In a stunning move, House Speaker John Boehner informed Republicans on Friday that he would step down at the end of October, giving up his coveted leadership post and his seat in Congress in the face of hardline conservative opposition.
The 13-term Ohio Republican shocked his GOP caucus early Friday morning when he informed them of his decision in a closed-door session. It came one day after the high point of Boehner’s congressional career, a historic speech by Pope Francis to Congress at Boehner’s request.
Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., said Boehner “just does not want to become the issue. Some people have tried to make him the issue both in Congress and outside.”
Boehner has often squared off against the Tea Party bloc of the party, and is currently embroiled in a fight that could shut down the government next week.
Conservatives have demanded that any legislation to keep the government operating past Wednesday’s midnight deadline strip Planned Parenthood of its funds, a move rejected by Democrats and moderate Republicans.
The dispute had threatened Boehner’s speakership and roiled the GOP caucus.
It’s currently unclear who may be waiting in the wings to take Boehner’s place, although lawmakers like House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan have reportedly had their eyes on the speaker’s chair. Getting a Tea Party representative elected may be a hard sell among Democrats and more moderate Republicans.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
So, there really is a Santa Clause. What a great present. Now if we could only get McConnell to follow.
yeah and McCain, cornyn and Graham. then go to work on the communist party in America! So Boehner has the decency to ADMIT he’s been fighting conservatives huh! So that means he is NOT one. Well it’s a step in the right direction. But boy do we have a long way to go! So maybe the new speaker will be Gohmert? I hope so! We need to move forward and with Boehner, we were NOT!
I have never had a major issue with him. I think after serving in Congress for that long it started as a “let’s debate this.” Then went to, at the end, take no prisoners attitudes and that they are the chosen ones. Who I have always disliked is the Senator of the state that County Clerks are free to do their job or not.
I assume you mean McConnell and not Paul
Oh, May I kick my high heels off and say YEEEAAAA!!Just remember Paul Ryan is just a numbers man and has little broad focus .
WHAT??? No more tears????? There is an answer to prayer!!!!
Im so glad he will be leaving He’s been holding up progress long enough
Well thank goodness, were done with the drunk at least something positive came from the Popes visit, certainly not the hypocrisy he is peddling, Living in the lap of the untold wealth of the catholic church pleading for the poor and admonishing the USA to do more. I don’t see him advocating building housing projects in Vatican city and implementing entitlement programs to support them? And then his non condemning remarks about homosexuality. “WHO AM I TO SAY?” I guess someone should have reminded him that he is the POPE. Then there is the pedophile priests and the bishops that cover for them, But all that aside Boehner will be gone and that’s the miracle this pope brings to us.
A house divided against itself will not stand! Conservatives love your fellow conservatives rather than hate them. Let’s unify and solidify our conservative core values and act civilized toward our fellow conservatives. Put yourself in his shoes and do better if you are going to complain. Complainers do not win. Praying for our leaders wins not tearing them down.
I have a suspicion that much more will be forthcoming about Boehner’s exit. If it was merely his actions as Speaker he could simply give up the chair. But he is resigning from Congress altogether. There is a lot more involved. He is scared not just afraid. I believe Mark Meadows is the guy most recently mentioned with regard to removing Boehner as Speaker. I think the “fat lady will be singing a lot more before this is all over”. I would just like to extend my appreciation to whomever was involved in making this happen. And as Richard comments “now on to McConnell”.
I think you’re right about there be more to this than meets the eye. I’m not 100% sure NSA spying has dirt on Boehner and Roberts but it sure looks that way.
IMHO, the NSA has dug up the “dirt” on nearly all of our Congress men and women and all have become “yes” people at the threat of being blackmailed! If so, wonder who gave the order to “dig” deep!
Amen ,Maxx !!!
HPOEFULLY,GOHMERT gets the job,but highly unlikely.
I’d rather see Gowdy!!!
Me too!
Right on, I agree with you. Gowdy is the man.
Gowdy is a very likable man who will say what he thinks and listen while you speak .
Gomehrt is all that you said about gowdy. Louie is the real deal
I sure hope McConell will follow Boehner’s lead…It’s a small start, but it is a new start…..Hopefully!
And a few others! like Dirty harry!!!
Good riddance. He should be resigning for the good of the people, not the Republican Conference or the institution. He should go down as the most disastrous Speaker in history. Give him a bottle and send him home with his last 2 brain cells, why wait until the end of October.
Paul Ryan should be next. The first to ask for Tarp funds from President Obama should be the second to resign from government.
I agree. Now if only we could get a conservative or Tea Party type to take the Speaker’s job. Then, we must put enough pressure on McConnell that he does the same as Boehner. They are not working for the good of the American people, but for the good of the Democrat Party and Obama. I say defund everything Obama wants done and the Republicans govern the way the American voter wanted them to do as a result of the 2014 election. Use the Power of The Purse and if Obama vetoes every piece of legislature sent to him, the American people will see exactly who is obstructing our country and keeping it from prospering. Boehner resigning is the best news in 6 and 1/2 years.
You all seem to be missing the real point
the rats have begun deserting the ship they have sunk
so if they, the people who should know just how bad it really is, are getting out now, just how bad do you think it is going to get.
I know it is bad, but think how bad it would be if Boehner stayed on and just approved everything Obama wanted; as he and McConnell have done since getting the majority in the House and Senate.
Great news.! Cowdy would be great!
I have been emailing that republicrat for months asking him to do the right thing and resign,,,next is mcdummie his side-kick, we the american people need to email the head muslim ,to do the same thing,,QUIT BEFORE YOU GET YOUR NECK CUT!!!!!!!!!!
Since he is finally leaving, how can we remove him from the speaker and get on with a conservative agenda. remove him from the process to keep him from blocking some effective legislation.
Can you read? He IS removing himself from the speakership. In fact, he is resigning from his seat entirely. Jeez, you’re dumb!
Tommy Kelly, perhaps you do not understand, Boehner is not resigning today; he will be around until the end of October. This gives him a little over a month to do a lot of damage.
Good idea because from what i have heard, his parting shot was going to approve the funding for Planned Parenthood.
When one watches news to keep up with the disastrous decisions made by the corrupt officials in our country’s governmental positions, the underhanded money taken from lobbyists to satisfy their greed, stick it to the hardworking middle class who have diminished while the freeloaders who claim back pain or mental issues live a total happy life, I say shake things up!!! Get rid of the president, cabinet, Muslims in government backed by this president, rid congress of Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, all all those who, with their communistic advances, revamp all the laws where all the lawyers who hold offices did so for advancement of their greed. America wake up, delve into what subversive laws have been written by these terrible people, and realize we have become enslaved! Look around you, read and investigate what our government has done to us. I could go on to try to awaken everyone, but I also understand my words will hit deaf ears. Vigilance and God in our lives should be embraced.
Well, Sonja, a lot of people like — even love — the various people you have named who need to go. Obama was elected twice. Were it not for the FDR constitutional amendment (I don’t know the number and I’m too lazy to look it up), Obama might very well serve four or five terms as PotUS. As for Reid and Pelosi, the ONLY way you can get rid of them is when they either retire or die of old age. Yes, you and all the others who want to “throw out the garbage” are merely waltzing your way thru Dreamland. And that is why the Boehner resignation is such a pleasant surprise. Had he chosen, he could have kept his seat for another 20 years, if he lives that long.
But, the “head muslim” has until 11/2016. He’s not going anywhere. I just hope all you butt-kickers would be content with the replacements. Interesting!
You’re wise.
But, the “head muslim” has until 11/2016. He’s not going anywhere. I just hope all you butt-kickers would be content with the replacements. Interesting!
Thank you Pope Francis! Send Boehner away with a bottle of scotch and a box of kleenex. Paul Ryan would make a great speaker.
After reading these comments, it confirms my belief that progressives have a special kind of insanity, that can’t be cured with common sense or logic, possibly high voltage electric shock treatment or waterboarding, it worked well on the terrorists they love so much!!!!
The USA must return to its founding roots, the next leaders goal would be smart to go down that road.
Pulling the funding plug on Planned Parenthood, is a good start in the right direction.
I didn’t think that I heard right when the news came over the radio that J.B. had resigned just like that!Something is up this was so far out of the ordinary that it really perks up your ears and gets your nose to twitchen.This guy and a few others like him have helped to run the greatest country in the history of man kind right into the ground.I’am 72 years old,combat vet with almost 3months in a Army hospital getting put back together and to have had to endure this guy for all the years that he was up there doing everything that Obama wanted makes me sick.The next person to nail is Mcconell and nail him quick.As for a replacement for Boehner Trey Goudy has proven himself very well and can handle himself above the frey.
Respectfully
M.R.E.
I’ve read all the comments about Boehner’s decision. Most are exuberant, BUT why do you think his replacement will be any better, or that the next Prez will be too? One cannot go back to the past. It’s DEAD! we can only go forward and hope for the best or a little of it. When we get stressed-up over these issues, we only do wrong to ourselves. Stress kills in myriad ways. The human race is a very broken one…worse than animals. There is good and bad in all of us. It’s great when a want-to-be politician shouts that he/she will do this and that for the good of society; but once they get into sometimes too-hot of a seat, the truth of their strength is tested and failure takes root. There was only one earthing that talked and walked the talk, and that was Jesus. Others tried, but failed .Relax don’t sweat politics. It ain’t worth it in the long run. (I’m not a psychologist, but a wise sage 🙂
!. Boehner like so many Obama sycophants reach a point where their own wilful blindness is overwhelmed to the point that their families are saying “Dad what’s wrong with you”??? (Very likely)
2. Pope Francis’s words may have hit home (Possibly)
3. or more likely….If he doesn’t step down supposedly secret scandals from his marital life will be revealed.(can’t be ruled out)
4. There’s always the possibility that JB knows whats coming down the pipe economically and just wants to get out of Dodge? (He’s known that for years – unlikely)
5. Obama threatened the GOP that “Boehner is out or I resign”?(WT F) or more likely
6. If Boehner doesn’t resign it may affect his, his families and unspecified GOP members health.(Very possible)
Don’t laugh. Remember It was a closed door meeting. Boehner has attended and called many such meetings, and closed door meetings always involve leverage kept out of the public eye….and Boehner went to this meeting and discovered he was no longer in charge and longer had the staying power to resist and survive. Just what was the leverage? Was he crying when he made his announcement?
.
We’ll see if his successor is able to deliver on the conservative wishes of Republican congressmen. Washington leaders need to understand that Americans sent a message last year. Our government is headed in the wrong direction. It’s time for it to change course. I’m tired of the endless deficit spending. I’m tired of funding the baby slaughter industry. I’m tired of Republican politicians who think our only problem with the liberal agenda is the speed in which it is implemented. I don’t want the liberal Democrat agenda period.
The Democrat Agenda… HUmmmm … I do not like it either. Period. The Republican Agenda full of promises … promises … until they are chosen to represent us and then they forget they promised us as they, too, have become politicians, I do not like that either. Period. We The People need to rise out of this mess and take back the country we inherited from our Founding Fathers and Mothers for a nation is built by both its men and its women working together as one, united, cohesive unit.
It occurs to me that a lot of conservatives are so intent on having their way that they don’t want to know the truth. They are so busy rewriting history that they don’t know what works for them much less what is in the best interest of the country. Most seem to forget that the greatest leaps forward have come at times of great unity and when all people, not just white folks or their ruling eleit prospered. They keep trying to go back to a time that never existed instead of looking ahead to determine the best way to the future. I used to think conservatives meant go slow for change, I didn’t think it meant no change go backward. JB left a sinking ship and it’s time to figure out how to get it right instead of making the hole bigger.
Considering the financial devastation expected to result from the October 20, 2015 IMF (International Monetary Fund) decision to remove the USD as the #1 world reserve currency, I do not blame any congressperson from resigning his or her post. This is our government’s most bitter betrayal for their silence has rendered the mass of “We The People” not really ready to face its outcome.
Given the previously mentioned fact, what America needs right here and right now is men and women of honor who understand how to pick up the pieces of our economy and start reconstructing our beloved constitutional republic again.
So, if Americans like Ryan, Trump, Fiorina wish to run and not sell out to lobbyists, that is OK by me.
I think Pope Francis said it best: “some people forgive but Nature does not.” Actually, it is not the function of Nature to forgive.
NATURE BALANCES. IT REGIVES IN KIND AND IN EQUAL MEASURE THAT WHICH MAN OR A NATION CHOOSES TO GIVE OUT OF ITSELF FIRST.
look at our current invasion of undocumented immigrants and the way our settlers invaded the lands of our indigenous people
and you will see how Nature has succeeded in re-giving to us that which we first gave in our search for a new start.
Thank you, God.
Dear Georgette, there is no one else to thank but Our Maker. I agree with you 100%.
Our settlers had reached the point of no return as far as going back to the Old World. These brave men and women could only move forward and bring along with them their dream for the new territories to become America. The government did not create America. The bold settlers brought with them America.
Unlike the current undocumented invaders who have chosen to knowingly step into someone else’s clearly instituted country for the purpose of earning money to send back to their countries with no desire to add to the well being of America, the original settlers wanted to create a new nation to bless all those who were of equal mind and heart.
We Americans think wrong about these people’s intentions as think all who come here are filled with the desire to become Americans instead of desiring to explit us for their own benefit.
It is our wrong belief which has lead us to grant amnesty to help them become the one thing they have no real desire to become: Americans. Had they desired to become Americans and add to our nation’s well being, they would have applied for legal inmigration into our nation.
Think about it the next time you are invited to consider amnety for people who have knowingly chosen to exploit us for years and years.
It will be hard for those in Congress to face what is heading our way. Bohener apparently has chosen to take off first to avoid the embarrassment of being called to his face “a traitor.”,
Trey Gowdy for sure!!
Trey Gowdy? Yeah. A man of honor who does not take it laying down.
It is unfortunate that Boehner has already inflicted fatal blows to the citizens. All the elected officials have not represented the voter for many years.
As an American from birth, feeling bad about not being represented as a voter for years has been a hard pill to take.
As a Puerto Rico born American, having these blasted foreign born activists like Jorge Ramos claiming to speak in the name of Hispanics of which we Puerto Rico born Americans as not part of, . that is twice as hard for we Puertoricans have known no other flag but Old Faithful and have fought in no other wars but those waged against our America.
Ah! Free Speech. What a challenge to We The People.
McCarthy and Ryan are the same as Boehner, no difference or improvement will happen. Need a real agressive conservative.
Therefore if you concentrate or energize your thoughts with images of impoverishment and absence, that is everything you attract.