The Wages of Political Sin is Donald Trump.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan found that out this week after NBC News released a brand new poll

showing only 39% of Republicans trust Ryan to lead the party more than 2016 presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

58% trusted Donald Trump to lead the Republican Party.

That holds true regardless of ideological self-identification.

Very conservative voters favor Trump 63 to 34 over Ryan. Conservatives trusted Trump 57 to 40 over Ryan.

Even moderates trusted Trump 57 to 40 over Ryan. For his part, Ryan, who's been trying to broker some sort of detent

between Trump and the never-Trump conservatives, he proclaimed himself just sanguine about the whole thing.

He said, quote, I hope it's Donald Trump. He's getting the nomination. He's wrapping up the nomination. Good Lord, I hope it is, because the person who's getting the nomination of our party is the person to lead our party.

Okay, so this isn't a reflection of Trump's supposed massive popularity.

He's won 42% of the Republican primary votes. It's a reflection of widespread discontent with a

Republican establishment unwilling to go to the mat to stop President Obama's agenda,

instead negotiating budget deals that fund Obamacare and executive amnesty and the Iran deal, among other travesties. Less than a quarter of Republicans generally approve of the job Congress is done. So it's no wonder that very few Republicans want to get by Republicans congressional leader. And it turns out there are only two options on the poll. That's the nature of Trumpism. Well, at least he's not X.

At least Trump isn't Paul Ryan.

At least Trump isn't Hillary Clinton.

At least Trump isn't the Republican establishment.

At least Trump isn't the media.

Well, that's true, so far as it goes.

That isn't very far. And it's not a particularly good case for making Trump leader of the free world or the Republican Party,

given that a flaming bag of dog excrement is likely more popular than leader of the free world or the Republican Party, given that a flaming

bag of dog excrement is likely more popular than all of the choices that we just listed above.

Nonetheless, Trump will be seen as the leader of the Republican Party, which of course is a giant

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