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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow to kick the legs out from under the tea partiers in the House
Boehner is running scared because he's afraid of not being Speaker. He is at the mercy of the tea party loons in the House.
So Pelosi should say the Democrats will support Boehner for speaker if the tea partiers in the House try to replace him. Without the threat of replacing Boehner as speaker, the tea party members have NO LEVERAGE over him.
Pelosi can ask for something in exchange but I'm sure they could strike a deal.
This may be one of the only ways to completely take away all power from the tea party members of the House, other than their 30 or 40 individual votes.
samsingh
(17,599 posts)boener (spelling on purpose) is letting millions of other people lose their jobs and security.
this selfish moron does not deserve to be in that role.
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)LuvNewcastle
(16,846 posts)I certainly wouldn't. He's an obnoxious drunk who has no business even being in Congress, much less Speaker. He's a disgrace. If he was the least bit competent, he would have put those teabaggers in their place a long time ago. I think Pelosi and the rest of the Democrats want to see Boehner crash and burn.
IrishAyes
(6,151 posts)The GOP has already built the fire for us, and it seems to have gotten away from them. Maybe instead I should send a truckload of bellows to fan the flames a little?
LuvNewcastle
(16,846 posts)IrishAyes
(6,151 posts)B Calm
(28,762 posts)and that's a swift boot in the ass!
ZRT2209
(1,357 posts)That will make the situation and the future a zillion times worse.
The baggers can keep peddling their fact free schlock. I think more reasonable people will catch on that they are out of their minds, if this hasn't convinced them yet. Maybe a little at a time, their funding will dry up. No money = no teabaggers.
surrealAmerican
(11,362 posts)I was under the impression that the majority party chooses the Speaker. Do Democrats get to have any input in this?
MSMITH33156
(879 posts)You need a majority of votes in the House to elect a speaker. It doesn't even have to be a member of the House, actually.
But, Boehner is already Speaker. To remove him, a majority of House members would have to vote to do so, of all House members. The Dems wouldn't even have to vote for Boehner, just when a Tea Party member moves to have Boehner removed, the Dems vote against that removal. It doesn't really cost us anything, since it's not like Pelosi is going to get a majority of votes for Speaker if Boehner is removed, and we would likely be dealing with an even worse shit kicker.
ZRT2209
(1,357 posts)onenote
(42,714 posts)In practice, that means the majority party, which almost always settles on a single candidate, names the Speaker. But if the repubs were unable to agree on a single candidate, it could get interesting since you can't elected Speaker with a plurality, meaning the Democrats hold the cards.
surrealAmerican
(11,362 posts)... if the current speaker is removed, and they can't agree on a replacement, how would the House function at all? Does the old speaker stay until a replacement is agreed upon, does somebody (who?) take temporary control, or does all other business just stop?
MSMITH33156
(879 posts)in theory. In practice, if they have the votes to remove him, then they should have the votes to replace him.
Even if Boehner is removed with Dems and the Tea Party voting to remove him, while a majority of Reps actually don't vote for removal, the Reps will just coalesce around a new speaker, and vote in lockstep on that.
librechik
(30,674 posts)but getting the speakership through "democratic" means would have that African American President stuff all over it. Boner would be boned.
ZRT2209
(1,357 posts)IrishAyes
(6,151 posts)"GOP" amounts to a big red target anymore. Strictly figuratively speaking, of course.
IrishAyes
(6,151 posts)and you know who that is. Not Cruz and not Boner either one. You don't need to think he's interested in sharing power at all.