Exactly three months ago today, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) boasted that it would be “nearly impossible” for his Republican caucus to lose its majority this year — or at any point in the coming decade.
Does Boehner believe his majority is secure because House Republicans are responsible lawmakers who’ve impressed the American electorate and earned voters’ trust? Not exactly. As the Speaker explained in late January, House GOP incumbents will simply keep winning because state Republican officials have drawn congressional boundaries in such a way as to guarantee the party’s success, whether Republicans do an awful job in Washington or not.
Three months later, Boehner’s confidence appears to have waned, at least a little.
Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio said on Monday that Republicans had a one-in-three chance of losing control of the House in November, a surprisingly downbeat assessment from a Republican leader who until now has expressed no fears of losing the gavel.
In an interview with Fox News, to be shown on Tuesday, Mr. Boehner delivered what aides called a wake-up call to his troops.









