The Internet Says Goodbye to Paul Ryan

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan will not seek reelection in November, his office announced on Wednesday morning. His retirement will result in a battle for a successor, likely between the House majority leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, and the House majority whip, Steve Scalise of Louisiana. “This morning Speaker Ryan shared with his colleagues that this will be his last year as a member of the House,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “He will serve out his full term, run through the tape, and then retire in January. After nearly 20 years in the House, the speaker is proud of all that has been accomplished and is ready to devote more of his time to being a husband and a father.”

Even before Ryan announced the end of his tenure to his colleagues in Congress, the Internet was already doing it for him. Some of Ryan’s greatest hits include trying to hobble government programs like Social Security and Medicaid, blocking gun control reform, and generally looking out for constituents in the highest tax brackets. Plenty of supportive Americans on Twitter were eager to remind the Wisconsin lawmaker that he can still accomplish these goals in the corporate world, for a lot more money, instead of ostensibly “representing the people”—and what a drag that can be, right? And, of course, retirement leaves more time for working out.