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What Does Paul Ryan Have to Say About a 2016 Run?

Feb. 17, 2013 4:11pm Erica Ritz

Paul Ryan Discusses 2016 Political Ambitions With Jon Karl on ABCs This Week

(Photo: AP)

Wisconsin representative and former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan (R-WI) appeared on ABC’s ‘This Week’ Sunday, where he discussed the sequester, the national debt, and the state of the country and its leadership.

He also fielded a question about his interest in running for higher office in 2016.

Real Clear Politics has the transcript:

JON KARL, ABC NEWS: …This [Politico] quote caught my eye: “Paul will never say he’s not running for president because the constant speculation carries too many advantages, said a longtime friend. He will keep answering the questions in a way that will keep nosy political reporters interested…”

Now, congressman at risk of being a nosy political reporter here, is it true, are you considerably less likely now to run for president in 2016?

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WIS.): Actually, Jonathan, you’ve known me a long time and the one thing you know about me is I don’t play that game. I don’t talk like that. So when you see these articles that are really not accurate, that’s par for the course in Washington these days.

The point is this, I think the most important thing for me to do is do my job representing the first district of Wisconsin, trying to prevent a debt crisis, helping get a solution to the economy, to jobs, to getting our deficit and debt under control.

That it me is my first priority. That’s what I’m focused on. Will I or won’t I? I don’t know. I literally do not know the answer to these questions about what is the best role for me to play to fix these problems for our country in the future.

The point is I don’t know the answer because I’m just not putting a great deal of thought into it. I’m not foreclosing any opportunity. I may or a I may not. I just don’t know because right now we just had an election. We’ve got jobs to do. [Emphasis added]

Ryan concluded with a statement on how it seems like election season never ends with the current administration.

“What bothers me is this permanent campaign the president has us in,” he said. “We need to start thinking about doing our jobs after these elections than thinking about the next election.”

You can watch the entire interview via ABC News (2016 remarks around 8:40):

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Comments (41)

GilbertAcct
Posted on February 18, 2013 at 6:36am
Paul Ryan is a Romney-republican (statist, redistributionist, and big government). It makes me sick to think that we might have to listen to him campaign for medicare and SS using stories about his grandma again. If Ryan is the nominee, get ready for 4 years of Hilary.

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- Disgusted_150
  Posted on February 18, 2013 at 9:50am
  You obviously have so little knowledge on the man that you must resort to smears like this. You must be another disgruntled Paul-bot mad that your cocaine habit is still illegal. See, I can make uneducated comments about someone I know little about as well. Thanks for playing.
  
  Report this comment
Verceofreason
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 7:28pm
Note to the Pauls, Rand and Ryan-
THERE WILL NEVER BE A CREATIONIST PRESIDENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY.

And that goes for Rubio too,

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- AUsername
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 8:04pm
  actually all presidents have had a religion.
  
  Report this comment
- Verceofreason
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 8:44pm
  What does that have to do with creationism?
  Your post makes no sense at all.
  
  Report this comment
scribblelicious
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 7:15pm
Paul Ryan was such a drag on Romney I don’t think he has a chance of even getting through a month in the primary season. Face it folks, Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio are not going to be contenders.

That being said, I think if the republicans have such a disastrous primary like they did in 2012 (changing front runners like Taylor Swift changes boyfriends) they don’t have a chance anyway. They need to find someone viable before the midterms or we’ll be saying the words President Hillary Clinton in 4 years.

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- GilbertAcct
  Posted on February 18, 2013 at 6:39am
  I’d say Romney being a near dead on clone of Obama was the biggest drag on Romney. Not quite as bad as Obama, but close enough.
  
  Report this comment
- Verceofreason
  Posted on February 18, 2013 at 11:08am
  Paul and his lobbyist wife are working 24/7 to bring down the postal system – for personal gain.
  The big gubbermint they hate sho’ helps them live FAT!
  And the Bachmanns too.
  Wake up sheeple!
  
  Report this comment
watashbuddyfriend
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 7:14pm
Paul, as I have told Rand Paul about considering for a run of the POTUS in 2016, you have got to lead an effort to change the voting age in Federal Election to eleminate the immaturity of those voting under age 30, so as to remove those college students who have been brainwashed by liberal professors, and those who are living off Freebies from the Fed. Exceptions would be those who have served two honorable years in the military, and those who have paid federal income taxes in three of the preceeding years, or have retired on social security, or some other form of earned retirement.

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- socialism.rocks
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 10:42pm
  you are a utter dumb queef sniffer you got to be on gas or something.. only red-states are not tax producing states.. there is not a single red-state that is a net producer.. not a single one get rid of texas’s government contracts and subsidies and its not a net producing state
  
  that would destroy the conservative party more then anything-
  i am all for that only tax payers getting to vote because the coasts are the only net tax producers and they are all liberal
  
  i am all for it… only tax paying citizens allowed to vote no way in hell would america be conservative retarded..anymore
  
  Report this comment
- tstock5301
  Posted on February 18, 2013 at 7:10am
  Wow….just Wow. Socialism Rocks is so far gone. No producing RED-States? I bet you still believe in Santa Clause also. Prime example of how bad things have gotten when people don’t bais anything they believe upon facts. New York takes in more tax income from Republicans then Democrats……..and yet there is more Democrats than Republicans in that state alone. Socialism has destroyed everything it’s touched over the course of history, and done nothing to but leave a trail of failure in it’s path. Time for people to stop only going with party lines no matter what the issue is and whether they are right or wrong.
  
  Report this comment
showmerancher
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 7:03pm
Who cares who might run or not in 2016. Republicans showed that they didn’t want to get rid of Rove’s RINOcrats in 2012, then had the audacity to put Boehner back in charge. It has become more than apparent that the country is headed in the same direction regardless of which “party” is in charge; the only variable seems to be the speed at which it progresses.

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joey g
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 6:56pm
paul ryan is a repukin period.

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- Verceofreason
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 7:29pm
  It’s took McCain 4 decades to reach the level of schmuck dom Ryan has reached in 4 tears.
  
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BeckIgnoresConstitution
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 6:30pm
Yes indeed Congressman Ryan, do your job!

Neither congress nor the courts will enforce the Constitution! http://puzo1.blogspot.com/2013/01/barack-obama-de-facto-president-of.html

Boycott businesses advertising with the servile lying media that won’t report the truth about Obama’s Article 2, Section 1, ineligibility: http://youtu.be/esiZZ-1R7e8 or his identity fraud: http://youtu.be/alVzyfptF80

“Let no more be said about the confidence of men, but bind them down from mischief with the chains of the Constitution”.
– Thomas Jefferson

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- socialism.rocks
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 10:44pm
  spurious quote jefferson never said that douche nozzel
  
  jefferson wanted the constitution rewritten every 19 years you mental ******
  
  Report this comment
- JerryReno
  Posted on February 18, 2013 at 9:35am
  Yes he did… it took about 15 seconds of research to verify it.
  
  Report this comment
progressiveslayer
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 6:12pm
The ideal candidate would destroy the welfare warfare state and cut the size of government by 80%,deport 20 million +illegals end all ‘green energy’ BS programs,cut capital gains rate to zero eliminate the corporate tax end all forms of welfare and this economy would take off like a rocket.

Produce such a candidate and the constitutionally illiterate who are unfortunately deciding who becomes president will promptly vote against and will gladly vote for a progressive with an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ next to their name it makes no difference to those idiots. Ryan isn’t the man to beat the hideously ugly Clinton but Rand Paul would make a great president,at least he understands the constitution acts as a millstone around the governments neck.

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justangry
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 6:08pm
Yeah that will work. The guy Boehner didn’t kick off of the budget committee for being too much of a fiscal hawk… Sigh.

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TheMonk
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 5:38pm
If I were straight I could go for this hunk of Wisconsin cheese.

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- OldSurfRat
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 5:52pm
  Monk
  
  To much cheese for me. Did you just wake up to pizza again? (:
  
  Report this comment
- OldSurfRat
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 6:05pm
  You may want to read your comment again LOL
  If you were??
  Sorry but still laughing
  
  Report this comment
- barber2
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 6:06pm
  OLD: you are being toyed with. This Troll has stolen THE-MONK’s name and is posting stupid / nasty comments. This must be their latest game..guess Divide The Dumb Conservatives isn’t enough for them anymore…so typical of our Guy Fawkes / Wizard of Oz / Hide Obama School Records radical Left Trolls !
  
  Report this comment
- SaturdaysWarrior76
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 7:04pm
  Go s u c k eggs instead! We all know you are nothing but a fake troll and not OUR Monk. You need help. Seriously.
  
  Report this comment
- YOURSENSEI
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 9:27pm
  Mr or Ms OLDSURFRAT,
  
  This is what you must know:
  
  Listen to BARBER2. He and I have joined in an unlikely alliance to thwart the evil-doing identity hjackers. All things as they are otherwise, this kind of juvenile shenanigans serves no one, and I for one am calling for a higher level of discourse. This sort of hijinks strikes at the very heart of our 1st Amendment and the founding principles of our great nation.
  
  Stand for truth in posting, people! Do NOT the lessers among us degrade our existence!
  
  It is so.
  
  Report this comment
d715
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 5:37pm
It is February 2013. The 2016 election is 3 years, 9 months away. Any speculation or discussion about who is or is not running is idiotic. We have much bigger problems to deal with. No one should care right now who might or might not be running in 2016. I know the left wing media wants to talk about it so it distracts from the destruction being wrecked on this country right now. Why are conservatives talking at all about it? Let’s stick to talking about current issues instead of these things which mean absolutely nothing right now.

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OldSurfRat
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 5:21pm
Ryan seems like a nice enough guy but that ship has sailed, sunk and is sitting on the bottom.

No thanks bring me another.

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- barber2
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 6:26pm
  OLD: The Democrat Media Assassination Squad will just destroy each and every possible conservative candidate . Haven’t you noticed what they have been doing ever since Soros / Obama’s gazillion ‘ Organizing ‘ Media groups appeared on the scene ? Latest was Rubio….
  
  Report this comment
- AUsername
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 7:20pm
  Barber lets do what they do to the owners of the media and bring them into the spotlight.
  
  Report this comment
Kathleen3
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 5:01pm
Campaigned for Romney/Ryan but would never vote for him now that he announced he is willing to legalize 20+ million illegal aliens believing (wrongfully) this traitorous behavior will increase his chances in 2016.

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barber2
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 4:57pm
Get ready for the so=called Ron Paul Trolls. Divide the Dumb Conservatives on steroids! Obams’ Organizing for Action in high gear.

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- soybomb315_II
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 5:11pm
  chicken little
  
  your party already sucks and it is not because of us
  
  Report this comment
- barber2
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 6:00pm
  SOY: the Democrat Party which MUST be defeated… and only a UNIFIED conservative party can do that.
  
  Report this comment
- soybomb315_II
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 6:08pm
  you do realize that only about 28% of americans voted for Barack Obama, right?
  
  Report this comment
- AUsername
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 7:22pm
  Barber seems to only care about the party. not much or anything about the platform or principles it has.
  
  Report this comment
PIGSWILLNEVERFLY
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 4:36pm
The RINOs have already picked Jeb Bush……no kidding. BIG FAT YUCK

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- Kathleen3
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 4:58pm
  Jeb Bush is an open borders advocate who is hell-bent on turning this country into a clone of his wife’s native land, Mexico. This guy is facilitating the invasion of illegal aliens in this country in the hope that once Latinos become the majority the son he is grooming, George P., will waltz in and take back the throne he believes belongs to the Bush family. Karl Rove and Condoleeza Rice are frantically working to fulfill GHWB’s proclamation before the UN of a “a new world order.” They could truly be identified as the Trilogy of Traitors.
  
  Report this comment
- soybomb315_II
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 5:20pm
  we need to reform the election laws so that voting 3rd party does not hurt or help republicans or democrats…..So that when they nominate Jeb Bush – you can vote your conscience instead of encouraging the progressives (lesser of two evils)
  
  Report this comment
- DLV
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 6:54pm
  Soy- You know what I’ve always said, the political system should be made of four parties so we can clearly see the lines. A little bit of wiggle room is fine but this would be a cool idea. ON the far left we have the progressive party, on the moderate left we have the Democratic party, moderate right republicans and the farish right (even though I don’t think it’s that far right) Constitutional or Libertarian party. If all four are required by law to be major parties and they all need national attention, we would see where each person stands clearly. So Romney would be a republican, Rand could be a constitutionalist etc. The lines would be more clearly drawn.
  
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- soybomb315_II
  Posted on February 17, 2013 at 7:59pm
  Yes DLV, that would be ideal….And it wouldnt be that hard to implement. All we have to do is change the way electoral college is distributed, just like the republican primary states that were not “winner take all”. It pains me to see a system that could work so effectively but these nonsense barriers stand in the way
  
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lisalake
Posted on February 17, 2013 at 4:32pm
Here come the Republicans, floating out the RINO’s one by one, to see who might stick…

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