House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) on Thursday told “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno that Republicans were to blame for the government shutdown last fall.
“I told my colleagues in July I didn’t think shutting down the government over Obamacare would work because the president said I’m not going to negotiate,” he said. “And so I told them in August, probably not a good idea. Told them in early September. But when you have my job, there’s something you have to learn. When I looked up, I saw my colleagues going this way. You learn that a leader without followers is simply a man taking a walk. So I said, do you want to fight this fight? I’ll go fight the fight with you. But it was a very predictable disaster.”
Boehner talked about his frustrations in dealing with his rebellious GOP caucus.
“With some members, I have to be the big brother figure. Some, I have to be the father figure. Others, I have to be the dean of students or the principal. Some of them, I have to be the Gestapo,” he said.
