Should we begin tallying the rats leaving the sinking ship?

[Scooter]

Speaker Paul Ryan Will Not Seek Re-election in November

WASHINGTON — Speaker Paul D. Ryan told House Republican colleagues on Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in November, ending a brief stint atop the House and signaling the peril that the Republican majority faces in the midterm elections.

Mr. Ryan told the House Republican Conference that he will serve until the end of this Congress in January, not leave early. But his retirement announcement is sure to kick off a succession battle for the leadership of the House Republican Conference, likely between the House majority leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, and the House majority whip, Steve Scalise of Louisiana.

It could also trigger another wave of retirements among Republicans not eager to face angry voters in the fall and taking their cue from Mr. Ryan.

Mr. Ryan’s intentions were first reported on the website Axios.

Mr. Ryan’s decision to quit caught many in the party by surprise. He had just hosted a donor retreat last week in Texas and most officials believed he would not leave until after November. He told colleagues he has no regrets, but he wanted to spend more time with his teenage children.

Mr. Ryan has been publicly noncommittal for months about running for re-election, repeating a formulation that he was not going anywhere any time soon. At the retreat in Austin, Tex., Mr. Ryan was opaque about his plans for 2018, saying that he and his wife, Janna, would confer in the coming weeks to make a decision, according to two people who attended the gathering.

But some in the audience found that unconvincing, and some party strategists indicated that his refusal to commit to running again was offering an excuse to donors to withhold from giving to House campaign efforts.

Back in his Southeastern Wisconsin district, Mr. Ryan was facing a spirited challenge from two Democrats, Randy Bryce, better known by his Twitter handle, “Iron Stache,” and a schoolteacher, Cathy Myers. On his right flank, an avowed anti-Semite, Paul Nehlen, was making another run at the Republican nomination — and earning a national following among white supremacists. (well this should now prove to be an interesting primary battle)

Mr. Ryan is by far the most prominent figure fleeing Congress in a long season of Republican retirements. More than three dozen House Republicans are leaving the chamber to retire or seek other offices, including a number who have voiced concern about the 2018 elections and intense dissatisfaction with the state of Washington under Mr. Trump. Several others have resigned in personal scandals.

The exodus has further endangered Republicans’ already tenuous hold on Congress, creating open seats in states like New Jersey and California that Republicans will struggle to hold. Republicans acknowledged on Wednesday morning that Mr. Ryan’s seat, in the Republican-leaning suburbs of Southeastern Wisconsin, will be far more vulnerable without the speaker on the ballot.

[Sue U]

Poor Paul Ryan! Now he's gonna miss all the impeachment proceedings!




Also too:

On his right flank, an avowed anti-Semite, Paul Nehlen, was making another run at the Republican nomination — and earning a national following among white supremacists.

What does it say about the GOP under Trump that it attracts actual Nazis to run on its ticket?

[RayThom]

I see where Ryan is using the ol' "needing more family time" ploy.

He's either being indicted or has been offered a lucrative book deal.

If the Dems stay focused (namely not getting Hillary's endorsement) November is going to produce a bumper crop of freshmen pols.

(Sniff, sniff!) What's that smell? I think it's the wonderful fragrance of impeachment... and removal.

[Crackpot]

I think he’s done the calculus and figured his seat isn’t as safe as he’d like it to be and making a break now (instead of losing an election) will allow him to spin his legacy to his advantage for a future office.

[Scooter]

I think that listing "Donald Trump's whore" on his resume will not work out as well for him as it did for Stormy Daniels.

[Lord Jim]

I think he’s done the calculus and figured his seat isn’t as safe as he’d like it to be and making a break now (instead of losing an election) will allow him to spin his legacy to his advantage for a future office.

Plus even if he held his own seat, his Speakership certainly isn't safe...and I'm sure he has no desire to be Minority leader...(If the GOP loses the House, he'd probably wind up leaving anyway)

I think this move makes sense for Ryan given the situation...

He wants to run for President at some point, so better to get out before the Trump shitstorm goes from a cat 3 to a cat 5...

There's no percentage in it for him to stick around and get tagged with what's coming...(Massive electoral defeat, bitter internal party warfare, Impeachment hearings, etc)

[BoSoxGal]

Hallelujah!

Can’t stand that prick.

[Scooter]

Looks like the Dems can look forward to another pickup in the House:

The top Republican candidate to replace Paul Ryan is an avowed white supremacist

Until early Wednesday morning, Paul Nehlen was little more than a racist, anti-Semitic sideshow in Wisconsin politics. Unless you happen to be a white supremacist, chances are you’ve never heard of him. His political résumé consists of one failed 2016 bid to capture the Republican nomination for a congressional race in Wisconsin, and a favorable shoutout from fellow white supremacist Donald Trump on Twitter.

Paul Nehlen was not to be taken seriously, until suddenly he became the Republican front-runner to defend the congressional seat currently held by the most powerful Republican in the House of Representatives.

On Wednesday, reports began circulating that House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) would not seek reelection in the November midterms. Pundits have long suspected Ryan might call it quits sometime this year, facing the prospect of a difficult re-election and a Democratic wave that could push him out of his Speaker’s chair. But most figured the 48-year-old congressman would at least campaign for re-election.

Instead, Ryan says he plans to retire when his term ends, leaving Wisconsin Republicans scrambling to find someone to run against likely Democratic candidate Randy Bryce. Which means for now, Nehlen is the most likely GOP nominee in a district Donald Trump won by 10 points in 2016.

Nehlen’s first primary challenge against Ryan was unremarkable. He made a few headlines by endorsing Trump’s campaign early, something Ryan himself was reluctant to do. Sarah Palin publicly supported Nehlen’s insurgent campaign, but it ultimately did no good: Ryan captured his party’s nomination with almost 85 percent of the vote.

But after Donald Trump’s inauguration, Nehlen — like so many other virulent white supremacists and neo-Nazis — was emboldened. He began openly embracing classic anti-Semitic rhetoric, sharing deeply offensive memes on Twitter and the online white supremacist clearinghouse Gab. Whatever hesitation he had to publicly share his racist views melted away as well.

His online behavior finally got him banned from Twitter in February, when he attacked actress Meghan Markle for her biracial genealogy.

He isn’t without his supporters, though. As he alienated more and more normal Americans, he gained notoriety among the drudgery of the internet. During a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville last year in which a peaceful protester was murdered, Nehlen tweeted messages of support for the rally’s organizers, saying “Incredible moment for white people who’ve had it up to here & aren’t going to take it anymore.” After a white supremacist participant was revealed to be the murderer, Nehlen echoed Donald Trump’s response, blaming bad actors on both sides for the incident.

Nehlen’s comments earned him favorable coverage by white supremacist media outlets like the podcasts of former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke and crying Nazi Christopher Cantwell, as well as Breitbart, which tried — unsuccessfully — to scrub their fawning coverage of Nehlen.

So toxic is Nehlen’s rhetoric that he’s even been banned from Gab.ai, an alternative social media platform established primarily for the benefit white supremacists and others who have been kicked off of Twitter for violating the terms of service. Nehlen was responsible for doxxing a pro-Trump online troll known as Ricky Vaughn, purportedly because Vaughn (real name Douglass Mackey) lobbied against events like the one in Charlottesville in favor of sticking to online manipulation.

For its part, the Republican Party of Wisconsin has disavowed their new frontrunner. “Nehlen and his ideas have no place in the Republican Party,” said party spokesman Alec Zimmerman in February. Nehlen, who is still running as a Republican in August’s primary, disagrees.

“I am a member of the Republican Party regardless of what their traitorous, spineless apparatchiks believe,” Nehlen told the Wisconsin State Journal. “Not only does my America First agenda have a place in the Republican Party, it ought to be the centerpiece of the Republican Party.”

When you are so rabidly racist that even those whose rabid racism got them kicked off Twitter do not want to be associated with you, perhaps it's time to rethink your message.

[Econoline]

He told colleagues he has no regrets, but he wanted to spend more time with his teenage children.

As the father of two ex-teenage children (now beautiful adult women), I've gotta say Good luck with that, Paulie...you shoulda thought of that a few years ago*...



*(or if you're lucky, maybe a few years from now...)

[Lord Jim]

The top Republican candidate to replace Paul Ryan is an avowed white supremacist

My understanding is that particularly during this election cycle this may be a winnable seat for the Democrats regardless of who the GOP nominee may be, but I don't think the Dems should count on this storm trooper remaining the "front runner' for the nomination...

Presumably there is a more rational and qualified candidate (or candidates) who wouldn't have wanted to take on Ryan, but who will now enter the race...(A state legislator, a local council member, etc)

[Bicycle Bill]

The top Republican candidate to replace Paul Ryan is an avowed white supremacist

My understanding is that particularly during this election cycle this may be a winnable seat for the Democrats regardless of who the GOP nominee may be, but I don't think the Dems should count on this storm trooper remaining the "front runner' for the nomination...

Presumably there is a more rational and qualified candidate (or candidates) who wouldn't have wanted to take on Ryan, but who will now enter the race...(A state legislator, a local council member, etc)

Hey — I live in Wisconsin, I'm a political unknown (no skeletons in my closet!), and I've got nothing better to do...

-"BB"-

[Darren]

I'm more interested in a potential Supreme Court justice appointment this summer.

[Econoline]

[Econoline]

• WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In a fit of pique, David and Charles Koch have unceremoniously listed House Speaker Paul Ryan for sale on the auction site eBay.
  
  The Kochs, who reportedly had purchased Ryan for a sum estimated in the tens of millions, now seem likely to lose their entire investment.
  
  According to Ryan’s listing on the auction site, the Kochs set a five-hundred-dollar asking price for the used congressman, a figure that, in light of the tepid bidding for him, seems optimistic.
  
  “Granted, owning Paul Ryan doesn’t have the benefits that it’s had for David and Charles for all of these years, but the status of owning a former Speaker of the House has to be worth something,” one Koch associate said. “Certainly more than the current high bid of seventeen dollars.”
  
  The eBay listing suggested several possible uses for the former House Speaker, including as a Halloween ornament or garden gnome.
  
  

[Big RR]

Presumably there is a more rational and qualified candidate (or candidates) who wouldn't have wanted to take on Ryan, but who will now enter the race...(A state legislator, a local council member, etc)

If they have serious aspirations about remaining in office, I would suggest waiting until Trump is out of office before they run; even if they are elected, their careers will be tainted by their association with him.

[Sue U]

Paul Ryan has been a terrible Speaker, mostly because he hasn't learned any lessons from even recent history. He has allowed himself to be held hostage by extremist Republican factions, has eschewed any effort at bipartisan legislation, and has refused to stand up for his allegedly co-equal branch of government against a deranged President who undermines the legislative process and who consistently shoots his own party in both feet.

Apart from his incompetence in institutional leadership, his policy agenda of laissez-faire tax-free capitalism and debasing governmental social welfare programs is frankly monstrous.

Good bye and good riddance, Paul Ryan. Don't let the door hit you on your way out.

[Big RR]

While I won't argue with you about Ryan, Sue, I think there has been a big deficit in legislative leadership for decades--he's just one of the many who neither provide leadership or have any ability to reach a compromise. let alone stand up to the executive.

[wesw]

maybe there will be an opening at the EPA for him soon.....

[Bicycle Bill]

Farewell to Paul Ryan, who stood
And steadfastly did all that he could
    To lower the floor
    Of aid for the poor,
Who had it, he reckoned, too good.

-"BB"-

[Econoline]