How John Boehner survived the shutdown and saved his job
Might as well dub him Speaker Harry Houdini
Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) led his party into a fight it could not win, and then, with the GOP's poll numbers imploding, cut a last-minute deal that won Republicans none of what they wanted.
His reward for presiding over the mess? He may get to keep his job after all.
As the shutdown lumbered on, conventional wisdom held that Boehner had two mutually exclusive options. He could:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
1) Cut a deal with Democrats, losing most of his caucus in the process and triggering a revolt that would oust him from his leadership post.
2) Hold out indefinitely to appease the right, Democrats and economy be damned.
However, while conservatives broke with Boehner on the final vote, they lauded him for sticking with them until the bitter end. The speaker, bullied for much of the year by Tea Party conservatives, may have actually emerged from the mess with a firmer grip on power.
On Wednesday, Boehner told his caucus he would be bringing the Senate compromise up for a vote, saying they had "fought the good fight" but lost. He was greeted with a standing ovation, according to National Review's Jonathan Strong.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"He hung in there with us," Rep. John Fleming (R-La.), one of 144 nay votes on the final bill, told Strong. "He's been reluctant to go to these fights and now that we have stood up and fought for our values and he's been there with us, leading, I think his stock has risen tremendously."
Indeed, rather than accusing Boehner for joining the "surrender caucus," irate House members instead focused their anger on moderate Republicans who publicly and privately cast skepticism on what is widely believed to have been a baffling, deeply flawed strategy to defund ObamaCare. It was those members, they said, who gave Democrats their leverage and forced Boehner's hand.
Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) a member of the Tea Party Caucus, said Boehner had done all he could, but that a "whiner caucus" cost the GOP a potential win.
"It's pretty hard when he has a circle of 20 people that step up every day and say, 'Can we surrender today, Mr. Speaker? Can we just go away? Can we make it easy?'" he told National Review.
At a Wednesday lunch sponsored by the Heritage Foundation — whose Heritage Action affiliate urged lawmakers to vote against the final deal — conservative lawmakers echoed the same sentiment.
"I've actually been really proud of Speaker Boehner the last two and half weeks," Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) told the New York Times, adding, "If anybody should be kicked out, it's probably those Republicans — and not Speaker Boehner."
Notably, Labrador was one of 12 Republicans who did not vote for Boehner's second term as speaker back in January. By pushing the nation to the brink of default, though, Boehner may have finally won him over.
Or maybe he finally confirmed what many have suspected all along — that he'll carry the Tea Party's water so long as they let him remain speaker.
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
UK gynaecological care crisis: why thousands of women are left in pain
The Explainer Waiting times have tripled over the past decade thanks to lack of prioritisation or funding for women's health
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'The Hum': the real-life noise behind The Listeners
In The Spotlight Can some of us also hear the disturbing sound that plagues characters in the hit TV show – and where is it coming from?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Are we any closer to identifying UFOs?
Podcast Plus, will deals with Tunisia and Kurdistan help Labour? And what next for the Wagner Group?
By The Week Staff Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published