John Boehner Returns and the World Wonders Why by Tom Reynolds
Many of us believed that John Boehner was the worst ever Republican House Speaker - until Paul Ryan came along and took up that challenge. But we also believed Boehner was safely retired and just another Speaker to be forgotten by history. He now spends his time using his political connections to lobby for whoever will pay him, which has notably been the tobacco and marijuana industries. But suddenly, he is back! It appears he has written a book. (Apparently he has written a book before he ever read one.)
Perhaps it is a good thing that he has resurfaced to remind us of the reasons we were so angry with the pre-Trump Republican Party. The one that when campaigning they were fierce defenders of Constitutional principles but when legislating rarely had the backbone to stand for Constitutional principles. That lack of commitment to principles is one of the things that turned off so many potential Republican voters.
If Republican candidates are interested primarily in power, perks and pay, Boehner is someone to model. If they believe in and are willing to fight for Constitutional principles, they should ask themselves, “what would Boehner do” and then do the opposite.
In an interview on CBS News, Boehner blamed his lack of a backbone on everybody else, which is exactly what a spineless politician does. (Remember Obama blaming everything that went wrong in his administration on George Bush.) Boehner said it was the unwillingness of his fellow Republicans to support him, and not his lack of leadership, that caused his Speakership to be a disaster for the Republican Party. (But by the Democrat Party, he should be fondly remembered as one of their great Speakers.) Boehner said of his caucus, "I've got no position, because my guys wouldn't vote for anything…They're against everything but I've never been able to determine what they're for." Perhaps the problem was that none of his caucus could determine what Boehner was for, other than compromise for compromise’s sake (or in other words, giving away the store).
In reviewing Boehner and his book, the current Democrat media criticizes Boehner for his 2010 pledge to deny President Barack Obama a single policy victory on his agenda. They forget that he approached that pledge in the same way he pledged to support Republican / Conservative principles and was equally unsuccessful with both pledges.
Let Boehner’s reemergence be a reminder to all Republican candidates that the day of the spineless Republican has passed. It is not enough to only defend the 2nd Amendment, the Constitution as written, and the free-market system when campaigning. Actions and results count.
