--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If they can get 15 or higher, it will be…" description: "\"If they can get 15 or higher, it will be a very bad night for House Speaker Paul Ryan. Ryan twisted himself into a pretzel by endorsing but not always ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f6/mara-liasson-8465_bad-night_if-they-can-get-15-or-higher-it-will-be_1844587.jpg" --- # If they can get 15 or higher, it will be a very bad night… ![“If they can get 15 or higher, it will be a very bad night for House Speaker Paul Ryan. Ryan twisted himself into a pretzel by endorsing but not always supporting Donald Trump. Now, he's facing the prospect of a slimmer majority, with fewer moderates. Conservative members in the Freedom Caucus have…” quote by Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f6/mara-liasson-8465_bad-night_if-they-can-get-15-or-higher-it-will-be_1844587.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f6/mara-liasson-8465_bad-night_if-they-can-get-15-or-higher-it-will-be_1844587.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f6/mara-liasson-8465_bad-night_if-they-can-get-15-or-higher-it-will-be_1844587.jpg) > “If they can get 15 or higher, it will be a very bad night for House Speaker Paul Ryan. Ryan twisted himself into a pretzel by endorsing but not always supporting Donald Trump. Now, he's facing the prospect of a slimmer majority, with fewer moderates. Conservative members in the Freedom Caucus have already sent warning shots threatening Ryan's tenure as speaker.” [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A potential high vote count for opposition could jeopardize Speaker Ryan’s position due to his inconsistent support for Trump and loss of moderate allies. **In simple terms:** Ryan’s leadership is at risk if opposition gains strength. Key Takeaway Watch for shifting alliances. Themes politics leadership party dynamics Mood tense uncertain Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - House floor votes - media commentary - campaign strategy Key Concepts strategic positioning coalition building Questions to Reflect On - How can Ryan rebuild trust with moderates? - What strategies could protect his speakership? A Different Perspective May underestimate the impact of intra‑party dissent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-night/) [Caucus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caucus/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Endorsing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endorsing/) [Fewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fewer/) [Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [House Speaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-speaker-2377125/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majority/) [Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members/) [Moderates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moderates/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Paul ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paul-ryan/) [Pretzels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretzels/) [Ryan Tenure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ryan-tenure-2377126/) [Shots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shots/) [Speaker Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaker-paul-2377128/) [Speakers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speakers/) [Tenure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenure/) [Threatening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatening/) [Threatening Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatening-ryan-2377127/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Twisted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twisted/) [Warning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warning/) ## Related quotes > [I think Nancy Pelosi is extremely qualified to be speaker of the House, because she has been speaker of the House. I trust her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-haaland/i-think-nancy-pelosi-is-extremely-qualified-to-be-speaker-of-the/) [Deb Haaland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-haaland/) > [I have this fancy Givenchy bag. I don't know what the Kardashians have in their bags - I bet they have really expensive products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-bowen/i-have-this-fancy-givenchy-bag-i-don-t-know-what-the-kardashians-have/) [Julie Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-bowen/) > [My dad used to call me 'the human pretzel' because I was able to bend my body, and because my legs are very long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-andrews/my-dad-used-to-call-me-the-human-pretzel-because-i-was-able-to-bend/) [Erin Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-andrews/) > [Gallowglass returned to Sporrengasse with two vampires and a pretzel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/gallowglass-returned-to-sporrengasse-with-two-vampires-and-a-pretzel/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [Your fuselage shouldn't open more easily than your pretzel bag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/your-fuselage-shouldn-t-open-more-easily-than-your-pretzel-bag/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I like that: a little pressure on the understood boundaries of yourself. Sounded like something out of a self-awareness class, probably with yoga. See…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-like-that-a-little-pressure-on-the-understood-boundaries-of/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [Marrying for sex is like flying to London for the free peanuts and pretzels. It's not the point of the thing, is it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/marrying-for-sex-is-like-flying-to-london-for-the-free-peanuts-and/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [I noticed whenever you call information, 411, there's always a computer voice, and they go, 'What number would you like? City and state, please.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-kindler/i-noticed-whenever-you-call-information-411-there-s-always-a-computer/) [Andy Kindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-kindler/) > [What about desserts?" I asked. "If the world comes to an end, I'm going to want cookies." "We're all going to want cookies if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/what-about-desserts-i-asked-if-the-world-comes-to-an-end-i-m-going-to/) [Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/) > [“Well say something, dammit, I'm choking on pretzels!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-martin/well-say-something-dammit-i-m-choking-on-pretzels/) [Russ Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-martin/) > [“What was it?” Serafina wandered off to look at yogurt-covered pretzels, probably annoyed at him for talking on the phone. Her long fingers lifted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-jane-anders/what-was-it-serafina-wandered-off-to-look-at-yogurt-covered-pretzels/) [Charlie Jane Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-jane-anders/) > [So, Wesley Clark is running for president. Pretty amazing guy. Four star general, first in his class at West Point, supreme commander of NATO,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/so-wesley-clark-is-running-for-president-pretty-amazing-guy-four-star/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Today coming to work, I saw one of those only in New York scenes. It was a rat who had passed out after choking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/today-coming-to-work-i-saw-one-of-those-only-in-new-york-scenes-it/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [When my husband Jonas and I started Auntie Anne's in 1988, we never expected or anticipated building an international pretzel franchise. It was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-f-beiler/when-my-husband-jonas-and-i-started-auntie-anne-s-in-1988-we-never/) [Anne F. Beiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-f-beiler/) > [I was so shy. Instead of waiting in line with other kids at lunch, I'd go to a corner and buy a pretzel and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-facinelli/i-was-so-shy-instead-of-waiting-in-line-with-other-kids-at-lunch-i-d/) [Peter Facinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-facinelli/) ## More by Mara Liasson > [Jeb Bush was supposed to be the establishment candidate, but he didn't catch on. And the extraordinary thing about this Republican primary is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/jeb-bush-was-supposed-to-be-the-establishment-candidate-but-he-didn-t/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [Donald Trump's staffing up a pretty traditional, very conservative Republican government, not a populist outsider government, at least not yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/donald-trump-s-staffing-up-a-pretty-traditional-very-conservative/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [ This year \[2016\], however, polls show \[Hillary\] Clinton winning white college-educated voters by double digits. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/this-year-2016-however-polls-show-hillary-clinton-winning-white/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [On the other side, you have the conservative intelligentsia - magazines like National Review, which has a big anti-Trump issue; Weekly Standard editor, conservative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/on-the-other-side-you-have-the-conservative-intelligentsia-magazines/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [The president is under 50 percent approval ratings in all the battleground states. So, you could say that President Obama is defying gravity by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/the-president-is-under-50-percent-approval-ratings-in-all-the/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [If she Hillary Clinton win just two of the three big battleground states - North Carolina, Florida and Virginia - she will have shut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/if-she-hillary-clinton-win-just-two-of-the-three-big-battleground/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [The base has chosen or is choosing a candidate that the establishment says is absolutely unacceptable. And what that means is this marriage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/the-base-has-chosen-or-is-choosing-a-candidate-that-the-establishment/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [ You have \[Donald\] Trump and \[Ted\] Cruz battling it out, and the moderate establishment candidates like Chris Christie or Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, John… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/you-have-donald-trump-and-ted-cruz-battling-it-out-and-the-moderate/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [The country wants the president and the Congress focused on jobs and the economy. Any regulation that the president promulgates that isn't focused on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/the-country-wants-the-president-and-the-congress-focused-on-jobs-and/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [ What does \[Hillary\] Clinton do if she loses? Concede? Blame the Russians? Or the FBI? ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/what-does-hillary-clinton-do-if-she-loses-concede-blame-the-russians/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [Hillary Clinton is also not a very exciting, inspiring candidate to a lot of the left-leaning Democratic base, especially in Iowa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/hillary-clinton-is-also-not-a-very-exciting-inspiring-candidate-to-a/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [There's disgust with what people called a broken political system, and they're really angry at elites, whether it's the Republican establishment or particularly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/there-s-disgust-with-what-people-called-a-broken-political-system-and/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [ People like Ted Cruz, who has tried to position himself as the best second choice for \[Donald\] Trump supporters, wouldn't condemn him. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/people-like-ted-cruz-who-has-tried-to-position-himself-as-the-best/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [Republican candidates have won whites with college degrees in every presidential election since polling began.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/republican-candidates-have-won-whites-with-college-degrees-in-every/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [ \[Hillary\] Clinton has also struggled with key groups of voters. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/hillary-clinton-has-also-struggled-with-key-groups-of-voters/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) [Explore all 80 Mara Liasson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) ## More Bad night quotes > [I guess we all have a bad night now and then and really screw up. I listened to our earlier stuff and we screwed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-perry/i-guess-we-all-have-a-bad-night-now-and-then-and-really-screw-up-i/) [Joe Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-perry/) > [Thinking about suicide is a potent consolation: it helps us to get through many a bad night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/thinking-about-suicide-is-a-potent-consolation-it-helps-us-to-get/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I wish I had perfect pitch, but I don't, and thanks to the miracle of YouTube, a bad night lives forever!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lukather/i-wish-i-had-perfect-pitch-but-i-don-t-and-thanks-to-the-miracle-of/) [Steve Lukather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lukather/) > [“As the polls began closing in the East, with states like New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Virginia going for Barack Obama, it was quickly becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/as-the-polls-began-closing-in-the-east-with-states-like-new-hampshire/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [“Ford and Arthur talking: "This is very, very serious indeed. The Guide has been taken over. It's been bought out." Arthur leapt up. "Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/ford-and-arthur-talking-this-is-very-very-serious-indeed-the-guide/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Team sports, there's always some kind of sacrifice happening... A team, if we lose, if Michael Jordan has a bad night, you hang it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-blucas/team-sports-there-s-always-some-kind-of-sacrifice-happening-a-team-if/) [Marc Blucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-blucas/) > [“Perhaps it is difficult to see the value in having one's self back in that kind of mood, but I do see it; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/perhaps-it-is-difficult-to-see-the-value-in-having-one-s-self-back-in/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [In the ring, if someone hits you too hard, you can only take so many of those, and you have to send back a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/in-the-ring-if-someone-hits-you-too-hard-you-can-only-take-so-many-of/) [Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/) > [“Too bad one night couldn't turn into forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/addison-moore/too-bad-one-night-couldn-t-turn-into-forever/) [Addison Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/addison-moore/) > [Why is partying and having a good time bad?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-reid/why-is-partying-and-having-a-good-time-bad/) [Tara Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-reid/) > [I think we are well advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-think-we-are-well-advised-to-keep-on-nodding-terms-with-the-people/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [In fact I have nightmares about having children. I want to carry a baby and feel the life within me and in my dream,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gless/in-fact-i-have-nightmares-about-having-children-i-want-to-carry-a/) [Sharon Gless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gless/) > [I don't care if its a day or a bad night, I just want to hold you close to me tight, coz for you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-care-if-its-a-day-or-a-bad-night-i-just-want-to-hold-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You cannot survive without that intangible quality we call heart. The mark of a top player is not how much he wins when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-baldwin/you-cannot-survive-without-that-intangible-quality-we-call-heart-the/) [Bobby Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-baldwin/) > [It's very easy for me to feel sympathy for people who are messed up. It's not that I'm a pseudo-saint or a great person.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-ray-pollock/it-s-very-easy-for-me-to-feel-sympathy-for-people-who-are-messed-up/) [Donald Ray Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-ray-pollock/) [Browse all 74 Bad night quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-night/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If they can get 15 or higher, it will be a very bad night for House Speaker Paul Ryan. Ryan twisted himself into a pretzel by endorsing but not always supporting Donald Trump. Now, he's facing the prospect of a slimmer majority, with fewer moderates. 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