One Last Word About Boehner’s Budget Deal of Last Week…

-By Warner Todd Huston

I know, I know, I know… many conservatives are mad at the whole thing. It was too small, it was too timid, Boehner caved on Planned Parenthood, etc., etc., etc. But, can I just point out one other thing in Boehner’s favor, just for a little perspective?

The goal of party politics is to get as many of your guys to vote for your policies as possible, of course. But a secondary goal is to split off as many of the other party as possible and inducing them to vote with you.

Boehner was successful in doing that with the vote on HR 1473. The Speaker successfully got 81 Democrats to vote in favor of the budget deal and in an extremely contentious and partisan debate, at that. In contrast he only lost 59 votes from his own side and those votes were not lost over the essence of the bill but over only particulars.
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One Last Word About Boehner’s Budget Deal of Last Week…”


John Boehner Adamant About Not ‘Shutting Down Government’

-By Warner Todd Huston

RedCounty.com recently re-launched with an enhanced platform and as part of the relaunch, Chip Hanlon has been featuring a multipart interview with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R, OH). Today’s part two segment features the Speaker adamantly refusing to allow any government shut down and saying he will work hard to keep government open. (Part one is here)

Some conservatives will lament this singular focus on preventing a government shut down and worry that Boehner is more interested in keeping government open at any costs than he is in budget cuts. But the Speaker says that furthering the budget cuts is exactly why he wants to be sure and keep government from shutting down.
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John Boehner Adamant About Not ‘Shutting Down Government’”


GOP’s Speaker-To-Be Boehner Already Bowing to Democrats in House?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Think of this scenario: Your party has been swept into office with the biggest majority in generations. The majority of Americans think the country is on the verge of emergency and want things fixed pronto. And you are poised to become the next Speaker of the House. So what do you do? A). Steel your party for the hard and fast work to come, or B). Announce you are handing power over to the losing side, the one responsible for most of the recent destruction of the country the voters are upset about?

Well, if you are the Republican’s John Boehner, presumptive Speaker of the House, apparently it’s “B” because John Boehner is announcing that he intends to hand unprecedented power to the left with new House rules as soon as he takes the speaker’s gavel. Have Republicans learned nothing?

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Boehner intends to implement a power-sharing policy that will give the minority party more power than its ever had in the House. Why would he do this? God only knows.
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GOP’s Speaker-To-Be Boehner Already Bowing to Democrats in House?”


New GOP Staffers Instructed on How to Cite Constitutional Justification

-By Warner Todd Huston

Someone sent me the text of an info packet being given to GOP staffers in a series of training sessions on how they are to comply with a requirement to cite exactly where in the Constitution is the justification for the legislation they and their member are writing during the upcoming 112th Congress.

We’ve heard that Boehner might institute this rule to force all legislators to justify their new laws by citing the clause that gives them the power to write the law. Let’s hope that this idea doesn’t die still born and that it becomes a new and long-lasting part of how our lawmakers write legislation.

Take a look at these guidelines. I like the idea…
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New GOP Staffers Instructed on How to Cite Constitutional Justification”