Ryan’s reservoir of respect runs dry - By Jennifer Rubin

[DonViejo]

Among Republican elected officials, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.) occupied, before the Donald Trump debacle, a unique position. Conservative intellectuals admired and rooted for him as he plowed new ground on anti-poverty measures, entitlement reform and health care. His reputation as a squeaky-clean public servant, all-around nice guy and policy heavyweight earned him a measure of respect from friends and foes alike. Claiming he was a hypocrite, a liar or a phony was wasted effort. Not the Wisconsin boy scout! Then came Trump.

Ryan frittered away a good deal of his reputation on defending the indefensible, namely Trump’s candidacy. Ryan’s last act of intellectual debasement came in the form of an op-ed for CNN on Sunday. (For starters, hadn’t he promised to keep quiet about Trump and just work on securing his majority?) Unfortunately, he dishonestly hawked the Trump presidency:

A unified Republican government will dedicate itself to reclaiming our founding principles and solving the country’s problems. This is not just a vague promise — we have put on paper the details for how we will address the big challenges of the day. It’s a six-point plan called “A Better Way”…

He then proceeds to tick off the list of his policy proposals that he rolled out months ago in the hopes of providing a lifeline for GOP candidates and a blueprint for governance. Trump, however, isn’t interested in any of that. His agenda is neither smart nor concrete. Rip up trade agreements. Make allies pay more. Bring back jobs from China. Build a wall. It’s all hooey. And yet Ryan would have us believe that after winning the presidency Trump would listen to Ryan?! Please.

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Even worse, Ryan, who has always extended to foes the presumption of good intentions and patriotism, sounds remarkably churlish in his Trump-for-president missive. “This is our job as leaders: to offer positive solutions and empower people. Our duty is to tackle our problems before they tackle us. Hillary Clinton feels no such obligation.” Really? He may not like her solutions, but does he really think Clinton feels no obligation to solve problems? No, he claims; “She has offered no new ideas to address our biggest challenges, and that is no accident.” That’s wrong, actually. You can disagree profoundly with her ideas while conceding she wants to solve problems and has plans to do so.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2016/11/07/ryans-reservoir-of-respect-runs-dry/?wpisrc=nl_popns&wpmm=1

[Me.]

3. Couldn't Happen To A More Deserving Guy