House Speaker Paul Ryan’s congressional career has been marked by two things above all else: a fierce dedication to the battle of ideas, and a fundamental sense of decency. His decision not to run for re-election marks the end of an era when conservative intellectuals, dismayed by the excesses and failures of 1960s-era ‘Great Society’ government programs, sought to craft and implement a better path for our country, applying timeless American principles to the problems of the day. Worse, his retirement leaves one less admirable political leader in American public life, at a time when such leaders are in damned short supply.
I was Ryan’s spokesman when Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney chose him as his running mate in 2012, and traveled with him throughout that campaign. I came away with a deep and abiding respect for him, as a politician and as a man.
Ryan believes that ideas matter, and that the worst thing you can do in public life is tell people what they want to hear, rather than the facts. He was only 28 years old when he was first elected to Congress, in a seat that had been held by a Democrat for decades. It would have been easy to focus on parochial issues and win re-election easily. Instead, he took on the looming crisis created by America’s deficits and debt. Realizing that the crisis is fueled by rising spending on entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare — long described as the ‘third rail’ of American politics — he put together a bold, honest plan to reform those programs. Opponents ran television ads depicting him literally throwing an elderly woman off a cliff, but he went home and — in town hall after town hall — patiently explained the problems we faced and the solutions he offered. He did not convince everyone who listened that he was right, but he impressed them with his knowledge and concern.
He also believes that the truth matters. Early in the 2012 campaign, he did a radio interview by telephone while driving through a rural area with poor cell service. Concerned about losing the connection and distracted by other issues, he casually misstated his finishing time in a marathon he had run decades before. It was a small and honest mistake. Washington Democrats used it to attack his integrity and character, dubbing him “Lyin’ Ryan” in a wave of press releases (lest anyone think the habit of derogatory nicknames in politics began with Donald Trump). They also combed through his every public utterance, looking for further misstatements on even the most trivial matters. Ryan was furious, and fought back by defending his honesty and veracity in interview after in interview. I can clearly picture he and his brother, Tobin, huddled over a map of Colorado on the campaign plane, listing each and every mountain he had climbed after some local reporter, reading from Democratic National Committee talking points, argued he was claiming too many (Ryan was right, of course).
He is as rooted in his home as anyone I have ever met. His love of Janesville, Wis., is real and genuine. You could see his face shine when he started listing the things to see and do there (“Oh, eat at the hibachi place — it’s where we go for the kids’ birthdays!”). Shortly before Election Day, Superstorm Sandy forced a hiatus in campaigning. Ryan, naturally, insisted we wait out the storm in Janesville. The men in the traveling campaign team, badly in need of haircuts after weeks on the road, asked Ryan for a barbershop recommendation. His response? The barber at Janesville’s Walmart.
Finally, as Ryan made clear in announcing his decision not to run again, he always believed that family comes first. He was never happier on the campaign than when his wife, Janna, and their three kids could join us.
Ryan will leave Congress with an extraordinary record of accomplishment: the first comprehensive tax reform in 36 years, repealing the individual mandate in Obamacare, opening ANWR for energy exploration, increasing military funding, and passing Trade Promotion Authority. He has spent nearly 20 years in the House of Representatives, and — to paraphrase Ronald Reagan’s farewell address — he wasn’t just marking time, he made a difference.
[Opinion: Paul Ryan’s fiscal legacy is like no other’s]
There will be tons of tweets and reams of analysis about why he chose to step down when he did. (Was it Trump? The fear of losing the House majority? Some threat from the Freedom Caucus?) In the end, though, it was the act of a decent man who loves his home, loves his family, and believes that public service is not a lifelong career — it is a way to help get big things done for the country he loves, and then move on.
Michael Steel (@Michael_Steel) served as press secretary for former House Speaker John Boehner from 2008 to 2015. He also served as press secretary for Paul Ryan during the 2012 presidential election.
