No Following This Leader

[babylonsister]

No Following This Leader

By David Ignatius - September 29, 2013


WASHINGTON -- In the line of succession, House Speaker John Boehner is the third ranking official in the country. For practical purposes, he has all but disappeared as a leader. That failure is pushing the country toward the financial brink.

Boehner's collapse as speaker has been sad to watch. Unable to control his own caucus, negotiate effectively with the president or pass legislation, he flounders in office -- a likable man who is utterly ineffective. He is the prisoner of the extreme wing of his party, and of his supposed lieutenants, such as Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who spend their time pandering to the extremists rather than helping Boehner lead.

Boehner's problem is that he is unable to deliver House Republicans for any pragmatic piece of legislation. He survives from crisis to crisis, thanks to Democratic votes that salvage last-minute compromises. But on major issues that Boehner personally supports, such as immigration reform, he has been powerless.

We are seeing the consequences of a leaderless House in the GOP's renewed threat of a government shutdown or debt-ceiling default. These reckless actions are part of a grandstand play to reverse the Affordable Care Act, which begins to take effect in October, but they've assumed an illogic of their own. The House Republicans seem almost to enjoy holding the country hostage. Their version of Russian Roulette has become so familiar that we forget just how outrageous it is.

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http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/09/29/no_following_this_leader_120143.html

[Stargazer09]

1. A likable man?

I didn't think he was likable before he allowed himself to be used by the radicals.

The Republican Party needs a stern parent, not a wishy-washy drunk who can't handle the responsibilities of his office.