paul ryanCongratulations are in order for newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan, who yesterday took the gavel with 236 votes and, in the process, became much like the rest of us: accepting a job he never really wanted.

In remarks after his official nomination yesterday, the Wisconsin Rep. — the youngest speaker since 1869 — was notably critical of his chamber, which has been embroiled in perpetual disorder that culminated with Speaker John Boehner’s shocking resignation announcement last month, and was furthered when likely successor, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, walked away after an embarrassing media gaffe.

"The House is broken. We’re not solving problems, we are adding to them," Ryan stated, before promising that he’s “not interested in laying blame,” that his new role will not be about “settling scores," but will involve “wiping the slate clean.”

Promises, promises.

Though it's par for the course in today's conservative circles, it’s still perplexing to consider how, in the days running up to his nomination, many of the same pundits who lionized Ryan in 2012 for signing up as Mitt Romney’s running mate are now going to extreme lengths to admonish him, blasting the former House Budget Committee Chairman as a moderate in regards to his recent voting record on bills pertaining to immigration and Planned Parenthood, among other assorted quips.

Ryan, the man who in 2012 said “we don’t want a country where abortion is simply outlawed, we want a country where it isn’t even considered,” apparently isn't considered conservative enough anymore. The litany of demonizing attacks he's since weathered from disgruntled hot air pundits have availed classic — often hilarious — conservative histrionics.

Talk show personality and Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Oct. 20 went on a Twitter tirade, criticizing Ryan for his claim that “family time” comes before his work. Ingraham later deleted the tweet, but doubled-down the following day on her “Laura Ingraham Show” when she declared, “Ryan should not be Speaker of the House.” She returned to Twitter the same day to blast Ryan with a patrician putdown: “Emperor Ryan.”

The Drudge Report on Oct. 20 continued in the tradition of royalty disses, referring to Ryan as “King Paul,” as well as a “Dem favorite,” and “Obama’s new partner.”

RedState.com blogger and radio host Erick Erickson on Oct. 21 claimed that nominating Ryan would be akin to House Republicans signing “their own death warrant.”

Conservative Review on Oct. 9 said Ryan is “the absolute worst choice for Speaker,” and that “there is nobody in modern politics whose record and true priorities are more divorced from their rhetoric and public perception.”

Breitbart.com on Oct. 11 claimed conservatives “universally despise” Ryan, and that “most actual conservatives in the House know that Ryan isn’t a conservative.”

Right-wing mouthpiece Rush Limbaugh on Oct. 22 spun a wild conspiracy theory, positing that Ryan’s ascension is part of “a script … written backstage,” between House moderates and the much-maligned Freedom Caucus for the purpose of installing Ryan as Speaker for a Bush/Rubio Whitehouse.

Conservative pundits’ recent bloviating over Ryan is strange, given he's delivered proposed budget plans calling for gutting food stamps programs by $125 billion, repealing the Affordable Care Act, and slashing taxes for the wealthiest Americans. Does this sound like the handiwork of a "moderate?"

But it’s even stranger when you consider how they spoke of him in the past. The Drudge Report during the 2012 race referred to Ryan as part of “America’s comeback team.” Limbaugh in 2012 claimed that having Ryan in the VP slot means “we now have somebody on the ticket who’s us.” Ingraham in 2012 praised Ryan, saying he “helps Romney get his A game on the campaign trail."

With this kind of crowd, you can’t win for losing.