I once heard that John Boehner was an alcoholic. I have no first hand knowledge and must admit I heard it from a Clinton source.
I didn’t know John Boehner was so devout. I guess that was my fault. I never thought about whether or not he had any religious beliefs. His deeply held Catholicism never showed (at least not to me) nor seemed to affect his politics and actions. I must admit I never paid too much attention to John Boehner.
I mean, the guy was leader of the House Republicans for god’s sake. How can one virtually weep in the presence of Pope Francis, hang on his every word, hug him and shed tears and be a Republican? Prior to last week I would have assumed he was a member of a nice conservative mega-church. Never a Catholic and practically a Franciscan at that.
I learn something everyday.
John Boehner was under constant attack from the crack-pot wing of his own party; those who wanted to expel the heretics for not being Republican enough. Taliban lite.
Yesterday he struck back lashing out at “false prophets” in the right’s ranks, blaming them for political strategies that “never had a chance” even while taking the government into fiscal crises.
“Absolutely, they’re not realistic,” the retiring House speaker said of hard-line conservatives and outside groups in a Sunday interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“The Bible says beware of false prophets. And there are people out there, you know, spreading noise about how much can get done. I mean that whole notion that we’re going to shut down the government to get rid of Obamacare in 2013 — that plan never had a chance,” Boehner said.
“But over the course of the August recess in 2013 and in September, a lot of my Republican colleagues who knew this was a fool’s errand — really, they were getting all this pressure from home to do this,” he said.
Boehner said conservative, Washington-based groups knew the goals they were championing couldn’t be accomplished but pressed for them anyway.
“And so, we’ve got groups here in town, members of the House and Senate here in town, who whipped people into a frenzy believing they can accomplish things that they know — they know — are never going to happen,” he said.
Ted Cruz was characterized as a “false prophet”; Boehner once called him a “jackass”.
The advice Boehner said he’d offer the next speaker sounded similar to his criticism of his party’s right wing. He urged his successor to accept that small victories are sometimes the best that can be done in a complicated, split system of governance.
“Keep the country’s best interest in mind and have the courage to do what you can do,” Boehner said. “In our system of government, it’s not about Hail Mary passes. It’s the Woody Hayes school of football — three yards and a cloud of dust. Three yards and a cloud of dust. It’s a slow, methodical process.”
John Boehner resigned after listening to the Pope’s words and being embraced.
Why?
I believe he resigned because he knew in his heart of hearts he was not following that road in which he deeply believes. I like to think the Pope’s words on immigration, refugees and the poor cut deeply into Boehner’s heart. They cut deeply into my heart and I’m an atheist!
John Boenher has a month to make amends; to calm his troubled soul.
Now is the time to bring the immigration bill passed by a bi-partisan Senate vote in June 2013 up for a vote in the House. I believe it will pass with overwhelming Democratic support and a number of Republicans.
It will put immigration behind us before the Presidential election, taking it off the table. It will give those undocumented already here a path to join “us” rather than remaining “them”.
It will create your legacy in the House and you will know the joy of doing what is right – of being on the right side of history. It’s passage would be your crowning achievement.
And you will know the joy of getting even; of revenge best served cold.
And you might even hear from the Pope.
.
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toritto 
I was and am an alcoholic, I tend to side more with the Republicans and I´m a catholic. Republicans can´t be catholic? I can go on forever to that mater but this is going to turn into a thesis paper.
I live in Spain where the socialist have ruled this country for the best part of our Little democracy of amost 40 years and know perfectly well how socialism works or better said how it does not work at all. It´s just an unsustainable system, they actually tax you for farting I think. If they want to keep up universal health care, and the rest of giving free housing, long term payments for unemployed, the list goes on. So what that does that do, you can say the rich pay more, then good. But the rich run out of money or they relocate to other countries, so what happens then the burden goes to the middle class who have to pay more tan 50% of the income. So this way you destroy the middle class which is what is happening here in Spain and look at Greece when they elected the far left extremist party ( and that BS about being the bank´s fault I can argue that silly argument argue it silly) so now that they have pretty much destroyed the middle class, there are just a few rich on top and who are they? The socialist that are in power and their cronies, and if you want to stay afloat, businesses and Banks have to deal with them or they go down the hole. So eventually you also have less people paying into the system and more people taking out of the system in terms of entitlements. So it´s simple math, if I and a friend pay 100$ amonth to the bank and the next month we take out 200$ what happens then, we are broke. Which is what is happened in Spain. Broke we are. try to find a job in MacDonalds here. Actually here if you make 1,000$ a month you´re considered lucky, and in the U.S they consider that below the poverty line if you make less than 16,000$ a year I guarantee you that people here would love to make that money.
Also, the left, the socialist, are extremely good at creating a society of entitlements so slowly but surely the mentality of the people becomes “why don´t the government gives me money to pay my mortgage? Or why don´t they give me more food voucher,” and the list goes on. And this creates, a society that is constantly looking up to the government to solve them their problems, a dependent society which is what the socialist want in order for them to stay in power. And anybody that is dependent and not self reliant is doomed to failure. As Spain is, we are already broke. And it creates what I have named, a parasite society. No entrepeneurs, since they obviously are looking for government hand outs, it just doesn not work.
Now I could go on as to why capitalism works, but I think this comment is too long plus is 9:45 p.m in Spain and my stomach is hungry.
I guess we agree to disagree.
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I have to agree to disagree with you, especially about Spain.
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The good thing is that we all seem to agree to disagree, which in return makes us at least agree in something.
Just democracy. Politics aside, I certainly like your writing as well as Toritto´s when he writes poetry. Might not agree completely with everything conveyed in the message, but I can appreciate good writing.
Plus politics……well I prefer creative writing. We can agree on that one also
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Thanks for the kind words, Charly. It is always good to have a reasoned and civilised debate about any opinions, mine included!
Best wishes, Pete.
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I´m glad when I encounter people that can have a civilised debate, normally people get to worked up about certain things and just resort to name calling.
Nice meeting you Pete, and looking forward to reading more of your bog when time permits
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Hi Charlie – I don’t think I mentioned socialism once in the article. And I can understand being a Republican and devout Catholic if one is strongly opposed to abortion (which I define as “I will not have an abortion and will not allow anyone else to have one either!) or gay marriage and these issues take precedence over the issue of poverty.
I find it hard to understand however how one can hear words from one’s own religious leader in the Franciscan tradition of caring for the poor, be moved to tears, and then lead the rightist party serving the wealthy and big business. What brings the tears? Ted Cruz wasn’t moved.
Would you suspect the Speaker to be sympathetic to “liberation theology”?
As for Spain, I don’t live there. The government was democratically elected and not imposed Franco style. In a constitutional monarchy the majority rules. The socialists can be voted out by Spaniards anytime if that is what they wish.
Best regards from Florida.
Frank
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Republican Party hypocrisy seems to know no bounds, Frank.
Very different to ‘Republican Spain’, of course.
Best wishes, Pete.
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After watching his antics for a bunch of years, I am deeply skeptical Boehner resigned voluntarily. He was pushed, with blackmail being the usual mechanism. If you watch the video he was crying in response to internal stimuli long before the Pope said anything at all meaningful. Pat Schroeder cried when they blackmailed her into withdraw from the Democratic presidential race in 1987.
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Doc – You are such a cynic!
🙂
One of the other left wing sites called them “alcoholic tears” If they were tears of a moved Catholic he will do something meaningful before he leaves the stage.
Best from Florida
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Timely post. I believe that Johnny B was under tremendous pressure to leave, is tired, and the resignation during the Papal visit was excellent strategy. Having voiced my cynicism, I do in fact believe the Pope’s words had an emotional impact on him.
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Hi JoHanna – I’m curious to see if Johnny does anything but shed a tear. Regards.
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If that name’s pronounced the way I assume it is, the kid never stood a chance of becoming president 😀
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hi soz – heehee. It’s pronounced “bain – er”.
Regards
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