Boehner Tells House G.O.P. to Fall in Line [View all]

[TomCADem]

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — On a conference call with House Republicans a day after the party’s electoral battering last week, Speaker John A. Boehner dished out some bitter medicine, and for the first time in the 112th Congress, most members took their dose.

Their party lost, badly, Mr. Boehner said, and while Republicans would still control the House and would continue to staunchly oppose tax rate increases as Congress grapples with the impending fiscal battle, they had to avoid the nasty showdowns that marked so much of the last two years.

Members on the call, subdued and dark, murmured words of support — even a few who had been a thorn in the speaker’s side for much of this Congress.

It was a striking contrast to a similar call last year, when Mr. Boehner tried to persuade members to compromise with Democrats on a deal to extend a temporary cut in payroll taxes, only to have them loudly revolt.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/us/politics/boehner-tells-house-gop-to-fall-in-line.html?google_editors_picks=true&_r=0

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Can you imagine Nancy Pelosi needing to wait two years after becoming Speaker needing to tell her caucas to fall into line? This is just a reminder that one of the underreported stories is that Boehner is one of the weakest speakers in the history of the House. The reason why he walked away from "grand bargain" negotiations was not his fault, but that he discovered that he would not be able to get his members to vote for ANY package that could make President Obama look like he could close a deal. In other words, Boehner knew he had to fail on purpose!

The media has given Boehner a tremendous free pass in comparison to Nancy Pelosi. Remember all the attention on Bart Stupak? The fact of the matter is that Boehner knows that he needs to look over his shoulder at Kantor and Ryan and the moment he strays from the Grover Norquist tax pledge, they Norquist and Limbaugh will replace him with someone more malleable.