Rep. Paul Ryan not seeking re-election.

[specsaregood]

https://www.npr.org/2018/04/11/60144...on?ft=nprml&f=

House Speaker Paul Ryan will announce Wednesday that he will not run for re-election in 2018, a source familiar with the speaker's decision tells NPR.
Ryan will not step down before then.
There have been rumors for some time that Ryan could retire. He already passed a signature piece of legislation on taxes, something he's been focused on since he began his public career.

more at link..

rats, sinking ship, all that jazz...

[donnay]

Good--good riddance, Eddie Munster.

[acptulsa]

Well while we're all waiting for dannno waiting for Molyneaux to tell us all how this is all Trump's doing, does anyone want to take bets on what explanation Molyneaux dreams up?

He may say Trump had a years-long affair with Mrs. Ryan and fathered all her children, so Ryan would have a family to go home to.

Or should we just create a pool on how many hours it takes Molyneaux to explain his convoluted theory?

[jkr]

[angelatc]

He's going to join Boehner in creating a federal government monopoy on pot. Tax stamps coming soon.

[Brian4Liberty]

Can't imagine that Ryan would be terribly proud of the Omnibus that just passed. He knows he would take the blame in the next Speaker vote, if the GOP even holds the majority.

Sinking ship indeed.

Maybe he will run in the GOP primary against Trump? That should be interesting. Trump is a one term President, so if the GOP wants to have a chance, they need to find a better candidate.

[Matt Collins]

[Feelgood]

Trump is a one term President, so if the GOP wants to have a chance, they need to find a better candidate.

Nah, unfortunately he will win again. Billary's corpse is still being carted around in a move to try and remain relevant. She is not going anywhere and will probably be the DNC nominee for round 2 and lose again.

Now what would be great is to see McConnell leaving as well.

[Swordsmyth]

[timosman]

[dannno]

this is all Trump's doing

Do you have a better competing theory that you would like to entertain us with?

[acptulsa]

Do you have a better competing theory that you would like to entertain us with?

No. But if one is not too lazy to look, one does not need to look far.

http://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/...ot-run-in-2018

Ryan would have good reasons to retire, if that is his decision. House Republicans are on the defensive politically. There is a better-than-even chance that Democrats regain control of the House in the midterm elections, which is a major reason why so many House Republicans are announcing their retirement in the first place.

There is widespread speculation that Ryan could run for president in some future election. If he does, he would be a credible candidate. He performed well as the vice-presidential nominee running with Mitt Romney in 2012.

Ryan’s longer-term political problem is that he has chosen to be one of the leading Trump Republicans in national politics, fervently supporting Trump’s legislative agenda and supporting or tolerating the faction of House Republicans who are attacking Robert Mueller, his special counsel team and the FBI. The tighter Ryan is tied to the highly unpopular Trump, the lower the chances he is someday elected president.

Ryan’s short-term problem is far more severe. If Democrats win control of the House in 2018, the House will not be a hospitable place for Ryan and House Republicans, who have spent recent years treating Congress as a one-party Republican state that is widely seen as a bastion of intense support for Trump.

Even worse from Ryan’s point of view, if Democrats gain a significant number of seats in 2018, which is virtually certain, Ryan will find the House ungovernable for Republicans.

If Ryan spends the rest of the current legislative year sabotaging support for the "Dreamers," as one major Republican faction wants him to do, and launching a new attack against highly popular programs, such as Medicare and Social Security, the strong prospect for Democrats regaining control could become a tidal wave leading to a Democratic mega-landslide.

Having spent a half-life working for Democratic leaders in Congress, if Speaker Ryan asked my advice, which he certainly will not, it would be for him to announce he is getting out now.

He will neither enjoy nor politically benefit from the gathering storm that is facing House Republicans today and appears destined to become even worse. This is not conducive to the most happy family or professional life.

[Danke]

[bunklocoempire]

Letting Paul Ryan leave offends my principles, but I'm going to let Paul Ryan leave so I can preserve my principles, so I can preserve this free enterprise system.

[Dr.3D]

[Anti Globalist]

About time. Too bad he's going to be replaced with somebody that is just as bad. I wonder what hes going to do after. Probably become a lobbyist for the corporate elites.

[Swordsmyth]

With Ryan's retirement confirmed by the man himself, all talk in Washington is now focused on who will be the next Republican leader in the House of Representatives.

Here are the top 5 possible replacements for Paul Ryan:
1. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise - Rep. Scalise is the most likely heir apparent, and it has been rumored for the past few weeks that he is the lawmaker with the best chance of replacing Ryan. Scalise is liked and respected on both sides of the aisle. He's also a heroic survivor of the shooting spree last spring where a crazed Bernie Sanders supporter attempted to mow down an entire baseball field full of Republicans. During President Trump's last State of the Union speech, he specifically named Scalise "one of the toughest people ever to serve in this House" to raucous applause.

Pres. Trump praises Rep. Steve Scalise, injured in congressional baseball shooting last summer, as "one of the toughest people ever to serve in this House." https://t.co/wdGSMPsS9y #SOTU pic.twitter.com/oOWshjNE6n
— ABC News (@ABC) January 31, 2018

2. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy - Currently the second in command, Rep. McCarthy is reportedly vying with Scalise for the coveted position of House Speaker. Politico reported earlier this week that McCarthy is quietly courting support from rank-and-file members. Back when John Boehner retired from the speakership, McCarthy was heavily favored to replace him, until rumors of an affair derailed his candidacy. Rep. McCarthy is also scheduled to have dinner with President Trump tonight:

Reminder: @potus is set to dine tonight with Speaker Ryan at the White House- along with Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn!
— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) April 11, 2018

3. Rep. Daniel Webster - When John Boehner retired, Rep. Webster, a Florida Republican, was the conservative choice for Speaker. His short-lived campaign didn't garner many votes, but it showed dissent from the more conservative members of the GOP caucus. Webster reportedly has no plans to run for Speaker of the House again in the near future.


4. Rep. Mike Conaway - The Texas congressman was once seen as a "compromise choice" among the Republican caucus. Politico reported back in 2016 after speculation of Ryan's departure had reached a fever pitch: "Several senior Republican lawmakers and aides speculate that Conaway, first elected in 2005, could jump into the speaker race if Ryan steps aside and McCarthy doesn’t have the votes to take the gavel or passes." Conaway not only has the Texas delegation to back his candidacy, but he's also an accountant, which gives him a reputation for even-handedness.
5. Rep. Jim Jordan - Another conservative darling and former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Jordan has a lot of connections to outside conservative advocacy groups. If Scalise chooses not to run and Webster doesn't take another stab at it, Jordan would have the instant backing of many influential groups. Jordan's so outspoken and driven that Politico once referred to him as "the other Speaker of the House."

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...n-replacements

[Swordsmyth]

https://www.thenewamerican.com/freedom-index

Dist.1: Paul Ryan - 59%


Dist.1: Steve Scalise - 69%

Dist.23: Kevin McCarthy - 63%

Dist.11: Daniel Webster - 67%

Dist.11: K. Conaway - 61% (the only Conaway listed, is the article wrong?)

Dist.4: Jim Jordan - 80%

[Jamesiv1]

I predicted Ryan would eventually retire.

[Swordsmyth]

Nehlen will probably get the nomination for Ryan's seat now.

[milgram]

Nehlen hurt his electoral chances with all the Jew talk

[Anti Federalist]

Ryan would have good reasons to retire, if that is his decision. House Republicans are on the defensive politically. There is a better-than-even chance that Democrats regain control of the House in the midterm elections, which is a major reason why so many House Republicans are announcing their retirement in the first place.

So, the GOP, after $#@!ing us on taxes, spending, guns, Obamacare and war, take their golden parachutes and bail out.

Worthless $#@!s.

[Zippyjuan]

So, the GOP, after $#@!ing us on taxes, spending, guns, Obamacare and war, take their golden parachutes and bail out.

Worthless $#@!s.

There are now 43 Republican members of Congress who are either retiring, resigning, or running for a different office. Most since 1973. On the other side of the aisle, only 19 Democrats are in the same categories.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/10/polit...ker/index.html

House Republicans are announcing they're leaving office at a significantly faster rate than any other recent Congresses, suggesting Democrats could pick up seats in the 2018 midterm elections. On Wednesday, CNN reported House speaker, Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan, would be next.

Already, at least 43 House Republicans have announced they are retiring, running for another office or resigning outright, including Ryan. They're leaving from all over the map, from southern New Jersey to southern New Mexico.

Democrats need to pick up 24 House seats to retake the majority from Republicans, who've had control of the House since 2011.

Republican leadership has acknowledged it has a problem.

"We've got to find better ways to empower people where they feel like this is worth their time," Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas, a former two-term National Republican Congressional Committee chair who met with several members to discuss retirements, told the National Journal in September.

But the retirements kept coming.

With few exceptions, the Republicans and Democrats who are retiring largely vote along party lines. They also have levels of support for the President's agenda similar to those of their respective parties.

[undergroundrr]

I wish the LP was ready for this.

[timosman]

I wish the LP was ready for this.

They are!

[dannno]

No. But if one is not too lazy to look, one does not need to look far.

http://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/...ot-run-in-2018

Those things all sound like they have to do with Trump.

[undergroundrr]

Those things all sound like they have to do with Trump.

I would agree. And as the article suggests, it opens the way for Ryan to be the next president after Oprah. Sometimes the Deep State feels like a comfy La-Z-Boy after a long day, doesn't it?

[undergroundrr]

This is a nice article with quotes by Justin Amash that make me just ache for what could be -

https://reason.com/blog/2018/04/11/i...ians-if-paul-r

[dannno]

I would agree. And as the article suggests, it opens the way for Ryan to be the next president after Oprah. Sometimes the Deep State feels like a comfy La-Z-Boy after a long day, doesn't it?

Paul Ryan is never going to be President.

[Superfluous Man]

Hopefully whoever replaces him does as good or better of a job of obstructing Trump's agenda.