Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has made it known to his inner circle that 2018 will be his last year in Congress, but before Ryan takes his money and runs, he is going to try to kill Social Security and Medicare.
Politico reported, “Ryan was tiring of D.C. even before reluctantly accepting the speakership. He told his predecessor, John Boehner, that it would be his last job in politics—and that it wasn’t a long-term proposition. In the months following Trump’s victory, he began contemplating the scenarios of his departure. More recently, over closely held conversations with his kitchen cabinet, Ryan’s preference has become clear: He would like to serve through Election Day 2018 and retire ahead of the next Congress. This would give Ryan a final legislative year to chase his second white whale, entitlement reform, while using his unrivaled fundraising prowess to help protect the House majority—all with the benefit of averting an ugly internecine power struggle during election season.”
“Entitlement reform” in this case means gutting Social Security and Medicare, and it Paul Ryan’s last remaining goal in American politics. Outside of the tax cuts for the rich, Ryan’s tenure as Speaker has been a failure. Ryan has been paralyzed by the same squabbles within his own majority that forced John Boehner into retirement. It never seemed to matter to Ryan that he and his majority couldn’t govern. All the Speaker has ever cared about are tax cuts for the rich and killing Social Security and Medicare.
Democrats don’t need more motivation to take back the House in 2018, but they should understand that a Democratic takeover would make Ryan’s retirement a certainty. Paul Ryan was always the ideologue who pretended to be a policy wonk. The Speakership exposed him as a man with only two ideas which are both bad for the country.
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Paul Ryan is looking for a way out, and the easiest way for Democrats to make sure that he retires is to take back the House in 2018.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
