Don't Blame Boehner: House Conservatives Defend Speaker Over Shutdown Fiasco
SAHIL KAPUR – OCTOBER 17, 2013, 6:00 AM EDT
House Republicans hate the Senate deal to avert economic disaster and re-open the government. But they don't blame Speaker John Boehner for feeding them a bitter pill in the end. Far from it. They gave him a standing ovation for fighting the good fight, and vowed that his speakership would be secure.
"I think the Speaker has done an admirable job," said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), a staunch conservative and an engineer of the shutdown and debt default confrontation. "For a couple weeks here, you've seen us very unified."
And what about all the talk that he may be overthrown for breaking the "Hastert Rule" and bringing up a bill without the support of the Republican conference? "There's not a single member talking about that," Jordan told TPM on Wednesday afternoon. "I think he's done as good as he could do," said Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC). "You have to look at the political odds of it, and the odds were never in favor of the House."
Boehner's strategy through the confrontation reflects his handling of the "fiscal cliff" late in 2012: cater to his conservative flank until the bitter end, let them call the shots and prove he's willing to fight for their interests. If Democrats hold firm by the time the country is on the brink, bite the bullet and let a bipartisan bill pass to avert disaster. By then conservatives will be exhausted themselves and can tell their constituents they left it all on the field. (emphasis added)
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