The GOP has a raging hard decision to make after Speaker of the House John Boehner’s, R-Ohio, announcement Friday. After almost five years of an iron grip on the speaker’s gavel, Boehner will let another aspiring GOP leader take a whack at it.
His announcement could not come at a more pivotal time. In the midst of a mad dash of presidential candidates to eat every bacon-wrapped riblet on a stick Iowa has to offer, Congress is desperately trying to pass a budget before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.
At least, some of Congress is. Others, like climate change-denying koala bear Ted Cruz, R-Texas, are threatening to shut down the government unless the budget is stripped of any funding for Planned Parenthood.
The lack of unity is partly due to political polarization. Democrats are no longer content with the left of center kind of politics offered by former Governor of Maryland Martin O’Malley. They want a true blue Nordic-system-loving socialist like presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.
The problem for the GOP, however, comes on more than one front. The rise of the Tea Party and other far-right political movements brought the party as a whole further right.
However, the deeper issue with Republicans has nothing to do with the substance of their political beliefs. It has everything to do with the procedural application of their beliefs and failure to lead.
Republicans made their name during the Obama presidency as the party of no. Whatever the president suggested, Republicans refused to consider. In former Ohio Senator George Voinovich’s words, “If he was for it, we had to be against it.”
Boehner believed in and supported this strategy throughout his tenure as Speaker. Under his reign, the GOP controlled house voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Lucifer’s manifesto, in its entirety six times and partially 54 times if you stop counting in 2014.
Despite decrying Cruz as a “false prophet” Sunday on “Face the Nation” and reportedly a “jackass” at a fundraiser in August, Boehner perpetuated and sanctioned the same kind of opposition Cruz bathes in.
Boehner’s departure is a bittersweet moment for all involved. For many hard-line conservatives, he couldn’t leave quickly enough. To them, the orange-skinned crybaby from Ohio was the symbol of everything wrong with GOP leadership.
For moderates and Democrats, it’s an omen of things to come. Boehner is part of a dying breed, Republican congressmen willing to compromise for the sake of passing legislation.
His likely successor Kevin McCarthy, R-California, promised to take harder stances on issues, but hasn’t given any specifics on how exactly he would lead the House. We can only hope he’ll bring some much needed order to the fiasco, but I’m not optimistic.
It remains to be seen whether Boehner will be able to get House Republicans to pass a budget, but one thing’s for sure ­— the Congressional tanning bed will get more use than ever.
Jack Richards is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from New Orleans, Louisiana. You can follow him on Twitter @jayellrichy.