Paul Ryan on MAGA
Howie Klein (Down With Tyranny!) posts this morning on former speaker Paul Ryan’s interview from two weeks ago.
“The entertainers took over Congress,” Ryan told Teneo Insights [timestamp 2:10]. When “a handful of nihilists who go to Congress not to legislate but to be provocative entertainers, this is what happens.”
The Party of Trump was not amused, Howie observes:
Now remember, this is the guy who predicted that if Trump is the nominee, Republicans will lose next year. He predicted Biden would beat Trump and said he thinks “leaders should endeavor to be honest, ethical, moral people who try to set standards for themselves and lead by example across the country. Donald Trump doesn’t try to do any of that. He does the opposite, frankly. So I just don’t think he’s fit for the job here… Do you think those suburban voters like Donald Trump more since Jan. 6? I mean, good grief. They didn’t vote for him this last time, they’re not going to vote for him again.” Nor was he excited about the congressional Republicans: “It’s nihilism, is what it is. We look like fools. We look like we can’t govern.” In the video below, he also predicted that if Trump is the nominee– he will be– the GOP will lose House and Senate seats. He’s correct.
Mediaite published the video of Ryan slamming Trump again yesterday. Kevin Kajiwara asked Ryan how he thinks history will remember Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both Republicans whose political careers in the House of Representatives came to an end after they stood against the former president. Trump will go ballistic when he reads Ryan’s response:
Look, Trump’s not a conservative. He’s an authoritarian narcissist. So I think they basically called him out for that. He’s a populist, authoritarian narcissist. So historically speaking, all of his tendencies are basically where narcissism takes him, which is whatever makes him popular, makes him feel good at any given moment… He doesn’t think in classical liberal-conservative terms. He thinks in an authoritarian way. And he’s been able to get a big chunk of the Republican base to follow him because he’s the culture warrior.
And so I think Adam and Liz stepped out of the flow and called it out and, you know, paid for it. Paid for it with their careers. But I think, again, back to my earlier point, I don’t think he is really very good at these jobs unless you’re willing to lose these jobs. And there has to be some line, some principle that is so important to you that you’re just not going to cross so that when you’re brushing your teeth in the morning, look yourself in the mirror. You like what you see.
Mediaite adds:
Ryan has been on Fox Corporation’s board of directors since 2019. This has been a recurring point of contention for Trump, his allies, and Trump media backers like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson have accused Ryan of meddling behind the scenes.
Maybe yes, maybe no. But why not get well paid for doing it, eh?
Somewhere recently I read that once the war against the Axis powers was over, people all over France began claiming they were part of La Résistance against the Nazis and the collaborationist Vichy régime. A national case of stolen valor. So it may be in this country once MAGA is no more.
Cheney and Kinzinger earned their plaudits for standing up to Donald Trump while they were still in office.
It’s Happy Hollandaise Time! We’re glad you came.