John Boehner is an alcoholic.

[monmouth3]

This is not news and is generally accepted as fact by those of us that follow politics. It is not, however, acceptable. We need sober people doing the people's business and a drunk as leader of the House is just not going to work. I'm not sure how his lack of sobriety has impacted recent events but I think it is time we discussed this problem and either send Boehner to rehab, get him sober, or get a new House leader. I'm reading many stories about the "wafting" and "smelling" of alcohol on House reps and it is disgusting IMO. Perhaps it's not PC but I would really like the House and the PTB to have serious discussions about Boehner's drinking.

He is dangerous to our health..

[madokie]

1. Sure he is.

I drank for years before I quit and I'm here to say that the decisions I made while drunk were seldom sound decisions. Always depending on my state of inebriation.
I want the people who work for me to be as substance free as can be.

[Kolesar]

28. Regular alcohol use kept me depressed

Even when I drank at a "moderate" pace, I was drinking daily. I quit while bush was "in office".

[kydo]

45. I quit on Pearl Harbor day 2000

I do remember voting for gore but everything after that was a blur until dec 9 when I had detoxed enough to let reality sink in. SOBER = Son Of Bitch Everything is Real. It was probably better that way in hindsight. But it was the best thing I ever did. I highly recommend taking that first step if one thinks they might have a problem. Hopefully someone Orange man is close to has the guts to tell him the truth and get him help. The dude has a drinking problem.

[Kolesar]

49. Boehner is pissed and taking his frustrations out instead of acting rationally

Ok, that's my theory.

I am happy to hear things are working out for you. My December of 2000 was repeated trips to the hospital when my father was having strokes and he expired on the 20th. Every waiting room had "the news" of the "recount".

[kydo]

54. agreed

I agree with your theory. Everything is crashing around him so he drinks more to cope which leads to bad choices so he drinks more and then becomes angry and starts lashing out, only to wake up in the morning feeling like crap and the whole process repeats.

Dec 2000 was a crazy blur and we were close to the epicenter as we live in central fl. By Jan 2001 I was sober and by the Grace of God even W's swearing in didn't lead me to fall off the wagon. Actually it made me not want to drink even more as sane sober heads were needed if we were to survive that administration.

Sorry about your dad, losing a loved one is always tough but add to that the crazy state this country was in, that must have been rough.

[Smarmie Doofus]

52. That's when I *started*.

It seemed like a ra tional thing to do at the time.

>>> I quit while bush was "in office".>>>>>

[kydo]

56. LOL

I don't know which would have been harder quitting before W or during or even after for that matter.

It was so hard not to pop a bottle of champagne when the dems took back the house and Nancy was holding that gavel talking about glass ceilings breaking and even harder not to have glass of any celebration drink when Obama won both times. But that urge quickly left and the emotion of pure happiness I experienced on those three occasions was way better then anything a drink ever could provide.

[CountAllVotes]

66. Congratulations!!

It is not easy to quit drinking as it is an addictive habit that is not so easy to stop doing.

I too gave it up when I was in my late 20s. I come from a family that is filled with alcoholics and I could see where I was headed luckily and I chose to stop before something serious happened to me or someone else.

I can see how drinking would make you more depressed, esp. when * was in office.

[Kolesar]

74. Thanks. I had it easy because I lost my tolerance and kind of lost interest in alcohol

I like having more energy in the evening to read or do something active.
Congratulations on your effort! When I was a teenager, my peers were typically binge drinkers with a fatalistic attitude. It was counter culture, generational conflict, disenchantment, and double digit unemployment that screwed us up. We feared getting drafted to fight in Nicaragua or something.
gotta make this post short

[pnwmom]

2. Would we be better off if Sen. Cruz replaced him?

I doubt if any of his possible replacements would make us any happier.

[monmouth3]

3. Probably Eric Cantor would replace him, but at least he's sober.

[pangaia]

55. CANTOR NO WAY- that slimy fuck !

Boehner is better drunk than Cantor sober.
Sorry, couldn't control myself.

[LAGC]

11. Cruz is in the Senate, the Speaker is in the House. (n/t)

[totodeinhere]

31. The speaker doesn't have to be a sitting member of the House. n/t

[treestar]

18. True, but being an alcoholic

makes him prone to psychological problems that affect his decisions.

I'm understanding that a clean bill would pass if Boner would only bring it to the floor. Another non-drunk Republican might think it his / her responsibility to do that.

[lanlady]

35. Cruz is a Senator

He can't replace Boehner as speaker of the house.

[jeff47]

62. The Speaker of the House does not have to be a sitting member of the House (nt)

[CountAllVotes]

4. He needs to go into rehab

and I hope he stays there until 2016.

[Warren DeMontague]

5. Even worse, he's one of those maudlin drunks.

I mean, Tip O'Neill was arguably a fun drunk.

But this fucker just turns orange and blubbers.

[MADem]

78. Republicans don't do "drunk" very well it would seem...

Porgie Bush was one of those "angry" drunks--lashing out, getting grandiose, telling people off, getting hot-headed and insulting....and he continued to be that way even after he supposedly quit!

Tip never got too loaded, either--he was always well aware of his limit. He just had a big nose and a case of hereditary rosacea, so people always assumed he was a prodigious drinker.

[Warren DeMontague]

79. Those were the old days

when the government actually functioned, even when divided.

[MADem]

81. I used to see Tip at the occasional meal, and I never saw him overindulge...I know he'd

have a drink with Saint Ronnie on occasion, and they'd ramble on about the Good Old Days, but as far as I'm concerned, Tip was all about Lines of Communication, and catching more flies with honey.

He was one of the sharpest politicians I've ever seen in action--amazingly astute. Really good memory, too, so I don't think he lost too many brain cells. If he'd been classically handsome he could have been President!

[Warren DeMontague]

83. Oh, yeah. He was definitely a legend. And, he's missed.

I wasn't trying to bag on ol' Tip. He really set a high standard in the House that is long gone today.

[silvershadow]

6. It does seem rather obvious to me from my recliner...If true, then he not only needs to go to rehab

but he also needs to step down. Of course, that would be a popcorn-worhty event, watching the fighting over the speakership. By the way, isn't there a mechanism for removing the speaker? Like, can he be compelled to step down or at least seek treatment?

[Skittles]

9. you want I should kick your reclining ass, silvershadow?

I am sick of kicking on Boner-mon

[silvershadow]

14. I just choked on my crow. (I'm still eating on it...or maybe it was humble pie?....) nt

[zazen]

7. he needs to be arrested for public drunkenness

If Ted Cruz is calling the shots anyway, then he'll be speaker. Then more people will understand what maniacs they are.

But I don't think the business wing of the party would let that happen.

[LAGC]

10. Cruz is in the Senate, the Speaker is in the House. (n/t)

[zazen]

17. thx--I've kept reading worries about his becoming speaker

I should have done more homework. I've only heard awful things about him and have purposefully never seen him speak.

Then how is he causing so much trouble with the House Tea Party? He's not blocking anything in the Senate. I guess he's firing up the base?

[jeff47]

63. Anyone can be elected speaker. They don't have to currently be in the House.

[Berlum]

8. Republicans hate America, but love drunks and wide-stance, diaper-sex kinksters

There's your Republicon "family values" in a nutshell.

[bulloney]

13. Boehner is also a womanizer, while we're on the subject of Republican family values.

When Boehner was a state representative, he was always seen with women in his arms, arriving and leaving social events, according to former colleagues in the Ohio House. I remember meeting with him several times in his Washington office and the alcohol and cigarette smell from him covered the room.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

43. EWWWWWWW

No accounting for taste.

[pink-o]

58. GROSS!! I can't imagine any woman wanting to get near him.

Unless she was a tobacco hag and a maudlin drunk as well. 2 criers: I don't even wanna THINK of that hotel room after they were done!

[NuclearDem]

91. Well, someone out there has to have Cheetos fever.

[BainsBane]

15. If I had to deal with those Tea Party nut jobs

I'd drink too. Heroin isn't enough to make that gig bearable. Why he wants it, I have no idea. Everyone hates him, not just us but the Teabaggers too.

[yuiyoshida]

16. Why is it that any normal human being can be fired for drinking on the job

But Senators and Congressmen seem immune? I mean, if they wanted to they could truck in crates of booze, and who is going to stop them? I guess Republicans who vote for these kinds of people, would never replace them.

[get the red out]

20. Really good question!

The double-standard is terrible. Most Americans would be facing potential job loss or at least having to sober up and walk a very narrow line to keep their job. And it's always a scandal when an elected representative with a (D) after his/her name has a drinking problem, but republicans never seem to get called out on it, or for extra-marital sex either unless it's of the gay variety.

[Jamaal510]

87. Because their voters have lower standards than Democrats. eom

[bearssoapbox]

19. They should be required to take a breathalyzer before every session.

And random drug tests.

They want to test (ordinary) people that get government benefits? Then test those that get government money, that make the decisions on how the country is run.

If they're drunk, they go home. Come back when sober.

If it happens more than once, censure them.

Under no circumstances do they get to vote on anything unless they are sober.

Tell them to sober up or the results will be made public. Just like drunk drivers.

If anyone pisses and moans about it? Tough.

You're not supposed to drive drunk and I think that making decisions on how a country is run is at least that important.

You can see the mess of having a dry drunk (supposedly, maybe he never stopped drinking) run the country after being appointed by the (not so) Supreme Court. Who knows how long it will take to clean up.

I couldn't believe that he was running for any office when I met him in the 80's when he was running for office in Ohio. Sloppy, loud, body odor, bossy to waiters, security and well, everyone that he thought was beneath him.

He was just...Repulsive on so many levels.

Do you think he was sober when he passed out those checks from big tobacco on the floor back in 1995?

They need to be sober. Test everybody, both sides.

I know it will never happen but a person can dream.

[monmouth3]

21. You make excellent points. Decisions made for us, for the country, should not be

left to a guy who is drunk. I'm sure it would be humiliating for them but they need to at least be chastised for their behavior. I've never heard of such a cavalier attitude to conducting the people's business.

[bearssoapbox]

23. It's almost surreal they way that they are acting.

If somebody told me a story about the way that the repubs are acting I wouldn't believe it.

It's hard to wrap my mind around it.

The word bizarre can't be overused.

Can't imagine what the rest of the world thinks.

[sorefeet]

22. If the guy at the quikie mart

smells like booze he gets fired. But all these fuckers walking around the house floor half shit faced can make decisions for 300 million people??? We actually let these people mock the American people like they are above any laws or decency. How about a surprise check point for these bastards. Piss in the bottle and blow in the tube. You come up hot immediate rehab or failure to comply with company policy, lose your job, just like in the real world. Boehner has an intimate relationship with alcohol, it is his first priority, not the American people. I should know, alcohol owned me for many years and when you put it down, it's a whole new world. The crew in the good ole boys drunk club think they just like to drink, truth be known the alcohol owns them too. I don't want no drunk running the country. They make all kinds of laws and rules for American drinkers but none pertaining to themselves.

[monmouth3]

24. Agreed..

[jmowreader]

25. I'm going to scare the shit out of you

Article I, Section 2 says "the House of Representatives shall chuse their speaker and other officers..." It does NOT say who they shall chuse them from...meaning that if the Republicans really, really wanted Ted Cruz to be Speaker of the House, the Constitution doesn't forbid him from resigning his Senate seat and being elevated to Speaker.

Reality: There are plenty of teabaggers even more insane than Ted Cruz who are already members of the House, so they wouldn't need to go outside the asylum to get a new speaker.

[monmouth3]

26. Interesting info, did not know that. I think Cruz's 15 are just about up..n/t

[jeff47]

64. Why would he have to resign his senate seat?

It doesn't say the speaker can't have another job.

[CreekDog]

71. if you're going to be pedantic, you should at least get it right

continually posting only the rules for speaker are the only concern of a sitting Senator is disingenuous.

Senate rules would prevent him from doing it.

Dual Government Employment

A Senate employee may not hold another non-Senate federal job if the salaries of the two positions combined exceeds $33,003 (CY 2013). 5 U.S.C. § 5533(c)(1)). A “position” means “a civilian office or position (including a temporary, part-time, or intermittent position), appointive or elective, in the legislative, executive, or judicial branch of the [federal] [g]overnment” (id., § 5531(2)).

[jeff47]

75. Ah, didn't know about the Senate rule

I wonder if he'd resign his seat. He's only in it to get ready to run for Governor. Speaker of the House fighting the "Kenyan Muslim Socialist" might work better for that.

[Inkfreak]

27. Yes, now would you serve him if you were his bartender?

I'd kick him out. No douchebags allowed.

[monmouth3]

29. I don't need his money, I'd kick him out. Not only that but he's annoying my

other customers...LOL

[KentuckyWoman]

30. I don't care. And this thread turns my stomach.

Yes I'm a newbie and I know I'm playing with fire. I'm sorry for getting all uppity with less than 200 posts under my belt but this is unseemly and IMHO beneath a progressive.

Monmouth3, my post is not so much directed to you.... I agree we need sober, thoughtful people in leadership roles - on all sides of the debate. Though I completely disagree someone else is dangerous to my health because they choose wine with lunch.... I'm talking more to some of the folks down thread.

I wish we'd just stick to the substance of the medical insurance debate this country is having and not go all personal just because it's easy.

[monmouth3]

32. It took me a long time to call out Boehner in this way. It was NOT easy. I'm a recovering alcoholic

and know exactly how bad decisions, under the influence, can be made. If you make bad decisions for yourself, that's one thing, but to have the responsibility for the people of this nation...I'm sorry, he is dangerous, he drinks during the day while working. You and I would be fired with this behavior. We are going personal, he's a big part of the debate and needs to be sober...

[retread]

33. "...wine with lunch..." What is a Cat 5 hurricane? A slight breeze?

[Tree-Hugger]

47. +1 nt

[HereSince1628]

42. Generally, commenting on armchair diagnostics is discouraged...

but one of the basics of political chauvinism is to suggest our opponent(s) is/are weaker/sicker/dumber/more flawed in some way than members of our side. So the position of what crosses the line is sometimes a fuzzy line

Name calling is part of us vs them behavior. Partisanship involves endorsing our side and disparaging the others' side.

It's not uncommon on DU or in progressive media.

Still, it's possible that the poster is/was sincere. The Speaker's fondness of happy hour has been reported on in the past, and recent postings push the idea of the R's drinking while caucusing.

[MADem]

84. It's not just "recent postings push the idea of the R's drinking while caucusing."

REPORTERS have REPORTED that they smelled booze on the floor of the House. This isn't just a bunch of keyboard kommando DUers making up posts in speculative fashion, and it's not just "progressive media" hoisting the idea either.

Here are a few links, and not all of them could be called anything CLOSE to "progressive media:"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2437272/Congress-members-seen-drinking-late-night-debate-brakes-Obamacare.html

Congress members seen 'drinking' during late-night debate as the brakes are put on Obamacare leading government to brink of a shutdown


....Accusations of drinking among House Republicans during late-night debates spread like wildfire this weekend as they brought the government ever closer to a shutdown.
Members of the political press corps made the claims from Capitol Hill on Saturday night. Politico reporter Ginger Gibson tweeted: 'I'm not over exaggerating when I say I can smell the booze wafting from members as they walk off the floor.'
There were reports from other sources of members of Congress 'putting a few back' on Penn - presumably referring to Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown DC. One reporter added that she had run into two politicians in a liquor store.

As Republicans spent hours on the floor of the House early Sunday morning, Capitol Hill reporters noticed members may have found a way to pass the time - drinking.

As noted by the Huffington Post, reporters for Politico and Buzzfeed tweeted they saw and smelled several Congressmen laying a few back while debate raged on the House floor.


Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/Congressman_drinking_while_voting_on_government_shutdown_.html#rrFRSaDsQ8klowCi.99

Congressmen Still Boozing As Government Shuts Down
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/30/congressmen-drinking_n_4020023.html

[HereSince1628]

88. 2 things...first about the reports...

The reporter that claimed smelling booze, Gibson, never was willing to name who smelled or who was seen drinking...
The reporter that claimed eyewitness of the drinking and crossing paths with reps in a liquor store, Nocera, never named names..

So I don't give much credibility to Ginger Gibson's or Kate Nocera's reporting.


As neither reporter claimed the speaker wasn't capable of functioning in his Constitutional role, we are left to assume that those calls are just sentiments of people posting.

[MADem]

92. The links I provided go back three years and they all name Boehner.

Further, Joe Scarborough names Boehner as a drunk. Bob Ney says he's a drunk. Sean Hannity says Boehner is a drunk--these aren't lefties trying to score points, these are REPUBLICANS calling the guy out. And this isn't "news"--it's been a story since the "minority leader" became the majority leader. And it's been coming from the right as much if not more than from the left: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/16/john-boehner-drinking_n_797605.html

I don't think a Congressman has to end up in a traffic stop while his stripper companion "The Argentine Firecracker" escapes by running headlong into the Tidal Basin before one recognizes that the individual has a problem with alcohol. ( I reference this historical scandal which provided a great deal of tongue wagging on the Hill : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbur_Mills#Scandal_and_retirement )

The bottom line is that when one is "impaired" at work, one's job performance suffers. There's a time and place for everything--nothing wrong with "partying" but there's everything wrong with being smashed while crafting the nation's laws. There's no excuse or justification for it. The guy needs to stop being drunk at work, get himself some help if that's an insurmountable chore, or get gone from public life.

[MADem]

80. Boehner is well known for his Merlot enthusiasm and his addiction to English cigarettes.

This isn't about choosing wine with lunch. This is about having wine before breakfast. This is about NEEDING a glass of wine when you're meeting with the President to discuss matters that impact the entire nation.

Boehner did have wine when he met with Obama some time ago--he also smoked. Obama had iced tea and nicorette. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/post/in-obama-boehner-faceoff-tea-vs-merlot-thieves-say-theyve-got-romney-tax-returns-and-celebs-in-charlotte-read-this-roundup/2012/09/06/5cb1453a-f81e-11e1-8b93-c4f4ab1c8d13_blog.html

Merlot vs. tea — An excerpt from Bob Woodward’s new book, “The Price of Politics,” paints this picture of the 2010 negotiations between House Speaker John Boehner and President Obama over the debt ceiling: in Boehner’s words, “I’m sitting there smoking a cigarette, drinking merlot, and I look across the table and there is the president of the United States drinking iced tea and chomping on Nicorette.”

I don't think it's out of line to discuss these things. I can walk and chew gum at the same time; surely we can talk about the substance of the medical insurance debate this country is having AND Boehner's addictive personality--it's not like there's a limit on the number of threads that can be started per day.

If the thread really bugs you, you can push on the little box with the X in it beside the thread title and make it disappear.

[totodeinhere]

34. Alcoholism is a disease and if he has it he needs to seek treatment.

However generally speaking at most workplaces alcoholics are offered help for their disease rather than being summarily fired. I know at least that at my workplace that is the policy. People with substance abuse problems deserve our help and compassion, not our scorn. IMO that is a progressive attitude.

[monmouth3]

37. He should go to rehab, he has the insurance...

[Sunlei]

39. The man is 3rd in line to be Pres. Someone mentally healthy needs to be in that position.

[HereSince1628]

48. Mental illness needn't be disqualifying, it's at least as common in leaders

as it is in the general population.

In A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness (Penguin), the Tufts academic psychiatrist and Harvard Medical School lecturer, Nassir Ghaemi, offers a collection of case studies of revered political and business leaders from the past century and a half. Their accomplishments, writings and speeches could together form a decent syllabus for a course in leadership and crisis management. And, according to Ghaemi, the common thread between them all—Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, J.F.K. and others—was some form of mental affliction.

[Sunlei]

57. yes, I understand. The man drinks on the job & he needs to step down and get help.

That is a critical high level position of our Government. He's 3rd inline for President. God forbid we have some disaster and Boehner is not at 100%. It's not right for his colleagues to pander & carry him.

It's not like he's in some low level desk job.

[totodeinhere]

67. If every Senator and Congressperson who had a cocktail in the Capital Building were disqualified

from serving there would be very few of them left, either Republican or Democrat.

[MADem]

85. "A cocktail" doesn't make the booze smell "waft" in such a manner that people can

smell it from a distance. Several cocktails, though, might have that effect.

[mikeysnot]

36. If you show up to work drunk

you get fired. Period.

We should have sobriety test when ever they check in to congress.

Yearly random drug testing since they think that is ok for us proles....

[Sunlei]

38. It is a fact alcohol impairs judgment. Boehner needs to be removed from his position.

Not acceptable for all those other politicians to allow this.

[sorefeet]

40. Do these people DRIVE

or do they have personal drivers to get them home after they get off from work drunk?? They go home to sober up for the next days drunk decision making job.

[B Calm]

41. I don't it's asking for much, when I say that our congress to be sober.

[KG]

44. he's just one of many.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

46. If you had to deal with the reality that this was your political party you were leading....

.....it would drive you to drinking too.

[Tikki]

50. Teacher, teacher call on me...I know the answer...it is TRUE..

Yes, Tikki it is not only TRUE but it is the ABSOLUT truth.


Tikki

[monmouth3]

51. Hahaha,,groan...n/t

[Historic NY]

53. I heard its so bad now he's even drinking it with tea..

House Minority Leader John Boehner has a reputation among Washington insiders for his hard-partying ways, but public suggestions that Boehner might have a drinking problems have been a rarity. That’s what makes MSNBC host Joe Scarborough’s remarks about the Ohio Republican’s bar-hopping habits worthy of notice.

“I hear it on the Hill, I’m sure you hear it on the Hill all the time, it’s not reported,” Scarborough told a guest from Politico on Wednesday’s Morning Joe. “But so many Republicans tell me that this is a guy that is not the hardest worker in the world.”

“After five o’clock, six o’clock at night he’s disengaged — at best,” Scarborough continued. “You can see him around town. He does not have, let’s say, the work hours of Newt Gingrich. … Every Republican I talk to says that John Boehner, by five or six at night, you can see him at bars.”

http://boehnerbooze.wordpress.com/about/

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/06/30/msnbc-host-rep-boehner-hitting-bars-5-pm/

http://www.thefix.com/content/secret-drinking-alcoholism-media8787

http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/is_john_boehner_hitting_the_bottle/

[carolinayellowdog]

59. a DC photographer friend reported Boehner at an 11 am photo op with KIDS reeking and reeling

He was appalled but not surprised that a party leader would show up shamelessly, horribly drunk at a morning event with children involved. My friend was there to take photographs at what promised to be a run-of-the-mill photo op.

I agree, this needs to be outed, thoroughly, and now. Shame on all the enablers in both parties and the media.

[Sissyk]

60. I don't think it really matters.

Half on this thread think Cruz, from the Senate, can replace him; half of America can't decide if they like ACA or Obamacare better (lol!), and half don't know the Speaker of the House is from the House.

[monmouth3]

61. Hahaha, yaaaaaaaasss, there is some confusion out there...n/t

[jeff47]

65. The Speaker of the House doesn't have to be from the House

The Constitution just says the House will elect a speaker. There is no requirement that the Speaker be a member of the House.

So yes, Cruz could be elected speaker. So could I. I think our chances are about the same, but we both meet the requirements.

[totodeinhere]

68. Actually, Cruz could replace him. The Constitution does not require that the speaker be a sitting

member of the House. However this is theoretical because it is not going to happen. If Boehner stepped down he would almost certainly be replaced by Cantor who is even more of a nutcase than Boehner is although reportedly he doesn't drink.

[Sissyk]

70. (sigh) Yes, Yes, I know.

Sorry for failing at snark. lol!

[Rex]

69. He really is, he spends most of his day pickled.

nt.

[Comrade Grumpy]

72. Is this really true or just gossip?

Has Boehner said "I'm an alcoholic"?

Does he have DUIs?

Does he have a history of alcohol-related incidents?

I admit, I haven't followed every twist and turn in the Orange Man's life story. But I hope there is some real world basis for this thread, and it's not just low-rent sliming.

[Puzzledtraveller]

73. just low rent sliming for recc's

[virgogal]

77. +1

[MADem]

86. Well, here's your real world basis....media usually isn't in the habit of calling anyone out without

something approaching a basis--and please, take note of the DATES of these articles--they weren't all written in recent days.

Joe Scarborough, Contract On America Newtie Acolyte and former GOP Congressman says this:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/06/30/msnbc-host-rep-boehner-hitting-bars-5-pm/
House Minority Leader John Boehner has a reputation among Washington insiders for his hard-partying ways, but public suggestions that Boehner might have a drinking problems have been a rarity. That’s what makes MSNBC host Joe Scarborough’s remarks about the Ohio Republican’s bar-hopping habits worthy of notice.

“I hear it on the Hill, I’m sure you hear it on the Hill all the time, it’s not reported,” Scarborough told a guest from Politico on Wednesday’s Morning Joe. “But so many Republicans tell me that this is a guy that is not the hardest worker in the world.”

“After five o’clock, six o’clock at night he’s disengaged — at best,” Scarborough continued. “You can see him around town. He does not have, let’s say, the work hours of Newt Gingrich. … Every Republican I talk to says that John Boehner, by five or six at night, you can see him at bars.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/11/05/john-boehner-brings-booze-back-to-washington.html

Return of the Boozy Politician
Nov 4, 2010 9:28 PM EDT
Bush set a dry tone for Republicans in Washington. But Tuesday's election and the rise of a certain orange-hued Ohioan put the party back in Republican Party. Prepare for John Boehner, uncorked.

MONDAY, JAN 14, 2013 02:36 PM EST
Is John Boehner hitting the bottle?
His drinking has long been a subject of speculation -- more so now with the House barreling toward its next crisis http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/is_john_boehner_hitting_the_bottle/

This guy is no fan of POTUS and he says the same thing:

Speaker John Boehner: An out-of-control drunk who can’t lead or govern?
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/49314

I rather doubt Boehner is going to stand up and say "Yeah, I am, indeed, a drunk" and keep slamming down the merlots hand over fist. He's still in profound denial. The more I think about his orange visage, the more I wonder if his tan is not sprayed on to cover a yellow tone from a failing liver....

Last but not least, get a load of THIS video, and note its provenance. It's from "New GOP Leadership NOW"--not the Dems, but the Republicans:

[Agschmid]

89. OMG no socks! He must be reading GQ!

I usually like your posts and I agree with about the first half of this post but for you to post that video is OTT in my opinion.

That video is selectively edited... It's actually choppy because it's poorly put together and it smells like a hit piece.

That being said I do not support the actions of the Speaker of the House, or the actions of any republican member of congress. But I don't think it is in good taste to post such a video regardless of my like or dislike of these politicians. This video is a hack piece no better than any of the birther shit we has to deal with.

I am frustrated by people on this website mocking his alcoholism (if it really is a problem, which it likely is) then it is no laughing matter seeing as this man controls one third of our government.

[MADem]

90. No one is "mocking" anything. They're pointing out an issue that is as obvious as the sun coming

up in the morning. The samples I posted go back three years.

The point of that "hit piece" (your term) video is that it is put out by members of his own party--it's one thing for Democrats to dislike the guy, but when his own party wants him gone, he's got issues. If I wanted to, I could provide you with a dozen other links to complaints from the right about Boehner's drinking.

And I'm sorry, those bare legs do NOT look like a sartorial choice--he looks like he lost his clothing after a hard night. If he did choose to go on television dressed like that, it suggests his judgment is flawed and he's in need of a minder. He's not Jude Law, after all.

[Agschmid]

93. It's funny to me...

That we trust this video since it's put out by "members of his own party"... The baggers? Yet we discredit EVERYTHING else they do.

We are going to disagree on this.

[MADem]

94. When you see a crew of Republicans tearing another crew of Republicans to shreds it suggests that

there is a lack of comity within the ranks. It's not a matter of "discrediting"--they are saying they don't like the guy, and providing a list of reasons why. One of the reasons is that he's an out-of-control alcoholic.

This really isn't a question anymore. Who but one shows up at a morning photo op with little kids, plastered?

And, bottom line--Boehner's little problem has been well documented down the years, with, or without, his own party making some noise at/about him.

[gopiscrap]

76. I've been thinking that for a long time also

as a "Friend of Bill" myself, I've been watching him and there have been several times he seemed drunk to me.

[monmouth3]

82. I'm afraid he's losing that "functional" label they often use...n/t