Awkward Optics. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), like Ryan, was considered one of his party’s rising stars — telegenic, innovative, policy-oriented — when he gave the rebuttal in 2009. All it took was some Twitter chatter and the next thing he knew, he was Kenneth the Page from “30 Rock.” Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) went from a potential vice presidential pick to, uh, someone eventually tapped to run the Department of Health and Human Services after delivering a flat rebuttal in 2008 that demonstrated that what matters in Kansas doesn’t necessarily translate well on the national stage. And does anyone recall anything about Democratic Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine’s 2006 response except that thing his left eyebrow kept doing?

After the State of the Union, reporters are antsy and tired, and remaining television watchers are tired and possibly even bored. The response speech will be “available as prepared” and published online the moment it begins. That means that the actual televised response is watched mainly as theater — and by a distracted audience, to boot.

Ryan’s Clark Kent good looks and manner of presentation would seem likely to protect him from mockery, but you never know. All it takes is one disturbingly apt comparison or one physical twitch to set off a career-impeding narrative.