The Resignation of John Boehner

[garbon]

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/john-boehner-will-resign-as-speaker/407374/

John Boehner will resign as speaker of the House at the end of October and leave Congress, choosing to end his tumultuous tenure rather than fight a conservative revolt against his leadership.

Boehner had battled conservatives aligned with the Tea Party for most of his nearly five years as speaker, and in recent weeks they had threatened to try to oust him from power if did not pursue a strategy of defunding Planned Parenthood that would have likely led to a government shutdown. Conservatives said that if Boehner failed to fight on the government spending bill, they would call up a procedural motion to "vacate the chair" and demand the election of a new speaker. Facing the likelihood that he would need Democrats to save him, Boehner instead chose to step down. In one of his last acts as speaker, Boehner is now expected to defy conservatives by bringing up a funding bill that would prevent a government shutdown beginning next week but that would not cut money from Planned Parenthood.

Boehner announced the news to House Republicans in a private party meeting in the basement of the Capitol. "It is my view," he said in a statement afterward, "that prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution." In the afternoon, he walked into a press conference like a man unburdened, singing the old Disney classic "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" and alternating between laughs and tears.

Boehner told the assembled reporters he had planned to leave Congress at the end of 2014, but his plans changed after his chief deputy and likely successor, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, lost in one of the biggest electoral upsets in U.S. history. Boehner's decision comes just a day after what was arguably his most memorable moment as speaker: The Irish Catholic son of a barkeep hosted Pope Francis in the first-ever address by a pontiff to Congress. And it seemed the pope's message had at least some impact on the timing of the speaker's decision.

Boehner said he had originally wanted to announce on November 17—his 66th birthday—that he would step down at the end of the year. But the conservative threat to depose him moved up the timetable, and when he woke up Friday on the morning after meeting the pope, he said to himself, "Today is the day I'm going to do this."

He resisted, however, the notion that conservatives had forced his hand.
"I can tell you, if I wasn't planning on leaving here soon, I would not have done this," Boehner said. The famously-emotional speaker broke down several times during his 15-minute news conference, most notably when he recounted a private moment he shared with Pope Francis. As they were leaving the Capitol on Thursday, the pontiff took the speaker aside and asked him to pray for him. "Who am I to pray for the pope," a deeply-humbled Boehner told reporters. "But I did."

By ballot or by pressure, conservatives have now succeeded in toppling the top two Republican leaders of the House within a span of 15 months. Boehner's announcement sets off a race to succeed him, with Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, the second-ranking Republican in the House, the early favorite to take his post. Another popular House Republican, Representative Paul Ryan, immediately took himself out of the running, according to the Washington Post's Paul Kane. "It's McCarthy," the 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee said Friday. Ryan later put out a statement in which he called Boehner's decision to resign "an act of pure selflessness."

Boehner, 65, was first elected to the House in 1990 and, as he frequently reminds reporters, was himself part of a group of conservative rabble-rousers during his first decade in Congress. He rose to a position in the leadership before being ousted in 1998. He returned to committee work, playing a key role in the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act under President George W. Bush. Boehner then worked his way back up the leadership ladder, first becoming minority leader and then speaker after Republicans reclaimed the House majority in the 2010 election.

While it was well-known that Boehner's job was in jeopardy, his announcement Friday morning came as a shock. He has insisted in recent weeks that he was unconcerned about the potential conservative mutiny, with his spokesmen saying he wasn't "going anywhere." But the end came rapidly, less than 24 hours after Boehner stood weeping next to the pontiff on a Capitol balcony, overlooking throngs of people gathered to see Pope Francis.

[Eddie Teach]

Republicans don't seem to want a majority. 

[PJL]

Ideological purity is more effective in getting their message across than a majority.

[mongers]

"Pope topples republican majority in House"

He certainly moves in mysterious ways.   

[HisMajestyBOB]

Looks like they'll get a continuing resolution through to fund things until December. Then we can have a holiday fight over both the budget and the debt ceiling. Federal workers better start saving up to buy Christmas presents, because they're not getting that December paycheck in December.

[Razgovory]

Boehner will have a freer hand to negotiate.  If possible I think he'll try things in order for an entire year or more.  I doubt it would help the GOP to have a government shutdown in September of next year.

[HisMajestyBOB]

What I saw from the Post, before the article got buried among the billion of "Boehner resigned!" articles, was that they're going to go with a Defund Planned Parenthood for Obama to veto, and a clean CR for 2 or so months. Boehner might want to do a CR for a year, but he won't get enough of the GOP to get on board.

[MadImmortalMan]

Short-term: no shutdown. Long-term: TP owns Congress.

[Razgovory]

What I saw from the Post, before the article got buried among the billion of "Boehner resigned!" articles, was that they're going to go with a Defund Planned Parenthood for Obama to veto, and a clean CR for 2 or so months. Boehner might want to do a CR for a year, but he won't get enough of the GOP to get on board.

I'm not so sure he won't get enough of the GOP on-board.  How many would he need if he got mostly Democrats?  Since he won't be beholden to the Republican caucus he can afford to tell most of the GOP to fuck off.  Having a budget crisis in late 2016 would be self destructive.  Such a crisis could cost the Republicans a presidential victory.  If they win the Presidency they would be in a much better position on the budget.  Presumably there at least a few Republicans smart enough to know that.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Aw man, who will become a blubbering crybaby every time anything even semi-important happens now?

[Capetan Mihali]

I like his emotionalism.  My grandad (mother's stepfather) was also a diehard Republican who welled up with tears at animal movies and during every holiday meal.

[garbon]

http://news.yahoo.com/conservatives-2016-gop-field-defy-us-own-peril-174953495--election.html

Conservatives to 2016 GOP field: Defy us at your own peril

The Republican Party's conservative wing, pumped up by House Speaker John Boehner's stepping down, is warning the 2016 presidential candidates that defying its wishes will come at their peril.

Religious activists forcefully conveyed this message Saturday: embrace our uncompromising stance against abortion rights and gay marriage, among other priorities, even if doing so risks a federal government shutdown.

An emboldened conservative movement signals fresh trouble for White House candidates viewed by the party's frustrated base as insufficiently committed to their cause. Chief among them is former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

"Conservatives are on fire at the moment," said Gary Bauer, a former president of the Family Research Council. He was among the featured speakers at the Values Voter annual conference that brought an estimated 2,000 evangelical activists to Washington this weekend.

Boehner's announcement that he would resign from Congress by the end of October came without warning Friday, nearly four months before voting begins in the presidential primary. His decision revealed a deep divide within the GOP that raises questions about the party's ability to unite behind one candidate next spring.

Hard-line conservatives were deeply disappointed with the last two Republican presidential nominees — former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Arizona Sen. John McCain. Boehner was unpopular among conservative activists, and his resignation will give them new hope that the party may choose a candidate who energizes the most passionate voters, even if that nominee is seen as less attractive to a general election crowd.

A co-founder of the tea party movement said Boehner was just another of the establishment figures taken down by frustrated conservatives. "Today, the insurgency is more emboldened than ever and looks to even further dominate the presidential elections in 2016," said Mark Meckler. "Our influence is growing."

In the crowded hallways of the Values Voter conference, 60-year-old Alvin Kaddatz said the turmoil on Capitol Hill sends a clear message to the presidential field. "They need to be listening to what the people are saying," said Kaddatz, who sells farm equipment in Hillsboro, Texas. "They need to follow through on their promises. And if they don't, elections have consequences."

It's unclear whether grass-roots conservatives can back up their tough talk.

But in an undeniably anti-establishment climate, the leading presidential contenders appear to be complying, for now.

Most support a tea party-backed measure to strip federal dollars from the women's health care provider Planned Parenthood as part of budget negotiations, even if such a move causes a partial government shutdown as early as this coming week.

Polls show a majority of voters oppose such brinkmanship over this issue. Republicans were largely blamed the last time government shutdown over funding for the Affordable Care Act, which lasted 16 days in 2013.

Who's indicated a willingness to take it that far? Businessman Donald Trump; Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas; former technology executive Carly Fiorina; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; Govs. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Chris Christie of New Jersey; and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

All those in the race want to strip the money from Planned Parenthood, but only a few want to do that without risking a shutdown. Put Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich in this category. That does little to help's Bush's standing with conservatives, already skeptical of his commitment to their principles.

Bush was a noticeable omission from the Values Voter speaking program. He cited a scheduling conflict.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, which hosted the weekend conference, was surprised by Bush's absence.

"He needs to do well with this voting bloc," Perkins said of social conservatives. "Especially where he's at now in the polls. He needs all the help he can get."

Bush's team cited 14 public and private meetings with religious conservative leaders since April, suggesting that his absence from the Values Voter summit did not signal a lack of commitment to their priorities.

For Arlie Olsen, 64, who raises pigs in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, Boehner's departure was "a good omen for where the country may be headed."

Olsen offered a message to his party's 2016 class: "It is going to be really hard for a candidate to win if they don't have the backing of this group."

Insurgency?

Anyway yeah, probably best for the GOP to double down on outmoded ideas.

[Razgovory]

I'm not exactly clear what they think they can do on the gay marriage front.  The Supreme Court ruled.  There's not much recourse after that beyond changing the Constitution.

[katmai]

I'm not exactly clear what they think they can do on the gay marriage front.  The Supreme Court ruled.  There's not much recourse after that beyond changing the Constitution.

"You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons."

[OttoVonBismarck]

I think the coalition between establishment Republicans, small government conservatives, and the religious right has finally come undone. The Tea Party draws from the small c conservatives and the religious right and it's attractive to the least intelligent and most uncompromising of those groups. They don't have the numbers to win, say, a national election, or even a majority of GOP House Caucus (we're talking around 60 or roughly 1/3rd of the caucus), but since they are willing to primary any other GOP that doesn't do what they say they've leveraged themselves to the point that nothing is done they don't approve of--and since they don't approve of anything but shutting down the government until Obama leaves and then repealing every law he passed I foresee great political and electoral difficulty for the GOP in the future.

Part of me actually hopes we end up nominating one of the complete loon candidates for the Presidency, because it'll finally expose the lie that all we need to recapture the White House is a "true conservative." Instead it'll show that you win even fewer states in the Electoral College than Romney (basically you'll only win the Southeast and a few depopulated Western States like Wyoming) and hopefully implode the GOP to such a degree that it essentially has to reform.