The Fall of Boehner (And GOP Sanity)

What a week for those who follow politics. A lot happened. A visit from the Holy See. The White House hosted a China state dinner admidst cyber hacking allegations. Governor Scott Walker suspended his presidential campaign. President Putin of Russia met with President Obama despite fierce animosity over Ukraine and Syria. A looming government shutdown was barely avoided. And the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, announced his retirement and relinquishment of the gavel.

My brain nearly overloaded just writing that. Each event was serious and consequential in its own right. But, by way of tradition, I will be analyzing the one story that highlights the problems of the Republican party. Like a broken record, I know. The truth is: it's just too easy to mock the GOP.

Speaker Boehner was, and is, a conservative. Looking at his record one can see that he followed the Republican platform to a tee. A number of special interest groups ranked him in high regard, i.e. NRA, Pro-Life Groups, Conservative Tax Organizations, you name it. Unfortunately, it isn't enough these days. The party has moved so far to the right, so extreme in its ideology, that no "conservative" can ever vote with, talk to, compromise between, or negotiate with a liberal or Democrat.

Governance is not a goal for the Freedom Caucus, a group of legislators who ascribe to pure conservative principles. Any legislation that relies on a compromise with the opposing party is viewed with suspicion, contempt. It is much more important to make one's conservative views known, even if it involves symbolic, but pointless, parliamentary exercises.

Such is the reality in today's Congress. A splinter in the Republican party has resulted in the resignation of Speaker Boehner. Mr. Boehner knew that he was going to face a fight for his speakership. All because he refused to engage in a tactic that was doomed to fail. The "purest of pure conservatives" wanted to shutdown the government over Planned Parenthood funding. Mr. Boehner did not.

Believe it or not there are still some Republicans who believe that laws must be passed -- like necessary spending bills. They understand the dynamics of having three branches of government, of two chambers in Congress, of the mathematical requirement to override a Presidential veto. Some Republicans think that conservative values can be advanced through compromise and regular order.

I fear that this is only the beginning. On the right side of the political spectrum there is a deep desire for hyperbolic statements or gestures. The rise of Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina reflect this. The truth is no longer relevant. Fiorina has double-downed on falsehoods directly to Fox News after being challenged by the friendly-to-Republican network. It is more important to control the narrative rather than surrender to actuality.

The fall of the Speaker of the House was just a symptom of a much larger problem. We have one of the two major political parties unable to function. The GOP now resembles an anarchic insurgent collective. Its mission is to destroy government, not operate within it. John Boehner was not a friend to Democrats, but he will certainly be missed.

To Sue or Not to Sue, That is the (Politically Driven) Question

Hamlet is one of my favorite Shakespearean plays. It is a tragedy that ends in the demise of almost all the characters, but it addresses a range of deep themes and motifs. One such theme is inaction. Enter Speaker of The House, John Boehner.

Recently, Speaker Boehner announced that he was considering a lawsuit against President Obama. Yes, I'm serious (he has some time on his hands). In a press conference, Boehner bemoaned the executive actions of the President, but when he spoke, he failed to mention any particular violations with specificity. Despite this oversight, he was indignantly confident that Obama was failing to execute the laws of the land. Ergo a lawsuit is required; the king must be stopped in his tracks.

The media loved the drama of course -- being more akin to a reality show than an actual policy question.

But, in reality, it is quite sad that our conservative leaders have decided that this is the best course of action for our country. Instead of introducing any bipartisan (bills devoid of poison pills, i.e. amendments to repeal Obamacare, EPA requirements, and food stamps) legislation or allowing Senate-passed bills to come to the House floor, Boehner has elected for litigation.

There is a hint of bad faith here. The Republicans in Congress have refused to entertain any compromise whatsoever. It is a bad word -- and can hurt them in the primaries. Thus, it is in their interest to block, obfuscate, delay, filibuster, and complain. The added benefit is that it undermines the public's opinion about the federal government.

When you run on a platform that all government is bad, it is in your interest to clog any federal action. Not only does it stop the federal government from accomplishing anything, it harms the people's faith in public institutions. Private corporations and states get to fill the void -- just as they wanted and advocated for.

Moreover, the GOP's reasoning has been unsound on this issue. When Boehner said that he did not want to embrace comprehensive immigration reform, he cited the lack of faith that he had in the President to execute the law. Senate Schumer cleverly and quickly retorted that they could approve immigration reform now, but delay its implementation until after President Obama's second term. Boehner declined. He did not provide a justification.

Just like Hamlet, Boehner is plagued by his inability to act. He cannot control his conference. He is unable to pass anything at all -- although resolutions, symbolic gestures, are now popular. Further, Boehner cannot formulate a winning strategy for Republicans in Congress. In the end, he will end up hurting the party -- like when Hamlet stabbed himself with his own poisoned-laced blade.

You see, Americans are smart enough to figure out that intransigence is not beneficial for the country. To the contrary, if we do not compromise, we will fall behind the rest of the world. People, independents and moderates, will eventually see what the lawsuit is all about: faux outrage to get the die-hard conservatives to the polls. 

There is truly something rotten in the United States. And I fear that lest we do something about it, it could end up bad for all of us. Certainly, that would be a tragedy.