Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohoi, Tears Up
The debt debate takes a new turn now with a terrible setback for Republican Speaker John Boehner, who was unable to get enough members of his own party to go along with his plan for cutting spending, raising the debt ceiling, and ending the standoff in Washington. Many conservatives said it didn’t go nearly far enough to cut federal spending. This puts the new Speaker in a much weaker position for his negotiations with President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
I can’t help but wonder how tonight might have played out if Texans still held leadership positions in Washington.
The Majority Leader known as “The Hammer,” Tom DeLay, might have held out an empty hand in front of each GOP congressman’s face, and said “You will get exactly this many dollars when you run for re-election unless you vote for this.” On the Senate side, Lyndon Johnson, once the powerful Majority Leader, might have grabbed the lapels of senators who were out of line, slammed them into walls, and told them “You’ll vote for this and tomorrow I might remember your name.”
Tonight, conservative lawmakers like Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, were walked into the Speaker’s office for conversations with their leader. After leaving Boehner’s office, Congressman Gohmert said he was a “bloody beaten down no” on the bill. Here’s his speech on the floor:
Earlier, on the radio, I talked about what’s really driving the debt ceiling debate with Dallas Tea Party Leader Phillip Dennis and Democratic Strategist Jason Stanford:
Click here to listen to Phillip Dennis and Jason Stanford (right click to download)
Your thoughts are welcome in the comments.
