Coup d'Boehner?

HOUSE REPUBLICANS CIRCULATE PLAN TO OUST BOEHNER FROM SPEAKERSHIP
Excerpt:

Several conservative House Republican members are contemplating a plan to unseat Speaker John Boehner from his position on January 3, Breitbart News has exclusively learned. Staffers have compiled a detailed action plan that, if executed, could make this a reality.

The Republicans, both conservatives and more establishment members alike, are emboldened after the failure of Boehner’s fiscal cliff “Plan B” on Thursday evening. Dissatisfaction with Boehner is growing in the House Republican conference, but until now there hasn’t been a clear path forward.

Those members and staffers requested anonymity from Breitbart News at this time to prevent retaliation from Boehner similar to what happened to those four members who were purged from their powerful committee assignments a few weeks ago. Their expressed concern is that if Boehner knew who they were, his adverse reaction toward them would be much more brutal than losing committee assignments, such as a primary challenge in 2014 by a leadership-sponsored candidate.

Comments: Anonymity means "chickens". Ousting Boehner would be a big mistake! Hey Republicans ... taxes are going to go up on everyone if we dive over the cliff. The President offered a $ 400K threshold. Time to deal!

Obamacare is the law of the land

Boehner: 'Obamacare is the law of the land'

 Excerpt:

Well, I think the election changes that. It's pretty clear that the president was reelected, Obamacare is the law of the land. I think there are parts of the healthcare law that are gonna be very difficult to implement. And very expensive. And as the time when we're tryin' to find a way to create a path toward a balanced budget everything has to be on the table.

Comment: Realism in light of Tuesday's results

John Boehner: "Secrecy, arrogance, and the abuse of power have shattered the bonds of trust between the people and their elected leaders"

What the Next Speaker Must Do

Excerpts:

Accordingly, there are several steps I believe the next speaker should be prepared to take immediately. Among them:

• No earmarks. Earmarks have become a symbol of a broken Washington, and an entire lobbying industry has been created around them ...
  
• Let Americans read bills before they are brought to a vote. The speaker of the House should not allow any bill to come to a vote that has not been posted publicly online for at least three days. ...
  
• The speaker should insist that every bill include a clause citing where in the Constitution Congress is given the power to pass it. Bills that can't pass this test shouldn't get a vote. House Republicans' new governing agenda, "A Pledge to America," calls for the speaker to implement such reforms immediately.
  
• No more "comprehensive" bills. The next speaker should put an end to so-called comprehensive bills with thousands of pages of legislative text that make it easy to hide spending projects and job-killing policies.
  
• No more bills written behind closed doors in the speaker's office. Bills should be written by legislators in committee in plain public view. Issues should be advanced one at a time, and the speaker should place an emphasis on smaller, more focused legislation that is properly scrutinized, constitutionally sound, and consistent with Americans' demand for a less-costly, less-intrusive government.
  
  

Comment: Full text of A Pledge to America (worth a read!) Full text (PDF) / More on John Boehner here. He is from my neck of the woods. I graduated from H/S in 1967, he in 1968. He went to Xavier University in Cincinnati, I went to the University of Cincinnati!

Stimulus: a "flawed notion"

Republicans Find Voice in Opposing Stimulus

Excerpt:

"I just can't tell you how shocked I am at what we're seeing. You know it's clear that they're moving on this path along the flawed notion that we can borrow and spend our way back to prosperity."

Comment: We probably can spend our way back to temporary prosperity. Emphasis on "temporary"!