Paul Ryan's retirement marks the end of the sunny conservative

Here's what history will remember about the outgoing House speaker

Paul Ryan.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Speaker Paul Ryan's announcement this morning that he will retire from Congress at the end of his term was a familiar scene. The year is different, the main character is different, the immediate circumstances are different, but the dramatic arc is identical: Paul Ryan was swallowed by the same forces that devoured Eric Cantor and John Boehner before him — the same forces that gave us Donald Trump.

Ryan, the earnest Wisconsin lawmaker and former vice presidential candidate quite plausibly has tired of being a long-distance dad to his three teenaged children. At his announcement, he sang notes in the key of "Mission Accomplished." "I like to think I've done my part, my little part in history to set us on a better course," he said. But there was a lachrymose violin playing in the background. Paul Ryan, politically speaking, is a broken man.

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Scott Galupo

Scott Galupo is a freelance writer living in Virginia. In addition to The Week, he blogs for U.S. News and reviews live music for The Washington Post. He was formerly a senior contributor to the American Conservative and staff writer for The Washington Times. He was also an aide to Rep. John Boehner. He lives with his wife and two children and writes about politics to support his guitar habit.