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Let Us Now Appreciate Paul Ryan’s Utter Failure as a Political Leader
Slate ^ | 24 Mar 17 | Jordan Weissmann

Posted on 03/25/2017 5:24:41 PM PDT by SkyPilot

As he gave his brief press conference Friday afternoon confirming that Republicans had pulled their bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, House Speaker Paul Ryan both looked and sounded like a hangdog high school football coach spilling out a few defeated platitudes after watching his team get ground into the turf.

“Moving from an opposition party to a governing party comes with growing pains,” he said, “and, well, we’re feeling those growing pains today.”

“We came really close today, but we came up short.”

“I will not sugarcoat this. This is a disappointing day for us. Doing big things is hard.”

In a sense, Ryan was being too easy on himself. Yes, “doing big things” is difficult in Washington. The Capitol dome is practically designed to bottle up and suffocate dramatic change. But whatever growing pains they may have experienced, fractious Democrats still managed to execute an ambitious agenda in the early Obama years without a major legislative collapse the likes of which we all witnessed this week. The rollout of the American Health Care Act, by contrast, was a mystifying debacle. And as much as anything, its demise is an indictment of Paul Ryan that should shatter what’s left of his myth as competent policy thinker or political leader.

Journalists often describe Ryan as a “wonk”—or if you’re CNN, a “legendary wonk“—mostly because he has sold himself as one. It’s Ryan’s #brand, which he’s nurtured with a stream of lofty white papers and interviews with credulous reporters. But in truth, he’s always been far better at playing a policy nerd on TV than at doing the hard work of crafting legislation....

Aside from the occasional PowerPoint, it’s really not clear what the man is good for.

(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 115th; ahca; congress; conservatism; first100days; leadership; paulryan; repealandreplace; ryancare; speakerryan
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To: SkyPilot

I know Slate is an ultra-left site, but they have a point.


21 posted on 03/25/2017 6:04:15 PM PDT by wastedyears (Prophecy of sky Gods, the sun and moon)
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To: SkyPilot

There is an office that is only rarely mentioned, but should right now be the focus of conservatives in the House.

The office is of the “Parliamentarian of the United States House of Representatives.” The current Parliamentarian is Thomas J. Wickham Jr.

He is the one man who determines what parts of Obamacare can go to the conference committee for repeal, from the House. There is also a Senate Parliamentarian, who does the same for the senate.

Just a few days ago, he chimed in to say that the Ryan proposal could have gone a LOT further to repeal Obamacare in the conference committee.

So right now, the Freedom Caucus needs to get an explicit list of every part of Obamacare that can go to the conference committee for repeal.

Then demand a “clean bill” with ALL of this be voted on by the House. This will be the MAXIMUM amount of Obamacare that can be repealed right now.

Conservatives in the senate would do the same there.

More than anything else, this would be a “separating the sheep from the goats” vote. It would give Republican liberals an opportunity to commit political suicide by voting to keep Obamacare.

It would give the people clarity about who supports the people, and who supports globalism and special interests.

By demanding a clean bill to go to conference, the truth will win out.


22 posted on 03/25/2017 6:15:30 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (Leftists aren't fascists. They are "democratic fascists", a completely different thing.)
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To: SkyPilot

Ryan must go. The GOPe is stabbing POTUS in the back. Primary them. Give no money to the RNC.


23 posted on 03/25/2017 6:20:46 PM PDT by Lexington Green (Sun Tzu Trumps Saul Alinsky)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

^^^^


24 posted on 03/25/2017 6:22:14 PM PDT by TheTimeOfMan (A time for peace and a time for war)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

I didn’t post fast enough. What yefragetuwrabrumuy said.


25 posted on 03/25/2017 6:23:07 PM PDT by TheTimeOfMan (A time for peace and a time for war)
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To: Fiddlstix

Petty, empty, creepy little... adult males. Somehow ‘men’ doesn’t fit.


26 posted on 03/25/2017 7:04:12 PM PDT by Psalm 144 (Deplorable and loving it.)
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To: SkyPilot; SoFloFreeper

I will.
He is an enemy. ... Ryan is a Globalist.

########

Yep. Grind him into a greasy wet spot. Killing globalism will be the struggle of the 21st century, as killing various forms of totalitarian socialism was the struggle of the 20th.

Again, we are fighting for our lives and those of our loved ones.


27 posted on 03/25/2017 7:09:02 PM PDT by Psalm 144 (Deplorable and loving it.)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

Great post. That is powerful information.


28 posted on 03/25/2017 7:10:43 PM PDT by Psalm 144 (Deplorable and loving it.)
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To: SkyPilot

You TOTALLY nailed it. Thanks!

And again, Wisconsin apologizes for this POS. We’re working hard behind the scenes to CANTORIZE his @ss!


29 posted on 03/25/2017 7:11:44 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set!)
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To: SkyPilot

Every time I see or hear Michelle Bachmann I am reminded of how smart and beautiful she is.

WHO is holding this woman back from saving us from ourselves?

Oh, that’s right. People like Paul Ryan. *SPIT*


30 posted on 03/25/2017 7:18:28 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set!)
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To: SkyPilot

Hey Paul,
Please jump off the capital you worthless GOPe dope


31 posted on 03/25/2017 7:25:48 PM PDT by Joe Boucher (President Trump makes obammy look like the punk he is.)
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To: SkyPilot

Paul Ryan tried to pull an Obama and ram his ACA Repeal Bill on the American public. In this case, he had an unfinished bill which would be like building an airplane without the landing gear. It was a toxic bill given the same rush job the Obama Regime pulled. However, Ryan’s rush job was for show and ignored the disaster it would create if it was left unfinished.


32 posted on 03/25/2017 7:30:09 PM PDT by jonrick46 (The Left has a mental illness: A totalitarian psyche.)
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To: upchuck

And we won’t sugarcoat this, Paul. You’re fired!


33 posted on 03/25/2017 7:57:39 PM PDT by katana (It still hasn't occurred to them that Trump doesn't give a s***)
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To: upchuck

Ryan needs to go. He is a beta boy and will get nothing done.


34 posted on 03/25/2017 7:59:29 PM PDT by Chgogal (I will NOT submit, therefore, Jihadists hate me.)
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To: SkyPilot

He played that “I’m still learning” card when he first became speaker and gave Obama everything he wanted and more in his budget bill. He’s a POS traitor.


35 posted on 03/25/2017 8:01:25 PM PDT by stevio (God,Guns,Guts.)
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To: SkyPilot

I didn’t want to admit it at the time but he did lose to Biden. Wow.


36 posted on 03/25/2017 8:03:30 PM PDT by stevio (God,Guns,Guts.)
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To: SkyPilot

Paul Ryan is pathetic. And inept. He is said to be intelligent but I wouldn’t trust him to care for a goldfish.


37 posted on 03/25/2017 8:12:24 PM PDT by apocalypto
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To: stevio
when he first became speaker and gave Obama everything he wanted and more in his budget bill.

Ryan gave Planned Parenthood twice as much money as Obummer had requested.

38 posted on 03/25/2017 8:23:20 PM PDT by Slyfox (Where's Reagan when we need him? Look in the mirror - the spirit of The Gipper lives within you.)
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To: SkyPilot

Repeal and Replace Ryan.


39 posted on 03/25/2017 8:27:48 PM PDT by ChicagahAl (Stay safe out there. The< Haters (TM) are dangerous. Very dangerous.)
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To: be-baw

He should step down—fall on his sword. Trump will never trust him again. With Ryan in Charge even Trumps pick for Judge might fail. He is a Democrat in his heart. Need new Republican or in 2018 you will have Nancy P. at the gavel again—that or Shummer.


40 posted on 03/25/2017 8:41:13 PM PDT by Forward the Light Brigade (Into the Jaws of H*ll Onward! Ride to the sound of the guns!)
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