Makes sense. Very good guy, but didn’t seem to have his heart in it.
After much speculation and some pressure from fellow Republicans, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin and the House Budget Committee Chairman, says he is NOT running for President.
“I sincerely appreciate the support from those eager to chart a brighter future for the next generation. While humbled by the encouragement, I have not changed my mind, and therefore I am not seeking our party’s nomination for President. I remain hopeful that our party will nominate a candidate committed to a pro-growth agenda of reform that restores the promise and prosperity of our exceptional nation. I remain grateful to those I serve in Southern Wisconsin for the unique opportunity to advance this effort in Congress.”
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
I think its the right decision. I’d rather see him as a long term policy driver in the House than in the White House, but not because I don’t think he’d be good at the job. I think he can accomplish much more there (and have a much freer hand doing so), dealing with the particulars of legislation.
The D’s would have spent a few hundred million demagogueing Medicare if Ryan was our candidate.
He’d have made a fantastic President though.
I wonder who will be the last Republican to enter the 2012 race?
I wonder who will be the 2nd Democrat to enter the 2012 race?
I wonder which “independents” are still thinking of entering the 2012 race?
This is going to take me a while to get over. I had dreams of an epic battle for the heart and mind of America that would ultimately end in a new and long path towards increasing prosperity. I have little interest in the Republican field, and don’t see anyone getting in at this point who would change that. I don’t know how we make this a referendum on liberal governance with the current field. Obamacare must be completely repealed for us to have any chance to survive. Who will make that happen? Who will convince America what needs to be done instead of limping across the finish-line?
Romney is milquetoast.
Perry may be gaff prone and a little too reminiscent of Bush.
Bachmann isn’t worth mentioning.
Palin makes the race about her and alienates ~50% of the electorate, making her a dangerous pick.
Of course I will fully support whoever it is, but I’m not going to be excited for the next 4 years or for the future of America with any of these possibilities. Ryan would have laid everything out in the most convincing possible manor, no one else is capable of that. I don’t know if he would have won, but if he failed against Obama I’m not convinced this is a battle we could ever win.
But win we must!
If you think Perry even slightly resembles George W. Bush, then you must think that Helen Thomas and Ann Coulter have a lot in common.
Mike- America can not turn the clock back to some Eldorado.
In particular the addiction to the medical world. Parents take their ordinarily ealthy children to pediatricians which cost a bomb when an ordinary GP or ven Nurse practitioner could do the job.
i have met ex military whose whole life has been geared to living near a Vet hospital when there is nothing wrong with them at all.
You need to get Americans off the medical teat.
Not really a surprise. I think that Rep. Ryan has all the qualities to be President, but with the current pair of 800 pound gorillas in the room in the form of Perry and Romney (money, power, influence, record and popularity), there really isn’t a good space. At 41, he has time to wait until he generates a consistent national following.
I actually don’t think that (former) Gov. Palin will run either in this cycle. I think that she’ll be content to sit on the sidelines and play kingmaker again for the TEA Partiers. At this point, it plays to her interest to be coy in order to keep everybody interested in her PAC until it really gets into campaign season and she can put her influence behind somebody. As I’ve said before, even if Palin were to wait until 2016, or even 2020, she would still be one of the younger presidents in modern history.
For the longest time I didn’t think she’d get in, but I’m starting to think she will. I think she’s wanted (read expected) to be drafted into the race, and even though that mass groundswell hasn’t appeared, I think she sees a very vulnerable president and thinks this might be her only shot, because if Perry or Romney take the prize, that means she’s out for eight years. I imagine this early September extravaganza is more or less a test rally to see if she’s got enough support to make a go of it.
Which is unfortunate. I don’t think she wins the primaries. I do think she’ll likely split the conservative vote enough to let Romney pull off the win. Ace has got a pretty good post today that sums up my thoughts (many of which I expressed the other night, and will again in the months to come), more or less.
Let the RINO and heresy accusations begin!
Rasmussen has a poll out today showing Palin would lose to Obama by 17 points. And don’t forget, Obama’s approval rating was at 39% last week and he’s well below 30% approval on the economy. As much as I like Palin and her ideology, she looks unelectable at this point.
I had hoped her ratings would improve after the movie came out, but it doesn’t appear they have. The media deserves to pat themselves on the back for successfully destroying her image with the public. Job well done.
And that’s the thing. Galling as it is, a part of me would love to see her pull it out and win the big prize. But the part of me that likes winning elections (which is considerably larger), isn’t interested in pissing away a very winnable presidential race on the hopes that she can miraculously rehabilitate her image with the public at large. Because I don’t think she can. I know too many republicans, conservatives, who hold the woman in disdain or outright contempt- especially women- to think otherwise. And I can’t think of a single person I know who disliked her two years ago who has changed their mind since. And that’s bad. Real bad.
But lets be honest, some of this stuff is self-inflicted. Leaving the governorship halfway through her term was a bad idea, and it’ll be an albatross a Candidate Palin will carry every day. The reality show, which I watched and kinda enjoyed, was a bad idea, too. She is, fairly or unfairly (I’d say mostly the latter), very easily lampooned, and we should never underestimate the utter vanity of a large swath of the American middle who will never vote for anyone they feel is beneath them, or beneath their notion of how a president should look, act, and make them feel. It doesn’t matter if the woman is an embarrassment, they think she is. And that’s what matters.
“And I can’t think of a single person I know who disliked her two years ago who has changed their mind since.”
Telling and thanks for the truth.
“The media deserves to pat themselves on the back for successfully destroying her image with the public. Job well done.”
Yes, and kudos to them for such creative destruction. I would vote for Palin over any other candidate but hope for her sake that she stays far away from the maddening crowd of candidates, canards, and canned hate.
How about a little canned heat for her, instead?
Perry’s going to be the candidate, I don’t much like him or his less organic/ more “interests” backing, but we can’t afford to be THAT choosy when taking on the current WH and Senate. Being picky is for lovers and partners.
Somewhere Karl Rove and Jeb Bush are sitting in a corner hugging each other and crying like babies.
I would like to see Palin run. I think she could handle herself and O very well. She has become even stronger, thanks to the MSM. If O continues to destroy our country, I believe a lot of voters will change their minds about her and give her a chance.
Yay! I luvz teh Ryan–however, his particular strength is as the guardian of the purse strings in the House. That’s what he’s best at, that’s what he’s spent his congressional career working on. We need him there. If we get a conservative president, someone will need to ride herd on the Dems and RINOs in Congress to keep them away from the money. Ryan’s just the guy.
And, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t it King David who praised warriors that “stand by the stuff” as being equally important as those on the battlefield? That’s the role I see for Ryan–just as honorable and just as necessary.
Yep, Ryan, it’s best to leave the race to the woman who has the fire in the belly. She’ll beat the guys who think it is their turn.