't totally without merit.

I think some of the anger at Ryan, though, comes from exactly the way he and the Repub. "establishment" has been selling their various failures over the last few years. The repeated talking point has been "oh, we can't do all these things we want to know (and we know you want us to do) because Obama will just veto it all, so there's no use really fighting." Comes now a presidential election and wouldn't you know it--the same establishment supports candidates who just happen to NOT want to fight the Left on a few key issues (immigration, for example), making all the earlier professions look like obvious lies. On top of that they refuse to support candidates that people see a actually willing to fight for those things...and what you get from the Repub. voters is anger.

Shorter: "you said you weren't fighting hard for me because we don't have a President who'll take our side in that fight/on that issue. Now we've got a couple of Repub. candidate who're demonstrating that they WILL take our side on that issue and you're not only not supporting them, you're doing everything you can to harm their chances. Sure seems like you've been lying to us all along, and that makes me angry."

It's a theory, anyway. Personally I'd hate to lose Ryan altogether (he's a sharp guy who knows how to talk about issues from a solid libertarian/conservative POV) but it's a bad year to be associated with the Repub. establishment. No love for Big Repub.

trumpetdaddy said...

"Ryan is a sell-out. He has no clout around the country for individual House races. We are coming after him."


Ryan is the highest national Republican elected official. He has been fundraising for incumbent Republican House members and controls access to donor money for almost all of them for their re-election bids. Get a clue. No incumbent Republican House members have lost in a primary yet. Ryan's job is to make sure they don't lose in the general election, either. He will give room for members in overwhelmingly red districts to do whatever they want, and provide cover for members in swing districts to be anti-Trump.

This isn't rocket science. Trump is going to lose to Hillary. It's only a matter of by how much. Ryan will do his level best to make sure that the House is retained and the party isn't stained by Trump too badly.

There is no "we" to "come after" anybody. Trump has received 40% of the vote of 40% of the country. The rules put in place to "smooth the way" of the front-runner after 2012 helped him to get where he is. They were "rigged" in his favor.

Now, Trump has to convince people who aren't white nationalists, and LIV reality TV fans, and "burn it all down" keyboard warriors to come out for him. Good luck with that.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

trumpetdaddy said...Paul Ryan has exactly one job for the next six months. Making sure that at least 218 Republicans are re-elected to the House. Period. / Trump needs Paul Ryan a shit-ton more than Ryan needs him

Yes, that's a good point, as well--Ryan's interests (and really the Repub. party's interest in what Ryan does) may not align perfectly w/Trump's, but that doesn't mean Ryan is a backstabber or even that he's doing the wrong thing. If the Repub. party's polling & research indicates that down-ballot candidates will do better if they're not associated w/Trump then Ryan should act on that info. They gray area is where doing that might hurt Trump enough to cost Trump the win...but right now few people seem to think this election is going to be close (either way).

Fabi said...

#AlwaysCrybabies

Fabi said...

#RememberEricCantor

trumpetdaddy said...

HoodlumDoodlum....exactly right.

The data show that Trump gets annihilated. If that changes down the line, then expect a change from down-ticket candidates. They will say some plausible bullshit about how "Trump has grown" and such-like nonsense. Again, this isn't rocket science. So long as Trump looks to be on the wrong side of a landslide, people like Ryan will take a hands-off approach to avoid the stink. That's just how it is. If Trump and his chumps want to turn that dynamic around, it's all on him to do it. If he can do that then he has earned his win. Like as not, at age 69 he is who he is, and will not be able to do it.

Gusty Winds said...

Here is the first commercial released by Ryan's Primary challenger Paul Nehlan. There is a lot of truth in the ad regarding Wisconsin. Let's hope this guy makes headaches for Ryan, or even takes him out like Eric Cantor.

Paul Ryan married money. He's a kept man, with a big ass cement wall around his house. Don't kid yourself. He's not Scott Walker. His wife has holdings of $6.5 Mil.

He's a guy who promised entitlement reform, and never did anything. He put out video lecturing on the dangers of a bloated national debt, and then waltzed Obama's Omnibus through the House without batting and eye. He had a chance to show some resistance, but didn't even seem reluctant. He is one of the main reasons for the Trump movement.

After being laughed at by Joe Biden in the 2012 VP, he has proven himself to be overrated. What has he done for Janesville, WI? Did GM have to leave Janesville?

He comes across now as an arrogant prick. It would be nice if he stood up to Obama as much as he seems willing to stand up to Trump.

Fabi said...

My data show that all the establishment GOP candidates combined never got to 500 delegates. My data show that the anti-GOPe candidates received nearly 70% of the primary votes. But please continue to rely on polls instead of results. Lulz

Fabi said...

@Gusty Winds -- I'm really tired of arguing with the #AlwaysCrybabies crowd, but you've laid out the case against Ryan very nicely. Too bad Ryan wouldn't send the twelve appropriations bills through regular order. He's no fiscal conservative.

Quaestor said...

[Ryan's] a sharp guy who knows how to talk about issues from a solid libertarian/conservative POV.

Ryan is happy you think so.

eric said...

So Romney and Ryan, the 2012 team, decided to give Trump, the 2016 nominee, the finger.

I wonder how Romney and Ryan would have felt if McCain and Palin gave them the finger in 2012?

This sets a new precedent that I don't think they'll enjoy.

Unknown said...

This comment fits here better than in longwinded post.
Look, no Republican could win the presidency 2016. All those polls showing Kasich or whoever could beat the Democrat were bogus because they didnt take into account ALL of the media cheering for the Dems and demonizing the Repubs, and October surprizes, no matter who was the nominee.
So when Trump loses, at least we had a blowtorch who damaged Clinton and massacred political correctness for 6 months, and then the Dem will win just like Wapo and NYT want.

Trump is such catnip, cable TV will give him the microphone to rail at Hillary for the next 8 years so that she will be held to some accountability, more than if Jeb had lost to her.

Howard said...

The intellectual chickenhawk branch of the Republican Party, brought to you by Goldman Sachs, is just showing their true loyalty. They are cut from the same cloth as the Clintons, Gore, Obama, Kerry, Romney, etc. You people who voted for Trump have done more for progressive politics than Bernie Sanders.

Quaestor said...

The data show that Trump gets annihilated.

One would think the paradigms would have been questioned by now. However, some people are always just a little bit behind the curve. That's why not everybody is a wolf of Wall Street, isn't it?

Henry said...

Trump is part Scottish while Paul Ryan has Irish roots. So I guess Trump wins this no-true-Scotsman competition.

rcocean said...

"Ryan should resign his House seat in protest of Trump. Show some integrity."

Or he should be primaried.

#NoMoreCantors

Gusty Winds said...

I can't remember if Trump won Ryan's Congressional District over Cruz in the Wisconsin Primary, but Trump did win Ryan's home county.

rcocean said...

This just in: Romney will refuse to support either Hillary or Trump.

Well, there goes the Election. Once you lose Belmont Massachusetts and the Multi-millionaire vote, you lost it all.

His words:

I see way too much demagoguery and populism on both sides of the aisle and I only hope and aspire that we'll see more greatness," Romney said.

Asked about a possible independent run, he said, "No, I'm certainly going to be hoping that we find someone who I have my confidence in who becomes nominee. I don't intend on supporting either of the major party candidates at this point."

tim in vermont said...

Ryan sold us out on Obamacare turned down the chance to open it up when even the Democrats wanted to fix stuff. He just gave them everything with zero public discussion. He should quit in disgust, that would show us!

Saint Croix said...

Boy, am I glad I never drank the lemonade.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Quaestor said...
[Ryan's] a sharp guy who knows how to talk about issues from a solid libertarian/conservative POV.

Ryan is happy you think so.


What you should say, Quaestor, is "talk is cheap, action is what's important, and Ryan hasn't delivered. He's either unwilling or unable to get the job done." Just questioning my opinion isn't very strong--using my professed opinion as a plank in your argument is better for you (more persuasive) than just questioning my judgement/opinion itself.

CStanley said...

I've read a lot of Pro-Trump commenters lately describing their dissatisfaction with various GOP politicians in terms of those politicians focusing their criticism within the party instead of directing it at Obama, Reid, and other

Now some of the same commenters are all about supporting primary contests against GOP that don't meet their demands of purity.

Is a little self awareness too much to ask?

Look, if nothing else, the a lead from the Donald- he is smart enough to know that he needs Paul Ryan and isn't letting his ego get in the way.

Darrell said...

Stanley, put Livingstone on.

hamiyam said...

Ryan was overtly running for the nomination via an "open convention" and is flummoxed that this opportunity has been denied him. Sore loser.
Ryan embodies all the attributes of the "establishment" against which the populace voted. He may have a better opportunity for self-aggrandizement outside this party, maybe in academia.

Gusty Winds said...

The Speaker did not expect Trump to clinch the nomination so soon

So Ryan is really not True to his word. And it was all just bullshit. Maybe Ryan did want a contested convention so he could swoop in and steal the nomination for free. Just like the way he became rich. Maybe he saw how Althouse and Meade voted and it went to his head.

Trump said he'd return to Janesville as payback for all the people who weren't able to get into the rally there. I wish he would go back there, prop up Paul Nehlan who agrees with Trump on trade, and stick a poker up Paul Ryan's ass. He could have a big ass really at the closed GM Plant.

It might be a little to early for Trump to put away the sickle.

Anonymous said...

rcocean quoting Romney:

"...I only hope and aspire that we'll see more greatness..."

"I aspire that..", "see more greatness..."

Wut?

...No, I'm certainly going to be hoping that we find someone who I have my confidence in who becomes nominee.

"...going to be hoping...", "someone who I have my confidence in..."

In the spirit of taco bowl analysis, I aspire that I am hoping to point out that this is some funkadelically clunktastic speaking here.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

hamiyam said...Ryan was overtly running for the nomination via an "open convention" and is flummoxed that this opportunity has been denied him.

Really? Overtly? Citation needed, my friend. If you want to argue that he left the option open and worked behind the scenes to make it happen or something, ok, but the overt part I was was him saying no thank you several times!

Original Mike said...

"Ryan was overtly running for the nomination via an "open convention" and is flummoxed that this opportunity has been denied him. Sore loser."

You have something to back that claim up?

trumpetdaddy said...

Considering Trump got his ass beat by 18 points in Ryan's CD, he's probably not that worried about a mass wave of Trump Chumps rising up to vote for his carpetbagger primary opponent.

damianlewis719 said...

I'm with Ryan on this one...Can't stomach the Orange Guy with the bad toupee..

CStanley said...

Sure Darrell but Livingstone would like to talk with your brother Darrell and your other brother Darrell.

Roughcoat said...

If he and Romney were as passionate at opposing Obama as they are with Trump we wouldn't have Trump to worry about.

Precisely. This sort of behavior is the reason I went from from liking Ryan to detesting him. Same goes for the GOP establishment.

trumpetdaddy said...

Poor Reince Priebus, having to answer about Trump's oh-so-deft Hispanic outreach yesterday. "He's trying." Like a 69 year old grown man is actually a developmentally-disabled 6 year old playing rec league soccer. "He's trying."

I eagerly await Trump posting a photo of himself with fried chicken and watermelon on Juneteenth, along with a caption about how "the blacks" love him, too.

I'm so glad I don't have to defend this clown. You Trump Chumps have my sincere sympathies. You really do.

Darrell said...

Sure Darrell but Livingstone would like to talk with your brother Darrell and your other brother Darrell.

Wrong spelling (Darryl on Newhart), but thanks for playing! And losing like Cruz.

Darrell said...

Trump won all the subcategories in Indiana--women, Hispanics, African-Americans, etc. Cruz needs to spend some more time with the Pappy's snakes.

Roughcoat said...

Quasetor @ 8:45:

Well said, mate. Very well said indeed.

Paul said...

Trump chumps...

Now that's the product of a high functioning intellect. I'm impressed...

Joe said...

The funniest part is anyone thinking Ryan matters.

Gahrie said...


Now some of the same commenters are all about supporting primary contests against GOP that don't meet their demands of purity.

Is a little self awareness too much to ask?


The GOP Establishment have been running primary challenges and sabotaging Tea Party and Conservative Republicans for years now.....that's one of the reasons why Trump exists!

For thirty years the Establishment types have been telling the Republican base to shut up and vote for "the most electable" stooge they could come up with, with predictable results. Now that they have finally be thwarted, they're all threatening to abandon the party!

Is a little self-awareness too much?

Saint Croix said...

Donnie's little Cinco de Mayo stunt was the ultimate fuck you move. What's the point? Most politicians suck up to voters, or at least are polite to them. Donnie is mocking that. My guess is that he asked Marco Rubio to be his running mate and Rubio declined. So now Donnie is saying "fuck the Hispanic vote, I don't need it." And of course ordinary Republicans loathe the man. You want us to pretend to like him? Can't do it. So now he's like, "fuck the GOP, don't need it." If you want an independent guy? He's an independent guy. But don't get whiny or angry when he has trouble with his relationships or making commitments.

I just hope he gets through puberty fast.

CStanley said...


The GOP Establishment have been running primary challenges and sabotaging Tea Party and Conservative Republicans for years now.....that's one of the reasons why Trump exists!

Gahrie, explain to me how this makes sense, when Donald Trump was helping to fund the GOPe in defeating the Tea Party candidates?

mccullough said...

Ryan has been in Congress close to 20 years and has done nothing but vote to pile up the debt. No wonder Trump won the nomination. The fools thought this election was going to be about Obama's record. It is about their record and Obama's record and Hillary's record. They are all failures. Trump should come out for term limits for Congress. Something all voters agree on.

trumpetdaddy said...

"Trump chumps...Now that's the product of a high functioning intellect. I'm impressed..."

Thank you. You should be. It's two, single syllable words, one of which is his name, that rhyme, and perfectly define everyone who has ever bought Trump's various lines of bullshit - chumps. Concise and apt. It's a perfect description. I should trademark it.


buwaya said...

St. Croix,

Well, I did my own, useless bit of polling -
foreigner that I am, before marriage and before deciding to stick to my nationalities, I was a Republican party volunteer in San Francisco - yes that's a bit like being Sancho Panza to Don Quixote.

Anyway, at the time the SF Republicans were an interesting gang of old West-side Italians (the Barbagelata crowd), Filipinos, Chinese, Russians (including lovely Olga!), Evangelicals including some storefront-church Nicaraguans and Salvadorans, some "gay" Republicans, and etc.

Summary is that these were the OR's (Original Republicans, like Original Gangsters) in todays terms, as they were the previous generation or two. I called a couple of the Filipinos up. Yes, they are for Trump, and so is everyone they personally know. Granted they represent hardly anyone, and most they know probably live in Novato or Hayward these days. And that old San Francisco Republican crowd was probably as exotic as Republicans ever get.

Anyway, as far as "ordinary Republicans" go, I'm not sure whom you mean.

CStanley said...

For all who despise Paul Ryan, how do you feel about Mitch McConnell? Just curious.

Is he less hated since he's being reasonable and endorsing Trump? Not that that has anything to do with the 60K Trump threw his way to help defeat the Tea Partier who tried to primary him, I'm sure.

I'm not quite ready to think Trump was a plant by the GOPe (don't think they're smart enough, among other reasons) but who knows?

Gahrie said...

perfectly define everyone who has ever bought Trump's various lines of bullshit

What do you call everyone who bought the various lines of bullshit from McConnell, Boehner, Ryan and the rest of the Republican Establishment?

Besides "the pissed off Republican base" that is.

Brando said...

Unity pledges are always crap. Sure you'll support the nominee when it's a hypothetical person that you figure will be okay, but any of us can imagine a nominee so awful we'd have to bail.

Still surprised by Ryan's move--it wouldn't have been hard for him to at least pay lip service and say "yeah I endorse Trump" and then just focus on trying to hold the House. You can endorse the man while not endorsing the things about him you find objectionable. He must really think the House is in danger.

As for the taco bowl picture, I actually found it charming because I think in Trump's mind that was a conciliatory gesture. I prefer something like that to an insincere speech about how we're all special, even Hispanics or something like that. The reactions to the taco bowl picture were over the top.

Compare it to Hillary at Chipotle.

Fabi said...

The #AlwaysCrybabies can purchase butthurt ointment through the Althouse Amazon Portal.

Gahrie said...


Gahrie, explain to me how this makes sense, when Donald Trump was helping to fund the GOPe in defeating the Tea Party candidates?


It doesn't make sense.......I am not a Trump supporter....he scares me in several ways....however he has to be better than Hillary.

Trump supporters are tired of being "sensible" and voting for the "most electable". They're tired of being lectured by their "betters".

Trump supporters are tired of being told they need to support the Republican Party, and send them money to defeat the evil Democrats, only to see their "leaders" get into office and start making deals with the Democrats while attacking Conservatives.

Trump supporters are angry, and they really don't care what Trump says or does, as long as it pisses off the Coastal Elites and the GOP Establishment.

damikesc said...

For all who despise Paul Ryan, how do you feel about Mitch McConnell? Just curious.

Is he less hated since he's being reasonable and endorsing Trump? Not that that has anything to do with the 60K Trump threw his way to help defeat the Tea Partier who tried to primary him, I'm sure.

I'm not quite ready to think Trump was a plant by the GOPe (don't think they're smart enough, among other reasons) but who knows?


Honestly, after this whole primary, the only guy I truly loathe is Kasich. His only goal was to protect Trump from Cruz.

Original Mike said...

"Trump supporters are angry, and they really don't care what Trump says or does, as long as it pisses off the Coastal Elites and the GOP Establishment."

That about sums it up. I'm curious how many will feel remorseful when Elizabeth Warren is on the Supreme Court. My guess is they'll be blaming the GOPe rather than themselves.

CStanley said...

OK sorry for having misunderstood your position Gahrie. To me, all of that anger is understandable, but the direction it has taken seems completely misguided.

Gahrie said...

That about sums it up. I'm curious how many will feel remorseful when Elizabeth Warren is on the Supreme Court. My guess is they'll be blaming the GOPe rather than themselves.

Why not? The Establishment will be blaming the base as usual.

Everyone keeps blaming this on the base instead of telling the Establishment to change their tune, and actually start supporting Conservative candidates and Conservative issues. What the Establishment seems to be the most pissed about is that the Democratic Party can continue to exploit minorities for their vote while ignoring their concerns and welfare, but that the Republican base has become fed up and rebelled.

Gahrie said...

To me, all of that anger is understandable, but the direction it has taken seems completely misguided.

What else were they supposed to do? The Establishment didn't listen in 1988. How different would the world be if the Establishment had supported Jack Kemp?

The Establishment didn't listen in 1992 or 1996 (to be fair, with four people in the race, Clinton would have probably won those races anyway...but if the establishment had nominated a Conservative in 1992, maybe Perot never happens)

The Establishment didn't listen in 2000, but managed to squeeze out a narrow victory against a weak Al Gore, and were gifted with Kerry as an opponent in 2004.

We were back to "the Establishment stooge with the most seniority" in 2008.

The nominee in 2012 was the best in a couple of decades, but he lacked the stomach to fight.

The base wanted someone to fight for them, and more importantly fight against the Left.

Say what you will about Trump..but he's a fighter.

Original Mike said...

"Say what you will about Trump..but he's a fighter."

Well, if by that you mean he likes to insult people, I guess so. Let's see how much of his own money he's willing to spend.

CStanley said...

Gahrie, what they are supposed to do is organize, fund, and support candidates that represent their preferred policies and then don't put unrealistic expectations on them. Politics is a long game, and although you cite decades of dissatisfaction, the only real organized effort began with the Tea Party so we're about just a couple of electoral cycles.

And what they're not supposed to do is abandon the gains they've made by bailing on principles. They negate the whole point of what their complaints were against the establishment by getting behind a guy who was part of the problem just two years ago, just because he's now talking like he's on their side and his brash style allows them to fantasize that they will flip the bird at the establishment.

Paul said...

"Thank you. You should be. It's two, single syllable words, one of which is his name, that rhyme, and perfectly define everyone who has ever bought Trump's various lines of bullshit - chumps. Concise and apt. It's a perfect description. I should trademark it."

I'm not surprised you're too stupid to realize you are being mocked you no trumpet playing mofo.

Fabi said...

I hope one of the people who keep talking about the gains the republicans have made will address the Continuing Resolution. Why control both houses of Congress if you're not going to exercise its most fundamental power? The voters sent them there to stop Obama, yet they continue to roll over, yet now we're supposed to think about the long game?

Original Mike said...

"I'm not surprised you're too stupid to realize you are being mocked you no trumpet playing mofo."

You really think he thought you were complimenting him?

buwaya said...

"allows them to fantasize that they will flip the bird at the establishment."

But they have!

CStanley said...

Fabi what was Ryan supposed to do in the four weeks or whatever it was between taking the speaker role and the deadline? I guess a shutdown would have worked this time?

The sad thing is that he punted in order to have a chance at submitting the 12 Appropriation bills this year, but the conservative caucus is so inflexible that their going to deny that opportunity.

The conservatives (Tea Party) have gotten some representation but they can't expect to completely control the party when they only have a small percentage of the seats. They won't take a half loaf so they come up with nothing.

CStanley said...

Yes, Bulawayo I suppose that's true, but what happens next? Do they want to moon them too? That'll show 'Em!

Saint Croix said...

Buwaya, interesting crew!

What I meant is that Donnie is neither a free market conservative or a social conservative. His economic philosophy, such as it is, is to the left of the Republican Party. He is very combative and angry, and is using identity politics to stir up passion and anger. Same as Obama, more obvious than Obama. He has very strong leadership qualities and many people are responding to that.

Also he's clearly running as a "change" candidate. Again, same as Obama. He's a billionaire with poor impulse control and a history of bad decision-making. His lack of discipline and self-control makes him more human, less robotic. People like that. He's entertaining, people like that, and he's in the lead, people like that.

People are voting for his personality.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Fabi said... The voters sent them there to stop Obama, yet they continue to roll over, yet now we're supposed to think about the long game?

I think some of the "oh shit" factor for GOP establishment-types right now is exactly that they've been saying they couldn't get things done and had to wait for the next President before they could start really fighting...and now the next Prez. is going to be H. Clinton or Trump and the establishment is all out of excuses. "Wait until the next President, then we'll really push our agenda hard!" Well, the next President is almost here, now what?

Saint Croix said...

People voted for change, didn't get it. People voted for change, didn't get it. Now we have in this election a fascist and a socialist. And they are doing very well.

Likely to get some change, I think.

shiloh said...

People, people please Trump is a uniter not a divider. The fact that die hard Althouse cons can't agree on Trump is obviously an outlier.

Trump will definitely help bring one group together ~ Dems. Much like Cheney/Bush in '08.

Cons can't catch a break!

Love it when a plan comes together ...

FullMoon said...

Original Mike said... [hush]​[hide comment]

"Trump supporters are angry, and they really don't care what Trump says or does, as long as it pisses off the Coastal Elites and the GOP Establishment."

That about sums it up. I'm curious how many will feel remorseful when Elizabeth Warren is on the Supreme Court. My guess is they'll be blaming the GOPe rather than themselves.


Nope. They will blame you, and people like you, with good reason.

Original Mike said...

Really, FullMoon? Why is that?

Gahrie said...

Gahrie, what they are supposed to do is organize, fund, and support candidates that represent their preferred policies and then don't put unrealistic expectations on them

They did..it was called the Tea Party...and the GOP Establishment attacked them worse than the democrats did, and ran primary and even general election challengers against them.

And what they're not supposed to do is abandon the gains they've made by bailing on principles.

Yet every election, we watch the GOP Establishment do exactly that.

FullMoon said...

Original Mike said...

"Say what you will about Trump..but he's a fighter."

Well, if by that you mean he likes to insult people, I guess so. Let's see how much of his own money he's willing to spend.


More than any other candidate. hat's how much. Ya know, you can come here and gloat if Hillary wins, but you gonna suffer the same consequences as the Trumpkins. Maybe not you personally, because I suspect you, like most commenting here, are financially secure How 'bout your kids and grandkids? Their future is in the hands of people like you, hoping the Supremes go totally liberal, so you can say "I told you so". Genius !

buwaya said...

"Do they want to moon them too?"

Well, yes, of course. Don't you?
Its not easy to find the opportunity for that, but it might come.

"People are voting for his personality."

Certainly. That's politics since Alcibiades and Caesar.

"Donnie is neither a free market conservative or a social conservative."

And these things matter how much in reality? The people, real ones, that aren't political or ideological obsessives, aren't that particular. Reality, truly, is not that particular.
If in 1960 I had to predict the outcome of Singapore now that that nasty socialist Lee Kwan Yew was in charge...

I have no dog in this fight.

One Republican, as far as I can see, is just as reasonable a choice as another, because the other side is such a grey mass of disaster. You lot are chewing each others livers for no good reason. Trump/Cruz/Rubio/whomever same/same until they actually are in charge of the Federal government bureaucracy. And history says that there is no way you can predict who would be best in that position, because history is an insane process that turns on masses of horseshoe nails. Fortuna is an evil Goddess.

Being for or against Trump is an exercise in predicting the future - which you can't really do.

Hagar said...

Paul Ryan should have kept his trap shut. This was not the Speaker's place to mouth off.

Paul said...

"You really think he thought you were complimenting him?"

You really think I don't know that?


Original Mike said...

"Ya know, you can come here and gloat if Hillary wins, ..."

It will be a very sad day for my country if Hillary is elected. Twelve years of liberal rule is probably too long to recover from. More than anything, that is what disturbs me about the Trump nomination.

Original Mike said...

"You really think I don't know that? "

You calling him stupid implied that you didn't.

CStanley said...

Gahrie:

They did..it was called the Tea Party...and the GOP Establishment attacked them worse than the democrats did, and ran primary and even general election challengers against them.
In most cases it wasn't that the establishment was running primary challenges against the Tea Party, it wa that the establishment was protecting the seats that the Tea Partiers were challenging. Why would you expect otherwise? And in some cases, the political naïveté was a problem and the challengers were such weak candidates they didn't deserve to win.

And aside from all that, as I've already mentioned...they guy that is now supposed to be the white knight was FUNDING against the Tea Party.

And what they're not supposed to do is abandon the gains they've made by bailing on principles.

Yet every election, we watch the GOP Establishment do exactly that.

No, the establishment just was working on a different set of principles.

Fabi said...

I appreciate your reply, CStanley. There was obviously not anything he could really do at first, but blaming the conservative caucus for the CR is an admission that he has failed as speaker -- it's his job to get it done and he didn't.

Paul said...

In other news Dick Cheney will support Trump, Lindsay Graham will not. Hmmm...

Paul said...

"You calling him stupid implied that you didn't."

Oh gawd...

FullMoon said...

Original Mike said...

"Ya know, you can come here and gloat if Hillary wins, ..."

It will be a very sad day for my country if Hillary is elected. Twelve years of liberal rule is probably too long to recover from. More than anything, that is what disturbs me about the Trump nomination.

So, what are going to do to make sure she doesn't win? Bash Trump until then? Don't vote? Vote for alternative? Or, vote for Trump? You can always deny you voted for him, just like you deny voting for Obama.

walter said...

Of course, though not there yet..Ryan "wants to" get on the Trump train.
But if Trump really wants to prove he loves Hispanics, he should ditch Melania and marry one. It's time, anyways.

Original Mike said...

"...just like you deny voting for Obama."

I've been commenting on this site since way before 2008. I invite you to peruse the archives and find one comment from me supporting the worst president this country has ever seen.

Birches said...

Wow. This thread ended up being a lot more interesting than it was shaping up to be. Thanks, cstanley.

CStanley said...

Fabi I agree that it ends up falling on him as leader, but there really are some people too stubborn to be led, and my reading of the situation is that that's the situation here. YMMV of course, but I generally think with the Tea Party movement there's been a naïveté about how to participate in the process. They don't get that they have to give up small thing A to get bigger thing B. Voters are ticked off at them for not getting stuff done, but I think sometimes they just don't know what they're doing and the people who do know how it's done of course will roll over them.

From what I read, Ryan has tried harder than Boehners did to let them in on the negotiations, but they won't give at all (and I think military spending has been a big obstacle- is that really the hill to die on?)

CStanley said...

Thank you, Birches!

FullMoon said...

Original Mike said... [hush]​[hide comment]

"...just like you deny voting for Obama."

I've been commenting on this site since way before 2008. I invite you to peruse the archives and find one comment from me supporting the worst president this country has ever seen.

Your denial validates my supposition..Apparently you believe helping Hillary will make up for your prior bad judgement. The first step is acknowledging you have a problem

walter said...

"Your denial validates my supposition"

Ah...how so? Strange..

Michael K said...

"Look, no Republican could win the presidency 2016."

We are in the middle of a revolution and somebody says. "I like King Louis."

Oh. OK. We'll call off the revolution.

Douglas B. Levene said...

Ryan has chosen conscience over the love of power. All he wants Donny to do is discard the white identity politics part of his campaign. Not Donny's immigration enforcement. Not his tariffs. Not his health care and entitlement spending. Just the racial and ethnic hate. Good for Ryan.

Douglas B. Levene said...

i finally understand what Donny's supporters mean when they say, "He fights." What they means is, "He fights dirty." They find this admirable, which is why they don't mind and even like the fact that he's a serial liar. For Donny's supporters, that's just further proof that he will do anything to win- lie,cheat, steal, play footsies with racists and Jew haters, whatever. They seem to think they will be the beneficiaries of his amorality. Amirite?

mccullough said...

What are Paul Ryan's legislative accomplishments? Dude's been in Congress almost 20 years and puts out ideas that gain no traction and then votes for bigger government. Medicare Part D Paul. GOP big government = good, Dem big government = bad. At least he married into money. He hasn't had a real job since he worked at McDonalds and learned nothing from it. He should go back to working there of they'll have him

Gator McCluskey said...

Some of you are living proof that the GOP can abandon every single "conservative" principle you allegedly hold so dear and you'll STILL come crawling back to them. Talk about Stockholm Syndrome. The GOP has been pissing on your leg for almost 50 years, all the while telling you its rain. At what point do you finally say enough is enough? Can we trust Trump? Maybe, maybe not. But he is the only one who seems to give a shit bout this country. A slim chance is better than none.

Original Mike said...

You've got the perfect avatar, FullMoon.

Phil 314 said...

Well come November we'll either be ruled by anger or have to listen to it for four + years.

Assuming much of the above is what the Republican Party has become I'm confirmed in my decision to leave the Party.

Gahrie said...

i finally understand what Donny's supporters mean when they say, "He fights." What they means is, "He fights dirty."

Because their enemies have and do.....first example...Obamacare.

Gahrie said...

They don't get that they have to give up small thing A to get bigger thing B

What you don't realize is that the GOP Establishment has been giving up big thing A in return for nothing B for the last twenty eight years or so.

Gahrie said...

What you don't realize is that the GOP Establishment has been giving up big thing A in return for nothing B for the last twenty eight years or so.

On further reflection, I realize that my statement was incorrect. Corrected version below.

What you don't realize is that the GOP Establishment has been giving up big thing A in return for K Street jobs and Washington DC cocktail party invitations for the last twenty eight years or so.

Sorry about that.

chickelit said...

@Gathrie: Thanks for the clarification. What seemed muddled and easily ignored became crystal-clear.

ArtM said...

He is not the nominee yet. That happens at the convention. Once he is the nominee, if Paul Ryan refuses to support him you have a story. At this point it is all Barbara Streisand.