Tuesday, January 13, 2015

I asked my nephew, the...

...political science professor (and Republican), what he thought of the GOP race now that Mitt Romney was probably running. His reply was essentially, blah, blah, blah, followed by:

I am hoping that Warren gets the Democratic nomination because she would be the next McGovern.

And I had to laugh. Republicans just can't give up on their daydream of an Elizabeth Warren candidacy, for two reasons: the one my nephew mentioned and the hope that someone -- anyone -- will bloody Hillary Clinton just a little before she steps into the ring with the Republican nominee. 

I almost wrote this in response but decided against it. I didn't want a fight this morning; I genuinely wanted to know what he was thinking.

But it got me to thinking, too. And I recalled this article in Bloomberg yesterday, "Paul Ryan Says He Won't Run for President in 2016":

In the new Congress, Ryan has assumed the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee. 

And I thought, Elizabeth Warren is kind of the Paul Ryan of the Democratic Party. A more intelligent version, sure, but similar in that she seems more interested in shaping policy than in running for president.

(The Wisconsin Republican has always reminded me a little of myself back in the '90s: a libertarian with Ayn Rand sympathies.)

While Ryan may not be the brightest guy in the world, I still think the comparison with Warren is apt.

2 comments:

Ed Crotty said...

more interested in shaping policy than in running for president.

if that were the case, then why did he run with Mitt??

Ryan knows 2 things - First, that whomever will go up against Hillary will lose. Second, that he is still too young to be taken seriously for the top of the ticket.

While Christie is past his "sell by" date, Ryan is probably smart to keep his powder dry for 2020 or 2024.

mtracy said...

I think Ryan ran because, like his mentor, Jack Kemp in '96, he was asked.

I never thought Ryan was particularly interested in the top job; Ways and Means suits him much better. Also, while I think he'll refrain from endorsing anyone, in deference to Romney, he'll quietly back Scott Walker.