Ryan Is Right: No White Knights Should Apply

[Geee]

The Federalist:

As the Republican presidential race has narrowed to a contest between two candidates the Republican elites despise, each one with a razor-thin path to the nomination, the conversation among party figures in Washington has rapidly shifted from the desperate to the absurd. They talk of an “open convention” in Cleveland, where party leaders could parachute in a third, more favored candidate and render the entire GOP primary process null and void.

 

House Speaker Paul Ryan, one focus of such talk, ruled himself out at a press conference on Tuesday. “I do not want, nor will I accept, the Republican nomination,” he said. “[…] I simply believe that if you want to be the nominee — to be the president — you should actually run for it. I chose not to. Therefore, I should not be considered. Period.”

 

Ryan’s rebuke of this chatter showed a wisdom and respect for the voters not shared by much of the Washington political class, many of whom still dream of some Prince Charming galloping into the convention hall on a white horse to save the day. It is odd to hear high-priced political consultants spouting childlike fantasies. But that is a sign of just how desperate the times are for Republican elites, who see control of the party slipping from their grasp.