Today, House Speaker and third person in line for the presidency, Paul Ryan, offered to consider supporting the presumptive nominee of his party if Mr. Trump gets him a pony:
Paul Ryan: 'I'm just not ready' to back Donald TrumpHouse Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday he cannot yet support presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump's presidential campaign."I'm just not ready to do that at this point. I'm not there right now," the Wisconsin Republican told CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" in an interview.Ryan's position makes him the highest-level GOP official to reject Trump since the real estate mogul became the last candidate standing in the party's nominating contest. His move gives down-ballot Republicans cover to hold off on supporting Trump. It could also keep his agenda in the House from being overtaken by Trump's policy positions.Ryan said he hopes to eventually back Trump and "to be a part of this unifying process." The first moves, though, must come from Trump, he said.Ryan said he wants Trump to unify "all wings of the Republican Party and the conservative movement" and then run a campaign that will allow Americans to "have something that they're proud to support and proud to be a part of."...
Mr. Trump countered with an offer that maybe Ryan would get his pony --
-- one piece at a time:
DONALD J. TRUMP RESPONDS TO SPEAKER PAUL RYANThey still have no idea what sort of lunatic they have just made the head of their party.
"I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan's agenda. Perhaps in the future we can work together and come to an agreement about what is best for the American people. They have been treated so badly for so long that it is about time for politicians to put them first!"
But it is going to be incredibly entertaining watching them learn.
14 comments:
Popcorn! Peanuts! Crackerjacks! Get em right heeere!
Watching them learn? That sounds a bit optimistic to me, as I haven't seen a lot of that sort of learning from them in a long, long time. They'll do something where Trump's true nature is concerned, but I don't think "learning" will be first on the list.
-Doug in Oakland
I predict Ryan will continue to withhold his support. Honestly, we all know Ryan, for all his protestations to the contrary, really wants to be President. His Never Trump buddies are begging him non stop to challenge Trump at the convention.
If only they had allowed guns at the convention.
Actually, I think it's kinda fun watching all these Beltway Republican elites act out a "Hitler Reacts" video:
"We'll stop him in Indiana! Send in the Sensible Moderate Centrist Republicans!"
"Uh...sir, we lost contact with those guys ages ago. I don't think we have any left."
*TRUMP! TRUMP!* The enemy artillery, louder now, rattles the Bunker. Lights flicker, bits of plaster and dust rain down on the electoral map table. Tonight's dance party is definitely cancelled. David Brooks reaches for his glasses with a shaking hand. "I want everyone to leave except Sullivan, Frum, Douthat and Friedman."
Moments later, the shouting tirade begins. Out in the hallway, Heidi Cruz puts her arm around a weeping Fiorina. "Don't worry Carly, you'll still get to be Vice President when Paul Ryan wins," she says reassuringly.
Meanwhile, above ground, the tanks and troops of the Orange Army roll through the shattered ruins of the Acela Corridor, opposed only by gaggles of terrified 12-year-old paper-boys from the New York Times and the Washington Post.
---
As much fun as all this is to watch, I don't really see how Trump can damage the Republican Party all that much, or how anything of lasting significance can come of the NeverTrump "movement." If Trump loses but it's not such a huge bloodbath that Republicans lose the House and Dems get a filibuster-proof Senate majority, the Donor Class can take the reins again while their Congress continues the Obstruct! Obstruct! Obstruct! campaign. Meanwhile, they'll have 4 years to set up a Superdelegate system or whatever they'd need to block any more Trump-type insurgencies. If Trump wins (please don't let it happen, D's!), he gets to dominate the party for 4 to 8 years, then he's gone. Furthermore, if he wins or it even seems like he has a good chance to win, his balls-out racist, sexist approach gets validated, and the GOP Establishment can just climb aboard the Trump Train.
The only scenario I can see where Trump could really endanger the GOP is if he leads it to such a massive defeat that they either lose both Houses of Congress in filibuster-proof majorities, or they lose control of a wide swath of State governments (thus losing their ability to weld their Congressvermin in place with gerrymandering), or both. How likely is that to happen, and how can we make it more likely? ;)
Driftglass, I get your drift, but things are a tad sloppy.
The President is not "in line" for the presidency, as the job is already his. The VP is first in the line for the presidency and the SotH is second.
"They still have no idea what sort of lunatic they have just made the head of their party." I'd venture a guess that Ryan thinks Trump is a lunatic, at least politically. I doubt he voted for him in the Wisconsin primary at any rate. So Ryan's not part of "they." Which begs the question, who is?
As a liberal, I also question the sanity, or at least the veracity, of Ryan. Trump may be a lunatic, but Ryan is a con man (to use Paul Krugman's happy description). Trump may be this news cycle's shiny story, but Ryan may well be the bigger story long-term.
"How likely is that to happen, and how can we make it more likely? ;)"
I don't know, but we definitely have to stop doing things like this:
https://cognidissidence.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-end-of-progressive-media.html?showComment=1462547061759&m=1#c6234940611106512609
banker puppy,
Take it up with the Washington Post :-)
Former House Speaker Tom Foley (D-Wash.), who passed away on Friday at the age of 84, spent five and a half years as third in line for the presidency. That’s higher than any other Washingtonian has ever reached in the presidential line of succession (Full disclosure: Your author happens to be a proud Washingtonian).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/10/20/the-presidential-order-of-succession/
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=hitler+bunker+spoof&view=detail&mid=A6934F1B26F911D7BAE8A6934F1B26F911D7BAE8&FORM=VIRE
Someone needs to do a good Hitler in the Bunker spoof on Trump getting the nomination. It's tough cuz many see Trump as Hitler, so I'm not sure who, in the GOP Power Elite, should be playing the role of Hitler. Someone with better skillz at this than me is encouraged to put this on. In the right hands, hilarity ensues.
Ryan effectively "challenged" Trump on TV (Jake Tapper?), as I understand it. Trump, if nothing else, is very good at dealing with his challengers in typical Alpha Male fashion.
I agree with banker puppy, though, that duplicitous Ayn Rand panty sniffer Ryan, is one to watch out for. I have a feeling that the GOP PTB will eventually pull their thumbs outta their collective azzes, get their sh*t together better than they have now, and possibly deal Trump some sort of blow - fatal (as has happened in our recent history) or otherwise. I advocate for nothing too severe but with this crowd? Well, let's just say: shit happens. If so, when the dust settles, there will be Ryan still standing with that smarmy smile on his fugly mug.
Another reason they won't let liberals on prime time TV...because they would rude enough to point out:
"The riff we are witnessing is between inside voice Republicans and outside voice Republicans, governing policy is still the same. Ryan and Trump want the same thing from government. The riff is about horrible greedy people who want their greed sold to the masses as an justified intellectual stance facing off with a vengeance seeking mass of scared bigots the horrible people created, then lost control of. The policy goals of Trump and Ryan are be 99.9999% the fucking same!"
When Media says they want a "centrist" to rise, what the mean is a Republican who will deliver the policies Republicans are applying in Kansas, Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, etc. is a manner that allows the media to smugly report it, praise its virtues, and blame all criticism and the policies resulting failures on out-of-touch, evil liberals.
RUKidding: you're using BING?! /cries
I remain convinced that Ryan is "colluding" with the RNC to float a third party run as the "True Republican Party" candidate. They know they're going to lose with Trump; Ryan's frustrated by the assholes in the Freedom Caucus, and he's facing a difficult race in his own district. So what's he got to lose with a practice race this Fall? And it may save some down ballot seats as well.
If Ryan is wondering how well and even-handed an alliance between him and Trump would be, Ryan should give Roger Ailes a call and ask how well its going for him. And unlike Ailes, Ryan doesn't have a billion dollar media company behind him to help back his play.
Ugh, so many commenters just don't get it.
Republicans are cowards. They will not cast off their dumbest voters. There will be no contested convention. There will be no third party run. Bullies don't challenge bigger bullies.
They will fall in line behind Trump. Anything else loses their base.
Karma will be watching ZEGS Ryan lose his seat. After all he couldn't carry Janesville for his first failed run with Uncle Mittens.
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