As House lawmakers consider whether to support Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) for speaker, one of the issues that has generated the most attention is his demand that he be able to spend weekends with his family.

“I cannot and will not give up my family time,” Mr. Ryan said on Tuesday as he laid out conditions for pursuing the position.

The father-focused move seems to have touched a nerve. He is earning both praise and criticism on social media. A lot of it is predictable – his supporters applaud his priorities while his detractors said his condition suggests he doesn’t really want the highly demanding job.