Does anyone else think this might be the real reason for Ryan possibly stepping down?

[garybeck]

U.S. Presidential line of succession

1 Vice President Mike Pence (R)
2 Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan (R)
3 President pro tempore of the Senate Orrin Hatch (R)
4 Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (R)


Is it a coincidence that as Mueller's investigation seems to be nearing a tipping point, that the person who could end up being president after this is all said and done is contemplating stepping down?

[hopeforchange2008]

1. What a horrifying line-up! /nt

[stopbush]

2. I believe that Mueller has the evidence that Ryan, McConnell

and a whole bunch of top-level Rs were involved in the Russian collusion.

Ryan just wants to get out before he’s thrown out,

[dweller]

6. +1

I agree

he's always been a weinie, and should just go back to his weinie mobile

[Atman]

16. He's already got more money than he knows what to do with.

Why put up with this punk-ass job? He'll have all the benefits for his lifetime. Why would he want the shitstorm that is about to befall him? Get out while the gettin' is good, enjoy all of the ill-gotten gains.

[Irish_Dem]

7. This is what I think too. He would not run from being president unless he

had something very bad heading his way.

[garybeck]

20. i have not heard that. n/t

[Mister Ed]

3. You might have something there.

It might be that Hatch is the first person in that line of succession who won't be indicted in Russiagate. It'll be interesting to see.

[unblock]

4. extremely unlikely ryan could end up president.

even if both donnie and pence are impeached and removed, it won't be on the same day, and in the interim a new veep would be appointed and confirmed.

this is absolutely true if pelosi is the speaker, but almost certainly true even if the speaker of the house is a republican.

[shanny]

12. "...would be appointed and confirmed"....or maybe not

the only way either one gets impeached and convicted would be a massive shift in control of Congress, or a truly stunning revelation that shames (at a minimum) a third of the Republican senators into action. And if that ever happened, tRump or pence's pick for dogcatcher is not likely to be confirmed

I wonder if there is a sexual harassment scandal brewing? it would be irresponsible not to speculate.

[unblock]

14. even if we win control of both houses in 2018,

we still won't have the 2/3rds needed to remove, so any scenario involves at least some republican cooperation.

but if we remove both of them and wind up with a democratic president, that would be viewed by republicans (and many independents) as an outright coup, no matter how guilty donnie and pence were.

i can't see any republicans cooperating with that.

remember, when agnew and nixon went, even with a democratic congress, we still ended up with ford, a republican.

[shanny]

17. That was my point.

A double impeachment is an impossibllity, by itself--but if something so cataclysmic did occur, I doubt of anyone trump or pence nominated would pass muster.

[unblock]

18. that's where we disagree.

just as a democratic senate approved nixon's appointment of ford for the vp slot, i think a democratic congress would approve (eventually an appointment by donnie or pence to that role). to your point, perhaps not without a bit of a struggle, but still, i don't think we'd be able to remove the second of them if it meant pelosi (or any democrat, for that matter) becoming president.

[shanny]

21. and my point focuses not so much on a Democratic Senate

(who counted House minority leader Ford as a colleague of good repute) but rather on what kind of a cretin either one of those two would nominate. edited to add: don't forget Agnew resigned and was replaced in the fall of 1973, long before the investigation into Nixon had run its course, and him to ground. If Agnew had resigned in July/Aug '74, I doubt if Nixon's nominee would have been easily accepted.

it is moot anyway. there will be no impeachment, let alone a double header

[global1]

5. Don't Understand Your Point...

Ryan is only in line of the presidency if he remains speaker. Stepping down - either puts the new speaker in line - and God knows who that would be - yikes the thought of that. I'm not sure if it would defer to Hatch - since he after Ryan - and that would be if they weren't able to get a new speaker before anything happened to Trump and Pence.

So either Ryan doesn't want to be in that succession and be president or he has some problem - maybe he's being implicated in the collusion/conspiracy by Mueller or could there be a sexual harrassment charge coming for Ryan. In that case he'd probably have to resign his seat as will as speakership.

Hmmmmm....... Very interesting!!!!!

[garybeck]

23. my point is

that any of the following could be part of the puzzle

--he doesn't want to be president
--he has his own skeletons in the closet that would come out if he was president
--someone(s) with a lot of influence doesn't want him to be president

[TheMastersNemesis]

8. Ryan Steps Down And Speaker Becomes Foxx or Gohmert.

And Cruz gets appointed President pro tem of Senate. Hatch steps down..

[Shrike47]

9. I think it is more likely he primaries Trump.

[karynnj]

10. Unlikely, because with the President and Vice President, they would likely remove the VP first

Then Trump would have to select a person who both the House and Senate would confirm with a simple majority. Then they would impeach or remove in a different way - 25th amendment or getting him to resign - and the new VP would likely become President. (With Nixon, this is what happened - though the fact that the Speaker was a Democrat might have made that seem the best solution - honoring that the Republicans had won in a landslide in 1972. )

[Eliot Rosewater]

11. House will shut down investigation per Schiff. The traitorous GOP wants to get away with murder.

[titaniumsalute]

13. Nah

I think he sees the writing on the wall. He's 48 years old...always on the road. Not making much money compared to what he could make as a high powered lobbyist. Most likely the Dems will gain the majority in the House in 2018. He'll lose his speakership. Hell he might his own re-election. Why not go out on top?

[Runningdawg]

15. Paul like many GOP

may be afraid of what the primary process will find in his closet.

[Vinca]

19. I'm thinking that 1 of 2 things re Ryan are the reasons.

The first is a skeleton in the closet. Wouldn't surprise me. The second is the Democrat challenging him next November. He looks pretty good and Lyin' Ryan might not want to be humiliated.

[phleshdef]

22. I think its more likely he is just tired and isn't getting to see his kids enough.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the guy. But the simple explanation is usually the correct one.