Speaker Boehner to quit in October

The Republican Party has become the party of the strange. Or what do you call the baker’s dozen or so who want to represent it next year in the billion dollar(s)-plus presidential sweepstake?

As of Friday morning (Sept. 25) the party and its future just became even more weird. The New York Times and The Washington Post both are reporting that House Speaker John Boehner, under pressure from ultra-conservative members of the party he leads, will resign from office next month.

As Speaker of the House, Boehner is third in line to the president in terms of succession, making him one of the most powerful individuals, politically speaking, in the country. Hailing from Ohio, Mr. Boehner was first elected to Congress in 1990.

The New Times reported that “most recently, Mr. Boehner, 65, was trying to craft a solution to keep the government open through the rest of the year, but was under pressure from a growing base of conservatives who told him that they would not vote for a bill that did not defund Planned Parenthood. Several of those members were on a path to remove Mr. Boehner as speaker, though their ability to do so was far from certain.”

It was reported that Mr. Boehner’s announcement caught everyone by surprise. Initially there was “stunned silence,” people present during the announcement said. It was later followed by three standing ovations during his speech.

[I wonder if the ovations were because he was leaving…]

“The resignation will end a nearly five-year reign as speaker, allowing House Republicans to approve a short-term government funding bill that will avert a shutdown of federal agencies. Boehner’s hold on the speaker’s gavel had grown increasingly unsteady amid threats from more than 30 Republicans that they would force a no-confidence vote in his speaker’s position, which would have forced him to rely on Democratic votes in order to remain in charge. Several GOP members told The Washington Post that Boehner would step down from Congress Oct. 31,” reported The Washington Post.

The Speaker had met with the Pope before the pontiff’s address to the Congress, “the fulfillment of a 20-year dream for Mr. Boehner,” reported The New York Times. He was seen crying yesterday (Sept. 24), at the side of the Pope, as the pontiff addressed a mass of people standing outside of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

As to who will succeed him, Mike deBonis and and Paul Kane, who redacted The Washington Post story, speculated that  “his [Mr. Boehner’s] likely successor is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the No. 2 GOP leader who has been in office less than 10 years. McCarthy has widespread support in the Republican Conference, but many believe he lacks the political and tactical gravitas to be a force in the House. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Friday he didn’t want the job.”