What's Next for Paul Ryan?
Like many in the Ricochet family, I'm a great admirer of Paul Ryan. For intellectual honesty, legislative ambition, and precision of thought, he probably has no equal in the current Republican ranks of Congress. I'd be delighted to have him as president and think he'd be more than equal to the job. That said, I think he made the right decision to sit 2012 out.
The reasons for this are twofold. First, the scope of Ryan's legislative proposals are so sweeping -- and their details so fully fleshed out -- that I think he would have a hard time overcoming the demagoguery of Democrats intent on using entitlement reform as a cudgel with which to beat the Republican standard-bearer. As the cliche has it, you campaign in poetry and govern in prose. That would be a hard prospect for Ryan, whose prose is already on the market. That this fact says nothing good about the electorate's capacity for an honest conversation doesn't make it any less true.
Second, I think Mickey Kaus was on to something when he critiqued Ryan's charisma in the most recent episode of Left Coast/Right Coast. I'm much more bullish on Ryan than Mickey, but he was right insofar as Ryan's allure is in the eye of the beholder. The congressman's great gift is making detailed policy arguments with patience, grace, and clarity. But because it is the force of his ideas rather than the force of his personality that draws you in, I suspect that his potential appeal could be limited in an era where being "presidential" is defined more in terms of atmospherics than intellect.
That leaves the question of what Ryan does next. A run for the Senate seat that Herb Kohl is vacating seems unnecessary. Ryan would have to forfeit his seniority in the House, where he chairs the Budget Committee, in exchange for starting over at the bottom rung of the ladder in the upper chamber (though his reputation would almost certainly give him more sway than most freshmen). Making a run for Governor of Wisconsin is out of the question with Scott Walker still in the early days of his first term. The vice presidency, frankly, seems like a waste of his talents.
My recommendation: Ryan should stay in the House and follow the example of his mentor, Jack Kemp. It was Kemp, you may remember, who was the godfather of the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 -- the initiative that started the Reaganomics boomlet. Like Kemp, Ryan is the man best positioned to give shape to the initiatives that the nation will need to right its economic course. And he has already proven that he has the courage to tackle difficult, detailed policy questions that will incite the opprobrium of the left and -- I repeat myself -- the mainstream media.
In short, Ryan can be perhaps the second most important man in Washington: the legislative architect of a new Republican president's agenda for saving America from long-term stagnation and decline. Now about finding that president ...
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Mar '11
Re: What's Next for Paul Ryan?
To be honest, I don't care, now that he isn't running for President - a little harsh, I know. Possibly chairman of the house ways and means committee - he would be an improvement over Mr Rangel.
Jun '10
Re: What's Next for Paul Ryan?
Ryan's influence depends entirely on the other elections. If Republicans take the Senate and the White House, as they're likely to do, then Ryan becomes extremely influential. He becomes the captain of the budget reform ship. And if we don't take the White House, then it doesn't matter how smart Ryan is. We're all screwed.
Dec '10
Re: What's Next for Paul Ryan?
I agree, Troy. If he's not running for president, best to stay where he is and be President Perry's ally in the House.
Dec '10
Re: What's Next for Paul Ryan?
What would be wrong with him working toward an eventual Speakership?
Re: What's Next for Paul Ryan?
If Ryan stays in the House, given his youth, he is likely to become Speaker before too long.
Apr '11
Re: What's Next for Paul Ryan?
Exactly what I've been thinking. If successful, he could run for the White House in 8 or 12 years.
Jan '11
Re: What's Next for Paul Ryan?
The man has his own family and political interests, of course, but speaking from a brazenly selfish perspective, I'll suggest what he could most do for me.
Ryan is terrific at analyzing the government's role in the economy. He can deliver a message. He can connect the dots for voters, so that instead of offering tired cliches and poll-tested phrases, he can think on his feet and respond naturally. He connects the dots.
Keep doing that, and over the next four years, expand that role as Communicator. I don't much care where he serves, either in the House or Senate - it's what he does that's important. Ryan knows the game inside out, and he communicates with a practiced ease that I find appealing.
Aug '10
Re: What's Next for Paul Ryan?
I agree, too.
Oct '10
Re: What's Next for Paul Ryan?
Steven Potter
I agree, too. · Aug 25 at 9:14pm
Yes, yes, yes [he said, not with enthusiasm, but testily, still sunk in funk over Ryan's decision], this is probably best. Geez, though.
"....you campaign in poetry and govern in prose." I'm still amazed that Obama, the writer, the brilliant communicator, etc.,etc., thought that "We are the people we have been waiting for" was a good campaign slogan. Did he think that sophomoric tripe was profound? Clever? Poetic?
Oct '10
Re: What's Next for Paul Ryan?
He's a policy wonk, and not a credible candidate for U.S. president (at this time).