The current situation in Washington surrounding the announced resignation of John Boehner from his position as House Speaker looks like a slow motion train wreck, which is, in fact, a fairly accurate description. Unfortunately, John Boehner’s actions since becoming Speaker have made this necessary, and the good news is that America has survived plenty of political train wrecks in the past, and hopefully this will end with the train finally heading in the right direction.
Kevin McCarthy’s sudden withdrawal from the race has the political world stunned and confused, with the exception of Conservatives who are reacting with high-fives and end zone celebrations. Replacing John Boehner with Kevin McCarthy would have been a bigger mistake than replacing Nancy Pelosi with John Boehner. Had House Republicans decided to go with someone who would only be ‘more of the same’, they would have gotten more than just ‘more of the same’ from Conservatives who have put far too much effort into bringing Boehner down to just accept it.
The amazing part of this is that the left-wing of the House GOP act as though they are surprised that any of this is happening, and they are making the mistake of believing they can ride this out by continuing to ignore the will of the voters. This has been building for a very long time, and it has not been kept as a secret. How much warning did they need?
The fall of both Boehner and McCarthy did not happen by chance. Conservative Republicans in the House have chafed under the leadership of these two left-wing Republicans and have been catching a lot of flak from their voters back home. The voters rightly believe they have been betrayed by the GOP, and Conservatives in the House are not willing to take the blame. If they do elect another Speaker who promises to deliver ‘more of the same’, they should know that they will be held accountable for doing so.
What this fight illustrates, and it seems to have been missed by the pundits, is that Republicans who are willing to stand up and fight for their principles are able to bring about great change even if they don’t have a lock on power. Republican leaders have been hiding behind Obama as an excuse for not standing up to and fighting his agenda, and that excuse has just been laid bare. It is worth noting that Sen. Ted Cruz, who is not even a member of the House, has been given the blame, or as I see it, the credit for forcing McCarthy out of contention. Cruz, who Mrs. McConnell’s little boy Rand recently said was “pretty much done for” in the Senate, also won a round on immigration when McConnell capitulated to Cruz on Kate’s Law.
Cruz did all of this without controlling the White House.
John Boehner would not be in the position he is in if he had demonstrated that much backbone in standing up for conservative principles. If Ted Cruz can have that much effect on both the Senate and the House, just imagine what we could accomplish with someone like Ted Cruz as House Speaker, Senate Majority Leader, and President.
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