Good riddance, Paul Ryan

How Paul Ryan betrayed the GOP

In the hours and days that followed the election of Barack Obama, conservative talking heads were looking desperately for the future of the GOP. They found it in Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, or so they thought. They crafted his reputation, dubbing him "the thinking man's Republican," whose policy papers on balanced budget and repeal of the New Deal were surpassed only by his sparkling blue eyes, toned arms, and widow's peak.

In the years since, rank-and-file conservatives have had to suffer over this obsession with Ryan. But he will be leaving Congress at the end of his term in January, and when he does, Republicans should finally stop pretending his political prescriptions are the future of the GOP. Instead, Paul Ryan's tenure should be summed up in history books with three words: betrayal, failure, and disaster.

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Ryan Girdusky

Ryan Girdusky is a writer based out of New York.