Charles Pierce: The Essential Uselessness of John Boehner

[eridani]

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/28800-the-essential-uselessness-of-john-boehner

It has long been the opinion of the management of this shebeen that obvious anagram Reince Priebus is the emptiest suit in American politics. I see no reason to change that now. However, as this ongoing brawl between the Republican majorities in the two houses of the national legislature makes painfully clear, Speaker of the House John Boehner is making a strong bid to overtake Priebus, even though their problems are quite nearly the same. Priebus's suit is empty because being the chairman of the Republican National Committee doesn't mean a whole helluva lot when you've got a flock of gozillionnaires willing to finance the campaigns of people that the RNC would rather not see traipsing around the landscape with their underwear on their heads. What power does Priebus have over Sheldon Adelson? Or the Kochs? Or any of the other panjandrums who can construct entire presidential candidacies from deep in their vaults? Similarly, Boehner has no apparent control of his majority because so many of them are from safe Republican districts and can find electoral sustenance from the same new universe of sources on which the presidential candidates can call. It is unimaginable that Boehner would threaten a recalcitrant conservative House member with a primary. He'd get laughed at. The fact is that almost every former source of political power in the Republican party has been rendered largely a figurehead.

Thus does he find himself being outmaneuvered in the ongoing cockfight over tying the funding for the Department of Homeland Security to the president's executive orders on immigration. Thus do we find Boehner looking for a way out and flopping around like a trout in the canoe.

And on Wednesday morning, Mr. Boehner and House Republicans emerged from their private meeting saying they had no plans to act until the Senate actually sent them a bill. "I don't know what the Senate's capable of passing, and until I see what they're going to pass, no decisions have been made on the House side," Mr. Boehner said. "The House has done its job to fund the Department of Homeland Security and to stop the president's overreach on immigration, and we're waiting for the Senate to do their job."

[B Calm]

1. If the house drama queens don't like the president's executive action on immigration, they could

either wait until the courts rule if it was constitutional or do their damn job and pass an immigration bill that will pass through the senate. There was a crisis on the border with all these young kids coming up from South America and the president reacted because the do nothing republican congress didn't! So now we have these drama queens bringing attention to their made up crisis by calling Obama an emperor and making a big deal by not funding the homeland security.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. The racist bastards who vote Republican will accept nothing less than a purge....

They want America to be "Whites Only" and the sad thing is, they think it WAS at one time. If not during their father's than during their grandfather's or great-grandfather's time.

You know,.....before Liberals came along and ruined everything.

[B Calm]

2. John Boehner is useless and a coward for not standing up to the teapublicans.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. he loves the trappings of power, but not the actual governing.

And to be fair, the trappings are quite impressive, regal almost. Not only does he get additional income, additional staff, constant access to the media on his terms, and the loving attention of the most powerful and well funded PACs and lobbyists, he gets the title. The downside is he is like a poorly trained, bad tempered, teacher's assistant of an unruly kindergarden class whose class size just tripled, without any additional staff, and someone forgot to give any of the kids their ADHD meds.

[1StrongBlackMan]

6. I dislike boehner and wish him as much failure ...

as he can muster, while in office; but, why do people keep calling him a coward for not standing up to the teapublicans? The teapublicans make up a significant and influential faction within his caucus. His role as leader of that caucus means he must cater to them.

True ... they do, and stand for, sh!t Democrats don't like and make governing impossible; but, ALL republicans do, and stand for, sh!t Democrats don't like and governing has not been in the gop calculus since bush the 2nd.

[riderinthestorm]

8. Boehner's a coward because he won't build a coalition with Dems

and actually, you know, govern. Try to actually help people by getting shit done.

He's afraid to do that because he'll get chucked out of his cushy Speakers gig by the Tea Party Republicans.

THAT'S why he's a coward. He's too afraid to do the right thing.

[1StrongBlackMan]

12. Really? ...

Funny ... DU has consistently criticized President Obama for seeking to build a coalition with republicans to actually govern.

Boehner is not a coward for doing his job is, i.e., catering to a significant and influential faction of his caucus.

[riderinthestorm]

13. Please post anything from me criticizing Obama for coalition building

I'll wait.

And I fundamentally disagree with you. Boehner's a coward because he won't split this bill and make it a clean vote on both issues independently, something the Dems want, and would actually be an act of governance - that very thing he was elected to do.

[1StrongBlackMan]

14. I haven't followed you closely enough to say ...

you have criticized President Obama for coalition building; but that is NOT what I said ... I referenced DU, and I'm pretty certain you will not deny the bi-partisanship criticism, here.

As I said, republicans do, and stand for, a lot of sh!t that Democrats don't like ... their refusal to do anything that Democrats might like and/or governing being two of them.

But a republican leader not declaring war on/ignoring a significant faction of his caucus is NOT a sign of cowardice.

[riderinthestorm]

17. Well we just disagree then. Nt

[1StrongBlackMan]

18. Disagree about what ...

DU's constant criticism of President Obama for seeking bi-partisanship in order to govern?

Or, whether boehner is a coward for pursuing the interests of the republican party?

[BlancheSplanchnik]

3. :) k&r for Charles Pierce!!!

[sarge43]

4. "....traipsing around the landscape with their underwear on their heads."

The House Repubs in one elegant phrase

Bravo, Mr Pierce, bravo.

[libodem]

15. Thank you

That cracked me up, too. I got such a strong visual.

It slayed me!

[sarge43]

19. Yeah, but I tried to avoid the visual.

I'm running low on brain bleach.

[Enthusiast]

7. John Boehner's uselessness is essential.

[tblue37]

9. That's not a bug--it's a feature. nt

[riderinthestorm]

10. The ramifications of Citizens United continue to reverberate

the fact that every single source of political power has been rendered a figurehead because people like the Koch brothers are simply buying representatives out from under them.

What does the leadership have to offer anyone any more? A good committee position? Ted Cruz et al have proven that's not necessarily attractive anymore either.

[mountain grammy]

11. As with most of Charlie Pierce's work: K & R

[Octafish]

20. Plan of Inaction

As long as nothing gets done in Congress, the plutocrats are happy. Boehner and Co. have done their job.

Of course, We the People get stuck with "the bill."

Thank you for the heads-up, eridani: The title alone deserves a bookmark.

[Shrike47]

21. I fear any replacement of Boehner would be totally anti-compromise on all issues.

The Pukes seem to be made up in large part of a whole lot of people who are committed to no compromise under any circumstances. I view them as similar to radical religionists Nd I fear them.