Good riddance to Paul Ryan
I know; I’m woefully late to the game on this one. But when it comes to pointing out how horrible Paul Ryan is—what a stain he is on any remaining sensibilities that exist in American democracy, vanishingly few though they may be—I say better late than never.
Paul Ryan is America’s biggest douchebag. (I’m generally not a big fan of name-calling, but when I see his face, the aforementioned term is really all I can think of. Sorry, not sorry.)
I don’t know how long The Onion had this headline locked, loaded, and ready to fire, but damn, they hit a bullseye with this one.
To be sure, it’s a masterpiece of satire. Sadly, though, it’s not even entirely accurate: Despite his (merciful and long past-due) decision to spare us his presence for yet another two-year term on Capitol Hill after next January, he’ll still be paid a fat pension courtesy of the same taxpayers who have footed the bill for his handsome salary and benefits over the past two decades.
Wasn’t Paul Ryan the guy who once sanctimoniously pontificated about the “makers and takers” of our society?
A better question might be this: Was there not even just a wee bit of psychological projection present in those musings all along?
Here’s the thing, though: Paul Ryan himself is actually far worse than those he would label “takers.” He’s far worse than those he would accuse of doing nothing to pull their weight.
Far, far worse. Far worse.
I would gladly pay far more in taxes to provide housing, health care, and education to each and every single one of the panhandlers outside the U.S. Capitol where some of Paul Ryan’s worst ideas have taken shape than pay a single solitary penny to fund the livelihood of this reprehensible man himself.
Paul Ryan has devoted his entire career to being a puppet for oligarchs—to further comforting the comfortable and further afflicting the afflicted. To making life for the poor in America even more miserable than it already is. To stigmatizing those who meet with misfortune in life — or, let’s be honest, really anyone who happens to not be rich or well-connected.
I don’t know what sort of inborn temperament someone has to have — or what sort of experiences they have to have early in life, or what type of psychological pathology they have to suffer in order not just to espouse this toxic ideology but to lie about it over and over again, saying it’s actually good for this country—but Paul Ryan is that person.
Paul Ryan has done far worse than nothing. He’s spent the duration of his ignominious tenure in Washington turning our supposedly representative government into a direct line for the wealthy and powerful while looking with arrogant contempt upon so very many of the everyday constituents at whose pleasure he was supposed to be serving.
Paul Ryan was always more concerned about the retention of power than he was about the integrity of our republic. Remember this leaked transcript from about a year ago that has somehow inexplicably slipped from our collective memory? (Why has it, by the way? Imagine if Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker had been caught trying to hush allegations of an American president being paid off by the autocratic leader of a hostile foreign power. Just…imagine that for even one second. I needn’t say more.)
In that transcript, when Paul Ryan refers to “family,” to whom can we assume he is referring? The American people?
Not by a long shot.
And when the infamous Access Hollywood recording was released in October 2016, and Paul Ryan said he was “sickened” by Donald Trump’s remarks and would no longer campaign with him, can we conclude that Paul Ryan was actually displaying a shred of integrity or basic decency in that moment? Did he genuinely feel moral indignation of any kind?
Of course not. As long as Paul Ryan has a party standard-bearer who will sign into law his cuts to the social safety net and tax breaks for billionaires, he couldn’t care less what sort of monster the man is — as the past 15 months have painfully demonstrated.
We need to acknowledge the psychopathic tendencies that Paul Ryan has always exhibited: victory for oneself, or one’s pet causes, no matter how disastrous or destructive the cost. (Sounds very similar to traits displayed by the individual tragically occupying the White House at the present moment, does it not?)
The very best thing that Paul Ryan could do as penance after his term expires would be to disappear from the public sphere forever. Even that wouldn’t come close to repairing the damage he’s done, but realistically it’s the most we can ask for at this point.
Let’s face it: He’ll almost certainly never be held accountable beyond that, much as my primitive lust for karmic justice would love to see him living in a homeless shelter, earning just enough to not qualify for Medicaid so that he racks up crushing medical bills but is still forced to regularly pee in a cup just to stay eligible for food stamps.
We should not celebrate the fact that Paul Ryan is resigning from Congress. We should instead lament the fact that someone like him ever got there in the first place — and do what we can to prevent others of a similar ilk from following suit.
In case you’re wondering—and don’t already know—what I think of Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan’s counterpart in the Senate, have a look. (Spoiler alert: I stay up nights debating which one of them would be more deserving of some spectacular public humiliation. I still haven’t decided. I probably never will. They are nearly equally terrible, and I truly take no pleasure in saying that.)
