Friday, September 25, 2015

I didn’t see that coming

I’m sure most of you were as shocked as I was when I read this morning that John Boehner is resigning not just as Speaker of the House, but is also resigning his seat in Congress. At the end of October, D.C. will be in his taillights. (At least until he gets his lobbyist job.)

I’ve never been a big fan and I never appreciated how he always seemed willing to stymie President Obama’s agenda, even at the expense of the country. But I do realize that things are never just black and white, and he was certainly beleaguered by his teabagger faction in Congress. I always got the impression that had he had a more reasonable—and sane—Congress, he might have worked with the White House to pass meaningful legislation. I could be wrong about that, but I did sense a glimmer of pragmatism in him.

There is much speculation about his abrupt departure, although it seems that he’s been thinking about this for a while now. I can’t help but think that the address that Pope Francis gave to Congress had something to do with it. Boehner was visibly emotional (I’m not going to bash him for that, either. I cry at the drop of a hat. Songs, commercials, Andy Griffith reruns, you name it.) and I have to wonder if Boehner heard what the pope was saying and finally thought, “You know what? I’m done with this bullshit,” and decided to call it a day and leave all the fractiousness and scheming behind him.

I read this story about Boehner's encounter with the pope and it does make me think that the pope’s visit (it was Boehner’s invitation, if I recall correctly) had a little something to do with it. I seem to remember a prayer I heard when I was growing up...something about “We pray that you place a conviction upon his heart, Lord.” I wonder if the Speaker felt a conviction upon his heart?

I don’t know how this will all play out. There is much delusion among the supercon teabaggers in Congress, who seem to think that if they dig in their heels, President Obama will cave and give in to all their demands. It hasn’t worked before, so I’m not sure why they think it will now with a different Speaker. They remind me of bratty little kids crossing their arms and clamping their mouths closed so they don’t have to take the medicine. News flash, folks: President Obama has figured out that all he has to do is pinch your nose shut until you open your mouth to breath, and then he dumps that medicine right down your gullet.

The supercons are celebrating tonight, but I think they don’t really have any idea of what they’ve done or what they’re in for.

3 comments:

  1. ...with the level of anti-intellectualism that has seized the country on both sides of the political divide, the Congress will be right at home with the radicals on the far right... some of the elected officials are so dumb that it is a wonder that they were even able to campaign for office without their Mother's permission..!

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  2. I agree, I think we will miss him when a teabagger gets the job. By the way, I just dropped my hat...

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