Since the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Paul Ryan has had one goal: to have it eradicated. As an outspoken supporter of small government, the ACA went against everything Ryan stood for because as he put it, “the law spends trillions of dollars we don't have, raises taxes on workers, businesses and families, and puts the federal government squarely in the middle of healthcare decisions.”

Ryan became Speaker of the House in 2015, winning on that exact platform as many Republicans shared the same views as him on the issue. As the looming terror that was the 2016 presidential election came closer, Ryan knew he had one job: to get a Republican elected, and there were a lot of Republicans to choose from. A Republican was soon chosen, but the victor was someone Ryan could never have prepared for.

The victor of the Republican Primary in the 2016 presidential election was none other than Donald J. Trump. Ryan was slightly critical of many of his positions and subsequent actions before Trump had even won the primary, leading to the first cataclysmic rift within the party. After Trump had won the primary, the rift grew larger as the party waited for Ryan to make a formal endorsement. Just one day after the endorsement was official, the future president criticized the credibility of Hispanic Judge Gonzalo Curiel, leading to Ryan and Trump’s first big disagreement. However, Ryan’s definition of criticism was categorizing Trump’s prejudiced attack as "just was out of left field for my mind."

The infighting did not stop there.Trump went on to make the petty move of not supporting Ryan for his congressional primary, instead opting to voice support for Ryan’s opponent Paul Nehlan. Though Trump eventually endorsed Ryan, the move harbored more disdain between the two sides of the party.

In early October of 2016, the infamous Access Hollywood Tapes were released, confirming many of America’s biggest fears of Donald Trump. The tapes showed to be the breaking point for Paul Ryan as he announced he was done defending Trump's presidential campaign. Trump responded by attacking Ryan and all other House Republicans, labeling them as “disloyal.” To many, this seemed to be the end of the Republican Party as the infighting looked too great for a group to bear. However, on November 9, 2016, something outrageous happened;Donald Trump won the presidential election.

Suddenly, there was a newfound peace within the party, and everyone saw this as an end to the eight years of unchecked liberalism they had been subject to. Ryan was the happiest of all, as he saw this as the final piece in a puzzle that had taken over six years to put together. Paul Ryan would finally be able to repeal the ACA.

“Who knew health care would be so complicated?”

That was the question on the entire Republican party’s mind as they moved to repeal the ACA. The original goal of Ryan and the Republicans was to repeal the ACA and to be done with it, until something spectacular happened. People seemed to be coming out of the woodwork in support of the ACA. Town hall meetings were packed with outspoken supporters of it, prompting many Republicans to label them as “paid protesters.” They were actually not at much fault with this resolution though, because the widespread support for the ACA did not come until there was the prospect of losing it.

So, the Republicans made a new plan. They would not only repeal the ACA, they would replace it as well. This new outlook on American healthcare forced Republicans to quickly come up with a replacement plan, but their rushing was evident. Paul Ryan even created a hurried websitefor the new healthcare plan where the only attraction was to sign up for an email list – anything to buy time. Less than two months later, a plan was finally proposed and lead to bipartisan outrage. Republicans argued it cost too much, while Democrats believed it did too little – both Ryan’s original arguments against the ACA.

On March 22, 2017, a vote for the new healthcare bill was scheduled, but pulled by House Republicans for a “rewrite,” and rescheduled for March 24. On March 24, 2017, the House Republicans, led by Ryan himself, pulled the bill completely. As Ryan stood on that podium, and uttered the words, “Obamacare is the law of the land,” it is quite easy to laugh at what seems to be a sycophantic invertebrate finally getting what he deserves. However, it is hard not to feel sympathetic for the man who only wanted to repeal the Affordable Care Act.