BY Dick Miller
WE.CONNECT.DOTS: John Boehner’s sudden resignation as Speaker of the House of Representatives present Democrats a better chance to retain the White House. Equally, important, taking statesman-like actions could help the Dems reduce margins in the House and take back the Senate.
Here is how:
In what will be a very contentious fight for Boehner’s job, Democrat Congress people need to commit their vote early to Kevin McCarthy.
McCarthy, only 50 and a five-termer from California, would be the least-experienced member of Congress to rise to be second in succession to the Presidency in more than a hundred years. Currently Majority Leader of the House, McCarthy is Boehner’s choice to succeed him.
McCarthy is a Republican. Why should Democrats support him?
The GOP margin in the House is 247 to 188. Republicans won 13 new seats in the 2014 election and now enjoy their largest margin since 1930. Democrats cannot pass any legislation without at least 30 Republican votes. Democrats only strength is that these numbers prevent Republicans from overriding President Obama vetoes.
Boehner’s sudden announcement (his last day in Congress – when he vacates the Speaker’s position – is October 31) was well timed to minimize public reaction. In many newspapers, his Friday morning press conference didn’t even make Saturday front page owing to the visit by Pope Francis.
That did not prevent confirmed Tea Partier Daniel Webster, from Florida, from announcing his campaign to take over Congress by Friday evening. Other right-wingers announced their interest.
It seemed like all conservative Republican members of Congress, estimated at about 120, emitted rude chest-thumping sounds. To the last Tea Party member or advocate, they promise not to support another Boehner as leader and to make Obama’s last 16 months as President even more miserable.
Major challenges are at Washington’s forefront – passing of the 2015-16 budget, raising the debt limit, Planned Parenthood, more treaties, expiration of agencies and functions and the like.
Republicans may be pre-occupied with their internal struggle to control the Speaker’s job, forgetting that all members of Congress vote on the office. That does not mean, however, Nancy Pelosi should be looking for ways to sneak back into the job.
Even if Pelosi should attract 30 Republicans to vote with a solid Democrat minority, victory would be short-lived. Her current low approval ratings, not all deserved, would limit her ability to get legislation to Obama’s desk.
Instead, she should cut some sort of deal with McCarthy and then round up Democrat votes for him as Speaker.
McCarthy has had a knack of being in the right place at the right time, since arriving in Washington in 2006. In his short service span in Congress he has been Deputy Whip, Chief Deputy Whip and, later, Majority Whip. This is his first term as Majority Leader. His rapid rise is the result of Boehner’s backing.
Boehner, Pelosi and McCarthy share one overriding philosophy. The Speaker of the House’s first loyalty is to the institution, not a political party. The Tea Party people must learn, finally, achievements in a Republic form of government come from compromise and consideration of everyone’s rights and views.
Speculation is that Boehner concluded he could no longer keep a lid on the most conservative of his members. In short, the Cincinnati suburb lawmaker sacrificed his career for the sake of the institution.
Bottom Line: Current Democrat members of Congress can be the next group to practice statesmanship first. Both Parties suffer from very low approval ratings. The action proposed above begins to separate Democrats from Republicans that can only be a positive in next year’s elections.
