The Drudge Report is not at all thrilled with the prospect of Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., becoming the next House speaker, and the conservative news aggregator said as much on its front page Tuesday evening.
“King Paul: Pledge your allegiance,” read one boldfaced headline.
Others read, “Dem favorite. Obama’s new partner.”
However, like many engaged in the right-wing entertainment business, including radio hosts Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham and Fox News’ Sean Hannity, the Drudge Report’s strong disapproval for the Wisconsin Republican appears to be relatively newfound.
In 2012, after former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney picked Ryan as his presidential running mate, the Drudge Report hailed the news with gleeful enthusiasm.
“Ryan rocks it!” read one Aug. 11, 2012, headline.
Another headline published that same day read, “America’s comeback team!”
As the site was updated throughout the day of the announcement to add details of the Ryan selection, the Drudge Report prominently featured a link titled, “Paul Ryan took apart Obama and Obamacare – in 6 minutes!”
The love affair between Ryan and right-leaning entertainment appears to have soured soon after Romney’s loss to President Obama. Ingraham, Hannity and Drudge have since come out as major critics of the Wisconsin lawmaker, and they regularly blast him for his recent pivots on free trade and immigration reform.
The Drudge headlines Tuesday evening are in reference to Ryan announcing that he would consider running to replace outgoing Speaker Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, only if certain conditions are met.
“Basically I made a few requests for what I think is necessary, and I asked to hear back by the end of the week,” Ryan told House members.
“First, we need to move from being an opposition party to a proposition party. Because we think the nation is on the wrong path, we have a duty to show the right one. Our next speaker needs to be a visionary one,” he added. “Second, we need to update our House rules so that everyone can be a more effective representative. This is, after all, the people’s house. But we need to do it as a team. And it needs to include fixes that ensure we don’t experience constant leadership challenges and crisis.”
He continued, listing as his third perquisite to running that the conference unite immediately, as opposed to until after a “divisive speaker election.”
“The last one is personal,” he added. “I cannot and will not give up my family time. I may not be able to be on the road as much as previous speakers, but I pledged to make up for it with more time communicating our message.”
For Drudge, these remarks, as well as the congressman’s approach to immigration reform, reveal Ryan to be little more than the president’s partner in crime.
