Paul Ryan On 2016: ‘Count Me Out’

Paul Ryan On 2016: ‘Count Me Out’

Now recently there has been a lot of talk about the GOP trying to steal the nomination away from Donald Trump. One of the ideas being bounced around is to nominate Paul Ryan during a contested convention. Since Ryan hasn't been running, this would be completely out of left field and a tough sell. However, Ryan isn't having it. He's saying that since he hasn't participated in the primary then he shouldn't be nominated so he will not accept any nominations. Wait, am I reading this right? A politician demonstrating principles and restraint? Holy #!

About 15 months ago, in January 2015, Paul Ryan announced he wouldn’t seek the presidency in 2016. On Tuesday, he said it again, using his strongest phrase to date: “I do not want, nor will I accept, the nomination for our party.”

It was nearly the “Shermanesque” pledge many expected. The infamous words — “I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected” — first uttered by Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman during the presidential election of 1884, have become the standard for anyone genuinely not interested in a particular office. And while Ryan didn’t perfectly repeat the pledge, his vow that he wouldn’t accept the nomination is likely strong enough to end the speculation.

“If no candidate has a majority on the first ballot, I believe that you should only choose from a person who has actually participated in the primary,” Ryan said. “Count me out.”

“I simply believe that if you want to be the nominee for our party, to be the president, you should actually run for it,” he said. “I chose not to do this, therefore, I should not be considered. Period. End of story.”

KUDOS to Mr. Ryan! As most know I'm not a fan of the GOP (heck I'm not even a fan of Paul Ryan), but I will definitely give members of it props if they do the right thing. The GOP convention is about to get really messy, and Ryan is doing the right thing by not making it messier. It's refreshing to see something like this in this day and age.

He said that many times about the Speakership too.

Fact of the matter is that if no candidate secures enough delegates to win outright and no one can secure enough to win the second vote, the party can put up whomever they want, including Ryan. He played Mr. Humble like this and backed into the Speakership.

I doubt that it's so much a matter of "principles and restraint" as it is simply him being smart enough to not get suckered in that s#!t storm.

Can you imagine what it'll bee like to be at the center of that conflagration?

1. Half the country is pissed at you because they know that you're part of the cabal that hijacked the process.

2. The PTB have you by the short-and-curlies because you're indebted to them for putting you there.

3. You've inherited an untenable position as captain of an irretrievably sinking ship and all the blame will stick to you.

Anybody who takes on that position will have to be one of the stupidest morons to ever walk the planet. Why have they not fielded Joe Biden's name? He'd be a perfect fit.

All that said, maybe he is just playing aw-shucks Mr. Humble. But that'snot a position I'd want to occupy.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Wait, am I reading this right? A politician demonstrating principles and restraint? Holy #!

He knows better than to get back in the sandbox, what passes for government today is a joke and he knows it.

(portion redacted)

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Didn't Hillary say something similar when asked last year?

I trust a politician as far as I can kick him/her.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Wait, am I reading this right? A politician demonstrating principles and restraint? Holy #!

Nope , I would say that is incorrect.

You read it properly, but politics is never about being straight forward and honest.

The truth is more along the following lines:
I'm not running because their is too much attention on this and their are too many people involved that will not let it go and it it will likely be a career ending move for me.


Having said that regardless of the reason I'm glad that worthless B$hitter is not running. We already have enough Oligarch friendly candidates.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

It seems to me that one of two things is happening here:

1. There is a plan to nominate him and Paul is now playing the humble, reluctant card and will not accept the nomination until he is "begged" to do so in order to "save the country."

or

2. He is smart enough to realize that he has had a very successful career path so far in the republican party and that he has great future potential, but that if he were to jump in this year, he would stand a very good chance to lose badly (he's already done that one) and then spoil his name for future presidential bids.

I lean toward #2. For a fairly young guy, he has already been a VP nominee and is now Speaker of the House, which is next in line to presidency after the VP. Looking at the chaos in his party right now, why would anyone want to paint such a huge target on his back and roll the dice in an election that will inevitably be very ugly and dirty and have many casualties. He would be much better off being on the sidelines, influencing events where he can, and then, keep his speakership during a possible Clinton administration and positioning himself to be a focal point for opposition to the administration.

a reply to: ketsuko

Well I think that's why they compared his words to General Sherman. He doesn't want to go through with this incoming #storm, and he cited good reasons for doing so.

a reply to: Slave2theTruth

You never know. He could be playing the humble guy as a deceptive tool. He IS a politician, but for once I want to believe he's doing the right thing.

Paul Ryan on SpeakerOf the House:

"I won't be a candidate"

He found that playing opossum works fairly well in DC right now. It allows him to dodge the mud slinger of the primaries and also lets him appear as a "savior" at the last minute.

He is a hack and a weasel. He lacks the ability to get the nomination through legitimate means and so will back door the American people.

The GOP and DNC are "private clubs" so why continue the hoax. Just give us two names to choose from every four years and stop with the games already.

Same game as Speaker

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Annnnd that's how he not only got the Speakership but made them meet his demands and conditions for taking on the "burden."

I don't believe him for a second. He wants it. He will take it all the while saying "well, only if you guys totally insist!"

He's a crafty one...

a reply to: 200Plus

You do realize that if Paul is nominated that the GOP has zero chance of winning the Presidential election right? Do you think all those Trump supporters will take that sitting down? It honestly doesn't sound like a good career decision to accept a nomination like that.

a reply to: 200Plus

Ryan can legally get away with it if he had his fingers crossed behind his back.

I cite the 1957 case "Liar Liar, Pants on Fire vs I'm Rubber You're Glue".

a reply to: Krazysh0t


Oh, I agree 100% with Ryan having zero chance of winning the election. I believe the Republicans have shown, now that their choice has been eliminated (Jeb!), they would rather hold onto their seats and have Hillary in the WH and continue to play the obstructionist role. This will further allow them to blame Democrats for the decline of the economy along with every other problem we have in the states. They have the votes to block any major legislation she puts forth.

Hillary is "one of them" and can be counted on. She is the manifestation of corruption in politics.

Even Sanders for all his bluster and class warfare has been part of the game for 40+ years. When he puts forth a bill and he's told no, his first reaction is to capitulate and pull the bill. That's ingrained and not likely to change. He can be trusted in a myriad of ways and is also "one of them".

Cruz is a liar through and through. He cannot be trusted by either side because nobody can turn their back on him long enough. He doesn't have a party to rally around him and is simply acting as a spoiler to Trump until the convention.

Trump is very much not one of them. He's the other side of the coin. He is the "buyer" not the "bought". He cannot be trusted to be controlled because he will expect to continue his ways of controlling them.


Hence, they would rather nominate Ryan in order to tank Trump and Cruz. It maintains the status quo. At least that's my lowly take on the whole matter.

EDIT - Kasich is a potato and barely won President of Ohio. He is currently fourth in a three man race and is too "special needs" to understand that it's time to throw in the towel - EDIT

a reply to: 200Plus

I'm of the opinion that this Presidential election is going to cost the GOP a bit more than JUST the Presidency. They may lose Congress too, and if McConnell doesn't take his head out of his ass about the SCOTUS issue, they'll lose that too.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: 200Plus

You do realize that if Paul is nominated that the GOP has zero chance of winning the Presidential election right? Do you think all those Trump supporters will take that sitting down? It honestly doesn't sound like a good career decision to accept a nomination like that.

The Trump supporters will fall in line with the GOP. They have no alternative. Plus they have proven they are easily manipulated when the proper buttons are pushed. In the long run, it won't make any difference; the Republicans have shown they aren't capable of even running an effective campaign.

a reply to: olaru12

I really don't think that the Trump supporters will fall in line that easily. They are getting pretty heated about the GOP trying to game the system so as to steal the nomination away from Trump.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

The nomination might be stolen from Bernie. It might be stolen from Trump.

Either way, and though I mostly detest the orangutan with the dead fox on his head, I expect riots.

a reply to: Slave2theTruth

There is also this:

1.) If Trump wins the election, I put his chances of remaining in office for even one term as rather chancy. Both parties hate him with white hot passion and he doesn't strike me as savvy enough to stay put on legal grounds. He'd try to demagogue his way through and that wouldn't work. I wouldn't count on him and his VP sticking which puts Ryan in by default.

2.) If Cruz wins, the GOP might not fight him as hard because he knows the system much more and can play the legal game, but they'd treat him more like they treated Reagan AND they have the additional cover of the American public's dislike of Cruz to let them pull shenanigans. Ryan is useful there because Ryan still has some likability left where McConnell doesn't.

3.) Ryan can be pulled out of the hat with his self-deprecating, aw shucks demeanor at the 11th hour and they can use all this "hell no" press to bolster them impression that his "surprise" candidacy was NEVER the plan ... oh, no ...

The Republicans who defected and then came back and then defected again, are now coming back again.