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House Speaker Paul Ryan Will Not Seek Re-Election in 2018


DonRocks

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I entirely accept his explanation that it's about spending more time with his family (sic). Trump would wipe the floor with Ryan, Just picture all the video playback of him huffing and puffing his outrage over Trump during the 2016 campaign then him shaking Trump's hand over harming the Affordable Care Act and gutting the EPA! Teflon for Trump, but non-stick cookware for anybody else, it seems to me. I can't understand it.

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2 hours ago, MC Horoscope said:

Teflon for Trump, but non-stick cookware for anybody else, it seems to me. I can't understand it.

Teflon *is* non-stick cookware.

You don't get to be Speaker of the House, and step down in your 40s, without having a strategy - the correct time, politically, is now. This is not a partisan statement; it's just a reasonable attempt at deduction based on what little I've heard today - Ryan knows there's likely to be a tsunami come autumn, and he wants no part of it. He also knows that his first-and-best chance at the Presidency (and don't think for a moment that a politician with this much ambition doesn't have his eyes set on the Presidency) is right now.

I suspect that a year from now, he'll say he "talked it over" with his wife and children, and all of them agreed that "America needs him," or some variation of this.

Call me wrong, call me cynical - by all means, call me wrong and cynical. I've been both, more times than I can count.

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Ha Ha! Freudian slip! Of course I meant cookware that sticks. But it seems as if NOBODY's getting held too accountable anymore.

I don't like this "America needs me" attitude. I think that's chief of staff Kelly's problem. As little as we like today's politicians, just think of the 1800s when this was exactly the attitude of so many of them! I don't see this as comparable in any way  to the old concept of  "noblesse oblige." That's the attitude people hated about the Bushes and what got the Bush and Clinton dynasties tossed aside. We don't believe in a noble class. In the case of Trump that's remarkable. It was like electing Jerry Springer. Not exactly noble.

Apologies in advance for being too partisan.

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3 hours ago, MC Horoscope said:

Ha Ha! Freudian slip! Of course I meant cookware that sticks. But it seems as if NOBODY's getting held too accountable anymore.

I don't like this "America needs me" attitude. I think that's chief of staff Kelly's problem. As little as we like today's politicians, just think of the 1800s when this was exactly the attitude of so many of them! I don't see this as comparable in any way  to the old concept of  "noblesse oblige." That's the attitude people hated about the Bushes and what got the Bush and Clinton dynasties tossed aside. We don't believe in a noble class. In the case of Trump that's remarkable. It was like electing Jerry Springer. Not exactly noble.

Apologies in advance for being too partisan.

[I hate that I have to qualify all my posts. "Partisan," as I use it here (and as I *strongly* discourage it here) means "taking sides with a party," and you have done no such thing. What I'm about to write is 100% issue-oriented, and not related to either of the two major parties. You've written nothing wrong, MC.]

I also strongly dislike the attitude of, "I'm the only person who can fix America's problems," and I don't care *which* of the two parties has a person who says it. It's a load of BS - for example, what happens if that person dies? Does America then self-destruct, since "the only person who could have fixed it" is now gone? It's a load of baloney, but I don't want to get too off-topic.

It is my gut feeling (and I have a $10 wager with one of my best friends about this), that Speaker Ryan views this as his best chance to become President. Again, I have no reason to believe this other than circumstance, and I won't even mention it again (until it happens) :), but it seems like the timing is right, the situation is right, and the "spending time with my family" argument, though effective, well, you can just as easily spend time with your family when they all live together in the White House. 

Some people - perhaps most people - probably think, "There's no way that someone from Party X will win the Presidency in 2020," but that's most likely not what Speaker Ryan thinks, and I suspect he feels he can defeat a weakened sitting President in the primaries - time will tell, but I'm not so quick to believe that he's giving up on politics, and he pretty much has only one place to go that's considered an upward move - I believe him to be an ambitious, intelligent man who recognizes opportunity when it presents itself, and who is savvy enough to avoid danger when it presents itself (in the form of the 2018 elections).

Aside from that, I made this a thread because it is a *very* important news item, and is a perfectly valid issue to discuss in the Current Events Forum.

[Please discuss this issue as an issue, and use respect when discussing our legislature - I know this about kills people (it about kills me too sometimes - when I saw the Senators (of both parties) questioning Mark Zuckerberg, they almost all seemed litigious and agenda-driven, rather than working together, in good faith, to discuss a problem), but it must be done - we have members of all political and religious beliefs here, and this community respects and embraces everyone. This is, first and foremost, and at its core, a community based around a common love of restaurants, cooking, travel, and enjoying life, and we must not let partisan politics or religious beliefs divide us. I have already made an exception to this, which was probably a mistake, but I'm only human and felt immoral not speaking up about it - even *that* does not betray my political or religious beliefs; it merely shows how I feel about that one, particular issue. Everyone is welcome here, and will always be - feel free to discuss this issue as a news item; I couldn't resist going on-record with my gut feeling about Speaker Ryan and his personal ambitions, but that has nothing to do with party politics per se.]

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I don't give a hoot about Ryan.  On a day when the FBI raided the offices, home, and hotel of Trump's attorney/"fixer" Cohen, and with Trump going berserk about that, with dares, challenges, and warnings flying around about bombing Assad/Syria/sending rockets, etc.....right after Trump had tweeted about leaving Syria pronto, and other news of varying degrees of importance....the Ryan announcement didn't hit me much   Additionally I don't think well of him.  I don't care what he does or what he is thinking about in the future.  As far as I'm concerned--bye bye and good riddance.

As far as speculation on the Ryan announcement most of what I saw was about how the GOP is taking a beating in these mid term replacement elections and the GOP is fearful about its ability to hold a majority in the House and the Senate.  I find that situation very interesting. 

But relative to his announcement I was curious about what he is going to do and what he can do with all the money in his campaign chests. 

After the GOP passed and Trump signed the tax bill, Ryan almost immediately received about $500,000 from one of the Koch brothers and his wife, plus 6 additional $100,000 contributions from other wealthy folks.  $1.1 million  to his campaigns.  Almost immediately

Oh crap.  So much for democracy wherein we all have an equal voice in the way our government works.   Money runs politics.  The rich get what they want.  They pay for it.  Much of our politics serves their needs. 

Now while one may have differing opinions on whether that is good, bad or not an issue--I was further interested in this:   "What can Ryan do with that money???".

$1.1 million isn't chicken feed.  (maybe it is to the Koch brothers).  Is it taxed?   After he retires can he keep it?   Can he pocket it?  Are there restrictions?

Welllll....it appears that it depends on exactly which campaign funds the money goes to.  But it also appears there is some leeway on how he can use the funds and with the Federal Election Commission being underfunded, under staffed....they are going to have a hard time following the money trail of that $1.1 million.  Its mostly supposed to go to other campaigns or charities....but who knows.

Congress...its a helluva racket. 

Is Ryan thinking about running for Pres for 2020?  I don't know or care, but do remember there were 17 "name' candidates who were running for the GOP nomination for 2016 in the earlier stages of those primaries.   17.  Trump was nowhere near a favorite in the earlier days.

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We are used to trying to figure out what positive personal gain strategy these kinds of decisions are reflective of.  However, in the age of Trump,  I believe that some of these decisions, like Paul Ryan’s, are more about getting as far away from the upcoming shit storm as possible. There is no value in being anywhere near the front lines as indictments approach and I think that several of these guys hope that they can disappear into the woodwork before they are pressured into doing very questionable things to keep their party and friends afloat.  They’ve already compromised their reputations, integrity & morals and I think Ryan realizes that he’s being drawn further and further into areas that might cost him everything.  We’re quickly moving from a bad reality tv show to episodes of the Sopranos and it’s time to sell the restaurant before you’re asked to reserve a table for an upcoming hit and then use your kitchen to grind the bodies into burgers.

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