Elevating Paul Ryan to the House speakership, where he will be one of the main public faces of the Republican party, suggests that the party’s poobahs and panjandrums still haven’t learned their lesson. Ryan as chairman of Ways and Means worked. Ryan as the de facto leader of the GOP does not, for three reasons: GOP to its own voters: Drop dead. Eric Cantor lost his primary last year because he was out of step with Republican voters on immigration. Speaker-designate Kevin McCarthy was forced to pass on the big chair because he was out of step with Republican voters...