John Boehner got challenged and now he’s pissed.
Last time Boehner ran for Speaker of the House, 12 Republicans voted against him. This time around 25 voted against him. I’d call that a clue.
Others might say it’s a trend. So with that trend in mind, Boehner must teach some harsh lessons.
That’s why right after Boehner secured his third term as speaker he moved swiftly to boot two of the insurgents from the influential Rules Committee.
How dare they not be willing to kiss the ring, and represent the will of the Tea Party?
And they say this is just the beginning. But the beginning for whom?
I mentioned the trend earlier. The trend is that the Tea Party is gaining ground. More than double the number of Republicans voted against Boehner this time, than last time. Don’t think that went unnoticed by some of the younger, stronger future challengers.
Over the next two year, Boehner may find that he didn’t punish those Republican “defectors,” but instead punished himself.
As reported in Politico:
Boehner’s allies have thirsted for this kind of action from the speaker, saying he’s let people walk all over him for too long and is too nice to people who are eager to stab him in the back. The removal of Florida Reps. Daniel Webster and Richard Nugent from Rules was meant as a clear demonstration that what Boehner and other party leaders accepted during the previous Congress is no longer acceptable, not with the House’s biggest GOP majority in decades.
The reason for demoting the two Florida Republicans was simple: Webster ran against Boehner for speaker, distributing fliers outlining his candidacy and talking about how he would better adhere to the House rules than the Ohio Republican. Nugent supported his fellow Floridian in the quixotic endeavor, which garnered the support of 12 lawmakers. Webster didn’t even give Boehner a heads-up that he was running, although leadership was aware early Tuesday morning that it could happen.
What Boehner should have done is reward the people who would dare question the methodology of the Republicans. If the election of 2014 was anything, it was a wake-up call for all politicians. Because the Republicans are benefactors of the results, they can’t see the writing on the wall.
