Quote:
Originally Posted by Onkel Neal
I kinda liked Ryan, his long standing aim of keeping America fiscally sound, supporting the working spirit, "shrinking the federal government by eliminating federal government departments, spending cuts, and restructuring entitlement spending". I think that's the attitude necessary to continue our prosperity.
I didn't think much of how he crumbled before Trump, though. But if he was to launch a campaign to beat Trump, I would support him wholeheartedly.
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I think the 'crumbling' was less about being cowed by Trump and more about trying to walk a very fine edge: trying to manage and control the House, preventing the GOP in Congress totally going down the tubes following SS Trumptanic to the bottom compounded with the normal duties and responsibilities of House Speaker; it was a damn shame not enough of the House GOP (or the GOP Party, in general) was willing to back his play to counteract the destructiveness of Trump; Ryan was pretty much on his own and I think he knew the great debacle that was the loss of the House by the GOP was coming. He bowed out rather than be burdened with a further, unneeded and unwanted, leadership role in a minority party House delegation. He took a whole lot of hits trying to keep at least some sense of order and dignity in the GOP House and I think anyone who had to endure such a beating has to, at some point, decide if being the sole, high profile target with no upside is/was worth it. His leaving the House was not so much an acknowledgement of some personal defeat, but, rather, a testament to just how screwed up the GOP has become under Trump; and it doesn't look like its going to get any better: if Trump tanks the economy with his simple-minded, childish 'policies', the voters are going to not only turn on Trump, they're going to take out their frustrations on those who failed to rein him in; and it looks like, once again, a good number of GOP House members are bailing as they did before the 2016 mid-terms. I haven't seen the latest count, but there were at least a dozen GOP House members who have announced they are retiring or otherwise not running for reelection in 2020; and the Senate GOP is not fairing much better: three (3) GOP Senators have announced retirement versus one (1) DEM Senator. Since the GOP is only three Senators over the mid point of majority (50 members) and given the brutal uphill slog experienced by GOP Senate and House candidates in 2018, when conditions were arguably better than the current situation, and a lot better than what may be coming, the possibility of DEMs controlling both the Senate and the House is getting even more likely. If you think Trump is in deep guano with the GOP holding only one side of Congress, imagine what his condition, and the GOP's, will be if they lose all legislative control; of course, if Trump does run into that 2020 iceberg, and a DEM President takes the Oval Office, the GOP will really be screwed and they will have no one to blame bur themselves for backing such a jackass as Trump...
I'd really like to see Ryan run; I'd vote for him and I think a lot of other Independents would, also. Hell, maybe even not a few dissatisfied DEM voters might sign on...
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