Boehner's here to stay, for now
WASHINGTON — Speaker John Boehner wants out. He really does.
But the Ohio House Republican is staying put, for now — and that could improve the chances for a debt-limit increase by early next month to avoid a market-shattering government default. His continued presence also might help lawmakers reach a bipartisan budget deal to head off a government shutdown in December.
The tea party forces that pushed Boehner to plan his exit after nearly five years in the top job now have less leverage against a man with nothing to lose. Conservative hard-liners have caused further chaos by blocking the ascension of Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
What are they going to do now, threaten to force a vote to immediately oust Boehner? Nope.
“Sometimes the dog catches the car and doesn’t know what to do,” Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, a Boehner ally, said of the House Freedom Caucus and other hard-right lawmakers.
Boehner insists he wants to leave as scheduled at the end of October, but if Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., won’t agree to replace him, it may take a while for a consensus to form around an alternative.
“While we go through this process, we’ve got to continue to address the people’s priorities. This institution cannot grind to a halt,” Boehner told Republicans Friday. “It is my hope — and indeed it is my plan — for this House to elect a new speaker before the end of October. But at the end of the day, that’s really up to the people in this room.”
The toughest priority, by far, is legislation that must pass by early November or so to increase the government’s borrowing cap so it won’t default on its bills.
