WaPo: Has John Boehner lost control?

[marmar]

Has John Boehner lost control?
By Greg Sargent


In order to increase pressure on House Republicans to pass the Senate compromise on the two-month payroll tax cut extension, Dems are pointing out that John Boehner seemed to previously indicate that the House GOP would support it — before getting an earful from his caucus and nixing his backing of the plan.

The idea Dems are pushing is that Boehner has lost control of the volatile Tea Party wing of his caucus and is unable to muster unity among House Republicans behind a proposal that passed the Senate by 89 votes. Dems are casting the House vote on the Senate compromise as a key test of his leadership, arguing that a No vote will show Boehner las lost control — a storyline Republicans reject.

Democrats are still hoping that by increasing the pressure on Republicans, the Senate extension could pass the House today. House Dem leaders have now sent a letter to Dem members urging them to vote for the measure in “overwhelming” numbers, a Dem aide tells me. If the vast majority of Dems support it, only around two dozen Republicans would have to vote Yes in order for it to pass. Nancy Pelosi has denounced the House GOP’s latest maneuver as a “made up crisis.”

Speaking to reporters today, Boehner insisted that the Senate compromise would not pass the House and that he had never supported it. “I raised concerns about the two-month process from the moment that I heard about it,” Boehner said. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/has-john-boehner-lost-control/2011/12/19/gIQAW0Gc4O_blog.html?hpid=z1

[PeaceNikki]

1. Shenanigans. That would imply he once had a grasp of control.

[MADem]

2. This is quite rich, and doesn't even have to be true.

The fact that WAPO is asking is enough to undermine.

[marmar]

3. Exactly what I was thinking.

nt

[WI_DEM]

4. He never had control

the tea party runs his ass. He knows if he doesn't give in to their demands that next time they'll run one of their candidates against him. Of course, I'm hoping that after two years of tea party control of the house that the American people will kick them to the curb and we'll have Speaker Pelosi back.

[MarianJack]

5. Your post is almost...

...word for word what I was about to say. Thanx!

PEACE!

[grantcart]

7. +1

[racaulk]

9. Exactly.

[tjwash]

6. Has the Boehner gone limp? Story hopefully coming "up" after these messages!

[FSogol]

8. He's definitely losing his orange coloring. Maybe adding raw egg to his diet

will make his coat shiny again?

[starroute]

10. Maddow has been pushing the "John Boehner is bad at his job" idea for a while

As far back as last February -- just a few weeks into the new session of Congress -- Maddow was suggesting that Boehner simply wasn't able to control his own caucus. One of her producers, Laura Conaway, wrote about it at the Maddow Blog the next day (video at link):

http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/16/6064374-i-think-john-boehner-is-bad-at-his-job

Whether it's being unable to win votes his party proposes, or deliver promised spending cuts, or focus on that priority he said was his priority, or get the messaging right on jobs, new Republican House Speaker John Boehner has had a tough go of it so far.

Last night on the show, Rachel Maddow floated a theory:

"... And when you look at the evidence, regardless of what you think about the Republicans' agenda, whether you are for it or against it, I think John Boehner is bad at his job."


(See also Conaway's entry from yesterday on the latest fiasco: http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/19/9556120-theory-a-john-boehner-is-bad-at-his-job-payroll-tax-cut-edition )

[deacon]

11. Funny he doesn't cry when he is screwing the middle class. n/t

[FarCenter]

12. It's only a matter of time until Cantor seizes control