House Democrats reached out to Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) about two weeks ago to tell him they’d give him cover from a potential tea party uprising if he helped pass a deal to avoid a debt crisis and keep the government open, according to a report by David Corn of Mother Jones.
Citing two unnamed senior House Democratic members, Corn reported that Boehner was told that the minority party might be willing to protect his speakership if he faced pushback from conservative members of his caucus.
“He said, ‘I’ll get back to you,'” a senior Democratic lawmaker told Corn. Boehner’s spokesman, meanwhile, dismissed the report as “silly.”
Boehner’s influence over his caucus has been questioned repeatedly throughout the budget and debt showdown. His efforts to re-open the government and avoid default unraveled on Tuesday, with conservatives repeatedly decrying his offers. President Barack Obama said Tuesday that Boehner’s inability to “control his caucus” contributed to the impasse.
But with Congress seemingly on the verge of ending the shutdown and raising the debt ceiling, early indications on Wednesday were that Boehner will maintain his speakership. Both House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and conservative Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) said Wednesday that they believe Boehner will hold onto his leadership position.
