Not a good time for Ryan to run...for anything

As soon as U.S. Senator Herb Kohl announced that he wouldn't be running for reelection, Republicans began stumbling all over themselves to find someone to run for the seat. In a surprise to absolutely no one, the first name that they trotted out was Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wall Street). However this morning Ryan has said that he will not run for Senator Kohl's seat. That decision is understandable given all of the blow back that he has received after announcing his latest attack on Medicare.

Shortly after announcing his attack on Medicare, Paul Ryan faced stiff opposition from some very informed constituents at some of his public appearances. As Ryan's anti-Medicare plan was branded as the national Republican plan other congressional Republicans started feeling the heat at appearances back home.

Now everyone seems to be distancing themselves from Paul Ryan's latest attack on Medicare. Newt Gingrich commented on it Sunday suggesting that it was tantamount to "right-wing social engineering." But he certainly isn't the first because Republicans have been distancing themselves from Ryan's attack on Medicare for weeks now. Consider some of the following:

• The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Dave Camp (R-Michigan) has said that Ryan's plan will probably not even get a hearing at his committee.
• Both Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) have reportedly backed away from Ryan's plan while apparently looking for other less extreme alternatives.
• Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) has more directly said, "I don't happen to support Congressman Ryan's plan."
  

But there is some good news for Paul Ryan, former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford came down from the Appalachian trail long enough to endorse Ryan's plan. But even he admitted that actually trying to pass a Ryan-style attack on Medicare would probably translate into his party losing seats in Congress.

Again, given the reaction to his attack on Medicare, it is probably a good thing that Paul Ryan decided that now is not the right time to run for higher office. On the other hand, when 84% oppose his radical agenda, now might not even be an easy time for him to run for reelection to his current seat.