While there are certainly internecine and factional rivalries in the Democratic party, it’s all but impossible to imagine the outpouring of celebration, schadenfreude and smackdowning that is greeting the retirement of Speaker John Boehner. Even a kind word on the day of his retirement appears beyond the ability of most of those he led. Yes, there’s been base clamoring against Nancy Pelosi and even more at certain times with Harry Reid. But it simply doesn’t compare to the angry joy we’re seeing now toward a quarter-century member of the House. The only analogue I can think of is the enmity that grew toward Joe Lieberman. But of course, by that time he wasn’t even a Democrat anymore, let alone one of the party’s top leaders.
Of course, it is of a piece with Boehner’s tenure – a largely reviled and half-effective, never-ending and seldom-lauded effort to keep half his caucus from carrying through with the latest ridiculously self-defeating and often country-damaging gambit. Boehner’s whole Speakership was, in a real sense, a permanent exercise in indignity. So the ending is not surprising.
Harry Reid had some telling things to say this morning on the Senate floor about his working relationship with John Boehner.
John Boehner expected to publicly announce his resignation plans at 1 p.m. ET. Watch live.
Across town from the Capitol, the Values Voters Summit — aimed toward religious conservatives — is getting into full swing today in D.C., with speeches from most of the major GOP presidential candidates. Here’s how the crowd reacted when Marco Rubio announced the news of John Boehner’s resignation.
Reports emerging from House conference meeting this morning that Speaker John Boehner will resign from office at the end of October, giving up his seat and his speakership. Stay tuned …
It’s serendipitous because our current top story about prisoner-gerrymandering to oust a black member of Congress just landed this afternoon. But today’s live chat in The Hive (sub req), with Eli Hager of the Marshall Project, delves further into the core issues here which are both mass incarceration and the perverse incentives created by the privatization of the prison system – which is inextricably tied to evolution of mass incarceration over the last 35 years. Check out the conversation. Fascinating stuff.
White Republican says GOP can finally beat prominent black Democrat by adding more prisoners to her district!
Rep. Steve King tells CNN Pope doesn’t believe in the “nation-state”, can’t be trusted on immigration policy.