Ryan's Finale: Ducking Blame One Last Time

Paul Ryan won't retire as the least effective House speaker of the modern era. Newt Gingrich's title is safe. But there's not much to say in favor of Ryan's tenure -- beyond that he inherited a difficult situation thanks to the group of rejectionist radicals who put their own purism ahead of the party's goals.

By choosing not to seek re-election, Ryan is once again putting his own reputation above the party's. Even worse, he's sending a strong message to Republican Party actors that he expects to lose their House majority. That will encourage donors to close their wallets and depress the energy of activists. It may even push some other incumbents to retire. That's nothing new: Ryan excels at ducking blame, rather than working to find solutions that might protect his conference.