Politics –
John Boehner Resignation No Surprise

Speaker of the House John Boehner is so fed up with the antics of his own Republican Party, that he announced on Friday he will resign his post as speaker and leave behind a 25 year congressional career. With the state of the current Republican Party, this should come as no surprise.

Politics
Party infighting between factions is at an all-time high and Boehner saw the writing on the wall: he can’t control his own troops, so he can no longer be an effective and bipartisan leader.

“My first job as speaker is to protect the institution,” Mr. Boehner said at a news conference on Capitol Hill. “It had become clear to me that this prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable harm to the institution.”

He added, “This morning I woke up, said my prayers, as I always do, and thought ‘this is the day I am going to do this.’ ”

It was a move that took the political world by surprise. It’s not everyday that a career politician gives up one of the most powerful positions in government and walks away from a job he spent the better part of his life pining for.  However, that is exactly what John Boehner says he will do.

Perhaps it wasn’t such a surprise after all.

The Republican Party is in shambles. An influx of ultra-conservative congressional members have been clashing with Tea Party members who have been clashing with the old guard. Gridlock in government is something that usually happens between Democrats and Republicans, however this time, it’s all in-house.  It’s all Republicans.

A growing faction within the GOP wants to completely shutdown Washington, unless the government halts funding for Planned Parenthood.  John Boehner and other party elders have been around long enough to remember the last few times Republicans threw a tantrum and shut down the government.  It did not go well at all for the GOP and is likely to backfire again — which is not what the party wants to see just prior to a presidential election.

Architects of the right-leaning Republican movement cheered Boehner’s exit.

“Americans deserve a Congress that fights for opportunity for all and favoritism to none,” said Michael A. Needham, the chief executive of Heritage Action, a policy arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation. “Too often, Speaker Boehner has stood in the way. Today’s announcement is a sign that the voice of the American people is breaking through in Washington. Now is the time for a principled, conservative leader to emerge. Heritage Action will continue fighting for conservative policy solutions, and we look forward to working with the new leadership team.”

It’s apparent these GOP crazies are hell-bent with blinders on.  If they can’t have their way, they are once again willing to burn the entire house down.  In the words of Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, who had been negotiating privately on a plan to keep the government open,  Mr. Boehner’s resignation was “a stark indication of the disarray of House Republicans.”

.

Politics
From almost the moment he took the speaker’s gavel in 2011, Boehner has struggled  to manage the challenges of divided government and an increasingly fractured Republican Party. His latest effort involved trying to craft a solution to keep the government open through the rest of the year.  However, that plan was swiftly shot to shreds by conservatives who made clear in no uncertain terms that they would not vote for a bill that did not defund Planned Parenthood.  Boehner simply could not reason with those who had muted his logic.

In an emotional meeting with his fellow Republicans, the 65-year-old Boehner said he will step down on Thursday, October 1st.  With Republicans needing to find a new Speaker of the House and decide who should fill his vacant Ohio congressional seat, the announcement makes the chance of a government shutdown next week almost nil. However, the fight isn’t over.

John Boehner stepping down won’t fix the Republican Party’s infighting issues.  In fact, depending on who is chosen to succeed him, it could enhance them.  The bratty, tantrum-throwing Republicans who are in congress now will still be there. Or, as Republican Congressman Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, said: “The next speaker is going to have a very tough job. The fundamental dynamics don’t change.”

“It’s clear to me that the rejectionist members of our conference clearly had an influence on his decision,” Rep. Dent added. “That’s why I’m not happy about what happened today. We still have important issues to deal with, and this will not be easier for the next guy.”

“The dynamics are this,” he continued. “There are anywhere from two to four dozen members who don’t have an affirmative sense of governance. They can’t get to yes. They just can’t get to yes, and so they undermine the ability of the speaker to lead. And not only do they undermine the ability of the speaker to lead, but they undermine the entire Republican conference and also help to weaken the institution of Congress itself. That’s the reality.  Now, if we have a new speaker, is there going to be an epiphany?”  No, Mr. Dent, there won’t be.

So, the new speaker will inherit the same difficult task of trying to please ALL of the people ALL of the time.  It’ll be like a car full of unruly kids simultaneously yelling “Turn LEFT.” “No, turn RIGHT.” “No, keep STRAIGHT,” with the driver just trying to navigate the correct way.  Good luck with that.

So, thank you and Godspeed, John Boehner.  You spent your entire political life striving to become Speaker of the House. Now, after 5 tumultuous years, your own party has made you realize the job isn’t really worth it and it was never all it was cracked up to be!

OK WASSUP! tracks political news. Today’s article:
The resignation of Speaker John Boehner is no surprise.