The era of John Boehner may finally be coming to an end, as Republican Party insiders believe that the current Speaker of the House will not be seeking another term as leader after this fall, and that’s great news for the American public.
John Boehner currently has an approval rating of just 25%, with more than 61% of the country holding an unfavorable view of the House Leader.
But his approval rating is not what will end up forcing him from his position. The real problem facing John Boehner is that he’s completely lost control of his Party, just like Mitch McConnell over in the Senate.
Boehner is a corporatist in the truest sense of the word. Let’s not forget that this is the same man who passed out handwritten checks from the tobacco industry to Republican members of the House of Representatives in the mid 1990’s right before they were about to vote on tobacco legislation. And Boehner readily admits that he did this in order to influence the votes of his Republican co-workers.
In today’s Republican Party, obedience can’t be bought with a few dollars from the tobacco industry. Citizens United has allowed all corporations the ability to contribute unlimited money, so members of the House no longer have to rely on scraps from people like John Boehner. When they want corporate money, they get it straight from the corporation.
And that’s one reason that John Boehner is having such a hard time controlling his Party. They aren’t loyal to him, they’re loyal to corporations. And when you have corporations all competing for different prizes, you end up with political squabbling that cripples progress.
In many ways, Citizens United has been a catalyst of republican self-destruction. Corporate money is pulling each member in a different direction, and its impossible for a weak leader like John Boehner to convince his Party to march to the same tune. Boehner created his own problems in this situation, and its rather enjoyable to watch his creation destroy his leadership, and his party.
