John Boehner compares himself to garbage men, prisoners

House Speaker John Boehner collects campaign cash, but he might as well be collecting trash, according to his not-so-chipper interview with Politico. "Garbage men get used to the smell of bad garbage. Prisoners learn how to become prisoners, all right?" he said. "You can teach yourself to do anything, especially if you're committed to a cause."

If that ringing endorsement doesn't make you want to get into politics, what will?

Boehner goes on to say that he spends between 180 and 190 nights away from home each year collecting money from donors; his staff says he has raised $300 million for Republicans since 2009. Even so, he faces the real threat of a vote to oust him as speaker of the House. "Almost all of the donors understand that, you know, without a Republican in the White House, or 60 votes in the Senate, there are limits to what you could accomplish," Boehner told Politico, undeterred. "They understand all the accomplishments I've had, and then some, have been accomplished with a Democrat in the White House. Donors around the country understand it."

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Even so, compliments are hard earned. "People who think I'm a dictator or acting like a dictator have absolutely no clue what they're talking about because I never make a decision on my own," Boehner said — while probably internally chanting, I love my job, I love my job, I love my job.