Mr Ryan will be “a different kind of speaker [who is] devoted to public policy,” Cesar Conda, a former Rubio chief of staff who has been a friend to Mr Ryan for 25 years, told me this week. Both men could use their leadership perches, not just to corral votes, but also to sell a conservative philosophy to a more diverse 21st century audience. Both seem intent on presenting a form of conservatism that is an alternative, not merely an opposition. Although both face challenges from the Right (for various reasons, including past support for immigration reform), Mr Rubio is able to straddle the tea party/establishment divide, and Mr Ryan – whose ascension was made possible because conservatives toppled ex-Speaker John Boehner - has become not only the younger Speaker of the House since 1869, but the most conservative speaker in modern history.