Paul Ryan Looking To The Future?

After the election, Paul Ryan went quietly back to being the Congressman from the great State of Wisconsin.  He stepped deftly out of the spotlight of being the VP selection of Mitt Romney and for the most part will avoid being painted with the same brush as the former Massachusetts Governor.  Paul Ryan will go on.

That seems to be the message of a piece that was put together by Politico that shows Paul Ryan considering his future.  You can't get past the mention of his name in connection with 2016.  He is one of the many that is considered to be a candidate for President.  Even before his days as Mitt Romney's running mate, he was tossed about as a potential Presidential candidate.  But, according to the article, that may not be what Congressman Ryan has on his mind as he continues to represent his state.

Paul Ryan is a sharp, smart man.  He knows that a campaign for President could lead nowhere.  If you doubt that, ask Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain or Ron Paul.  Each of them were in the race to win it, until they didn't.  Next time around, he would go up against some real heavyweights in the party in the likes of Christie, Jindal, Santorum and others who have household name status.  He knows its a hard road with very little reward, apart from being the most powerful person in the world with a job that is probably the world's most thankless.  What is intriguing is that Paul Ryan also watched what happened to John Boehner in the last election.  He is well aware that Speaker Boehner is not the world's most popular and could be replaced, if he plays his cards right.

And, why not be Speaker of the House.  It holds a lot of clout and you get the chance to shape the order of the day.  If things pan out right, 2016 will be a GOP year and he could end up being the third most powerful man in the country, all by being what he is in the House, a shrewd man that knows how to make friends and influence people.  Add to it that he could be seen as an alternative to the current leadership by both conservatives and moderates in the party, and you have someone that there is no doubt could have a future in Washington.

Will that be his path?  Who knows, but he is the kind of guy that you would rather deal with as your leader.  It will be interesting to see in the next few years if this pans out for the man who quite possibly could have been Vice President of the United States.