Can Boehner Manage his Coalition?
Politico reports:
If John Boehner becomes speaker of the House, he’ll be able to enjoy his crowning moment — 20 years in the making — for about five minutes.
The moment he takes the gavel, Boehner will have to start navigating a handful of Republican factions that have so far been unified only in their desire to block the Democratic agenda.
Right out of the gate, Boehner will face a high-profile, ambitious freshman class that will quickly dominate the politics of a new Republican House and want to turn the chamber on its head. On the opposite end is the establishment — and a few old bulls whose power is waning even as they demand deference and chairmanships.
On top of that, Boehner will have to cope with the theatrics of the conservative media darlings — like Reps. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Steve King of Iowa — who are largely uninterested in compromise but are able to drive the Republican conversation with incendiary, cable-friendly sound bites.
And then Boehner will have what could be called the peacemakers — the true legislators and compromisers, like Boehner himself, who will actually have to make the difficult deals that keep the House relevant.
“It’s gonna get a whole lot more difficult,” freshman Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz told POLITICO. “I’m sure for us, being in the majority is much more challenging than being in the minority. That’s when our principles will be put to [the] test. That’s what it’s all about.”
The powerful freshmen
The 2010 freshman class has a chance to be historic — like the Watergate babies of 1974 and the revolutionaries of 1994 — and Boehner will have to cope with the romantic notions of this rookie class ready to turn Washington on its head.Boehner has already reached out to the tea partiers and would-be majority makers.
Boehner first addressed tea partiers by video in March 2009 and attended his first event in Bakersfield, Calif., with hometown Rep. Kevin McCarthy. One aide said Boehner will be seen as “my buddy John who came to my district, not just a leadership guy in a dark suit.” He’s spoken and met with tea partiers more than a dozen times.
Boehner has taken to Facebook to assert his message that things will change in the city where he’s seen a part of the GOP establishment.
“With two weeks to go before Election Day, let me be clear: if we win a new majority in Congress, Republicans will not compromise on the will of the people,” Boehner said on Facebook. “We will uphold our pledge to focus on cutting spending & stopping the tax hikes, bailouts, & takeovers. We will help create new jobs. We will work to repeal ObamaCare & start over. We will change the way Congress works & we will listen to the American people.”
Freshmen will be eager for change and ready to turn their campaign promises into legislation — and they’re not so interested in traditional, establishment-style compromises.
“Compromise is part of the legislative process,” said Mick Mulvaney, a Republican who is in a close race against House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt of South Carolina. “Are you willing to compromise on your core principles? With a lot of new freshmen, the answer is going to be no. We’re not going to allow a federal takeover of health care; we’re not going to allow $1.2 trillion in deficit. On the day-to-day issues of governing the country, there’s a lot of room for compromise.”
