Even when they don’t show up for work, House Republicans are consumed by chaos and dysfunction. It is being reported that several groups of conservative House Republicans are plotting to overthrow Speaker John Boehner.
For months, several clusters of conservative lawmakers have been secretly huddling inside and outside the Capitol, plotting to oust John Boehner from the Speaker’s office when House Republicans regroup after the November elections.
The strategy — for now — seems disorganized and fluid: Find a way to push the Speaker’s race to a second ballot, create turmoil in the conference, portray Boehner as highly vulnerable and offer up an alternative.
Boehner’s supporters suggest that he is stronger than ever, but the House Republican leadership is also considering changing the rules to protect the Ohio Republican’s job. Under the plan being considered, anyone who votes for Boehner during the private Republican election in November, but changes their vote during the public roll call vote in January would be stripped of all committee assignments. The House leadership is concerned that as many as 30-40 Republicans could vote against Boehner.
Not surprisingly, Boehner’s fate could be tied to the outcome of the 2014 midterms. If Republicans win the Senate, the calls to dump Boehner will die down, but if Democrats keep the Senate, heads may roll, and the first head could belong to John Boehner. Instead of passing bills and doing their jobs, plotting to overthrow Boehner seems to occupy a lot of Republican time.
As long as Republicans control the House, this is the sort of chaos and dysfunction that the American people can look forward to. The Republican Party can’t stop fighting with itself. With only weeks to until a critical November election, Republicans are melting down under the weight of their systemic dysfunction.
The Republican Party is a broken down mess that can’t govern itself much less the rest of the country. There is no good reason why a unified Democratic Party shouldn’t keep control of the Senate and continue to win presidential elections. A split Republican Party should be easy pickings for Democrats for years to come.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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