Can House Speaker John Boehner rebound from one of the most stunning defeats of his political career and break the impasse in Washington? Some are suggesting last week’s Republican revolt may force Boehner to turn to Democrats to get something passed. After his own caucus blocked his so-called “Plan B” proposal to avert the looming tax hikes and spending cuts, Rep. Boehner (R-OH) used his weekly address to pin the blame on Democrats, arguing that House Republicans have done their job. “I’ve challenged the members of our party to grapple with (spending and entitlement reform), to make tough choices,” Boehner said. “And we’re willing to.” But the way ahead is murky. Even as the work of crafting a bill shifts to the Senate, a bill still has to get through the House. It will be up to the Republican leadership to make that happen. “If you give 30 to 60 of the most conservative Republicans veto power, you will never get a reasonable solution,” says Washington Post editorial columnist, E.J. Dionne. “If John Boehner said, we’re going to let the whole House work its will, you could pass a lot of reasonable bills if you work from the center out instead of starting from the far right.” In other words, the Speaker may only be able to find 218 votes by drawing them from both sides of the aisle. To do so might mean risking his speakership, but for Boehner, they may be no other way.
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Boehner seeks a silver lining
Can House Speaker John Boehner rebound from one of the most stunning defeats of his political career and break the impasse in Washington?
