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Why Boehner doesn’t just ditch the hard right
Why Boehner doesnt just ditch the hard right
Robert Costa is the National Review's Washington editor and one of the best-sourced reporters among House Republicans. Like many others, I've relied on his reporting in recent days about how House Republicans are strategizing around the government shutdown. But it left me with some questions, particularly around Speaker John Boehner's strategy. We spoke by phone this afternoon, and a lightly edited transcript follows.
Ezra Klein: Walk me through the math of the House GOP a bit. Most people seem to think Boehner has around 100 members who largely back him and don't want a shutdown, and its a much smaller group, a few dozen or so, who want to take this to the brink. So why doesnt Boehner, after trying to do it the conservatives way as he has been in recent weeks, just say, we're voting on a clean CR now, as thats what the majority of the House Republican majority wants?
Robert Costa: Ever since Plan B failed on the fiscal cliff in January and you saw Boehner in near tears in front of his conference, hes been crippled. Hes been facing the consequences of that throughout the year. Everything from [the Violence Against Women Act] to the farm bill to the shutdown. The Boehner coup was unsuccessful but there were two dozen members talking about getting rid of him. Thats enough to cause problems. Boehners got the veterans and the committee chairs behind him, but the class of 2010 and 2012 doesnt have much allegiance to him.
The thing that makes Boehner interesting is hes very aware of his limited hand. Boehner doesnt live in an imaginary world where he thinks hes Tip ONeill and he can bring people into his office and corral them into a certain vote. So he treads carefully, maybe too carefully. But he knows a clean CR has never been an option for him.
-snip-
Full interview / transcript here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/01/why-boehner-doesnt-just-ditch-the-right/
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Why Boehner doesn’t just ditch the hard right (Original Post)
Tx4obama
Oct 2013
OP
TheMastersNemesis
(10,602 posts)1. His Role As Speaker Is More Important Than Imploding The Country.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)2. second in line to the presidency...
...after Joe Biden.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)3. Very interesting. k&r for exposure. n/t
-Laelth
BillyRibs
(787 posts)4. He won't do it,
because he's a drunkin coward! who loves power more than honer, and won't risk the loss of his deep pocketed benefactors! All the reasons to get rid of his lame ass for!