Ryan: Obama ‘Degrades The Presidency’ By Talking Primary Politics In SOTU

President Barack Obama shakes hands with Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin before the State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, USA, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Photo b... President Barack Obama shakes hands with Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin before the State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, USA, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. Photo by Evan Vucci/Pool/Sipa USA MORE LESS
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House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) told USA Today on Wednesday that he thought President Barack Obama talking about the 2016 election in his State of the Union address “degrades the presidency.”

“I think it sort of degrades the presidency to then talk about primary politics in the other party, during primaries. That’s not what presidents ought to be talking about in State of the Union addresses,” Ryan said. “Speaking up for our values and speaking up for our beliefs is one thing. But kind of wading into the primary politics of the other party is just not really what presidents ought to do.”

Obama didn’t mention Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump by name in his Tuesday address, but took several thinly-veiled jabs at the real estate mogul. He also criticized the rhetoric coming out of the GOP primary race, saying that “we need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion.”

Ryan said he agreed with the President in that one sense.

“Putting a religious test on anybody coming to this country is wrong,” Ryan said, as quoted by USA Today. “We ought to have a security test, not a religious test. That’s who we are.”

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  1. Hey, Poster-boy? You “degrade the Presidency” every time you open your fucking mouth.

    Sorry for language. Entitled little sh#t gets on my nerves.

  2. Weak Sauce.

    Truly.

  3. wonder how long he had to practice sleeping with his eyes open so he could sit thru the SOTU?

  4. Of all of this SOTUs, I liked this one the best. In addition to the lengthy discussion on climate change, he basically put the GOP on notice that the world views the GOP as a neo-fascist party with the rise of Trump and Cruz and they want to know what direction America will turn. Our standing as a global leader depends on it. He could not have made the stakes higher.

  5. Says one of the fuckers who invited a foreign leader to speak to congress for the express purpose to try to embarrass the President. I think you’re doing just fine in the degradation department yourself there Paulie.

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