With new primary challenger, it’s time for Speaker Paul Ryan to be Cantor-ed

It’s always been a mystery how Paul Ryan has been seen as a conservative superhero by anyone in politics. His budgets are nothing extraordinary and occasionally he does put his foot down against Democrats. But he also was the running mate for moderate Mitt Romney in 2012. Romney is hardly a conservative and the Romney/Ryan ticket was hardly serious opposition to President Barack Obama.

Perhaps worse than that, is being the successor to John Boehner as Speaker. The same John Boehner who wants Paul Ryan as President despite miserably failing as Romney’s superhero sidekick,

As Speaker, Paul Ryan has been predictably unreliable. Also, like former Congressman Eric Cantor, Speaker Ryan needs to be shown the door.

This can be possible with primary challenger and businessman Paul Nehlen. Nehlen represents a new and positive change for Wisconsin representation in Congress.

Speaker Ryan is a career politician, who has made his career off of the political arena and having no actual career in the real world, starting as a legislative aide to former Senator Bob Kasten and holding various positions in politics between then and now. After a number of behind-the-scenes political positions, he was first elected to Congress in 1998. He’s been living on the taxpayer dime since.

Paul Nehlen, on the other hand, doesn’t have a background in politics. His career is as an established inventor and businessman, who holds several patents and is senior vice president of operations for a major company. As the Washington Times also notes, Nehlen has also brought many jobs back to the United States from Canada.

One candidate is a career politician who doesn’t create jobs and makes his living off the American taxpayer, another is a candidate who has brought jobs to America and is an accomplished businessman.

The Washington Times quotes Nehlen:

“Paul Ryan’s embrace of big government spending, his continued support of illegal immigration and imported workers, and his championing of the job-killing trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership betrays me, this district, and this nation,” he said.

“He’s failed to put America’s security and American jobs first. I’ve had it. We’ve all had it,” said Mr. Nehlen, a successful executive, entrepreneur and inventor who previously donated to Mr. Ryan’s campaigns.

“Ted Cruz and Donald Trump have become front-runners in this presidential election cycle because they have dared to communicate an anti-establishment message. They won’t be alone,” he said. “I will bring the fight straight to one of the most powerful establishment players in Washington, taking him on right here in Wisconsin’s 1st District. Paul Ryan is a career politician. It’s time that career came to an end.”

Nehlen is absolutely correct. Speaker Ryan has a failed record as a Congressman, often putting the federal government and his own political career before everyday Americans. Because of this, it is time that the Speaker’s career came to an end.

Time will tell how strong Nehlen’s challenge is. But his background in business represents something Wisconsin could rally around, versus a career politician who clearly only has his own career in mind. Given Congressman Dave Brat not only defeated an established Republican Congressman and later took the general election, a Nehlen victory would not be unprecedented.

Given how the political climate is changing in recent years, Speaker Ryan has a good chance to meet up with Eric Cantor on the outside looking in. Paul Nehlen represents a chance to make this happen.

Chris Dixon

About Chris Dixon

Chris Dixon is a libertarian-leaning writer and managing editor for The Liberty Conservative. In addition to his political writing, he also covers baseball for Cleat Geeks and enjoys writing on a number of other topics ranging on Medium.