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Report: GOP operatives, former Boehner aides expect him to retire after midterms next year
Hotair ^ | 09/05/2013 | AllahPundit

Posted on 09/05/2013 7:02:03 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Nothing concrete, just speculation, but speculation from people who know Boehner well.

Before you pop the champagne, ask yourself: How much of an improvement would Speaker Cantor be?

“He has to say that [he's staying]. He can’t not say that. The minute you say [you're leaving], you’re done,” said one former GOP leadership aide who is part of Boehner’s circle. “Everybody around him thinks this is his last term.”

Despite the effort by Boehner to tamp down speculation that he will depart the House after the 2014 midterms, multiple cooks in Boehner’s kitchen cabinet think the Republican is still strongly considering making his exit just over a year from now.

“I’d be surprised if he did [stay],” said one former senior aide to Boehner, who, like many consulted for this article, spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their relationships. (HuffPost spoke to four top former Boehner aides, two current aides, five former leadership aides close to Boehner’s inner circle, and a GOP operative on familiar terms with his circle.)…

“It’s probably not up to him,” said one GOP operative. “The natural assumption is that he leaves. It’s the overwhelming, working assumption as people are making strategy going into 2015 and 2016.”

Why the suspicion that he’ll quit? Simple: He barely got 218 votes in the last Speaker election, and with excruciating votes upcoming on Syria, immigration, and this fall’s budget/debt ceiling clusterfark, odds are fair that he’ll end up alienating enough tea partiers that it’ll be impossible for him to win re-election among the caucus. He’ll take stock next year and, if the votes aren’t there, he’ll quietly prepare to leave rather than subject himself to a humiliating defeat in January 2015. If the votes are there, one former aide says, he might stick around through 2016 in order to try to nail down a grand bargain on entitlement reform with lame-duck Obama. But what are the odds of that?

So there’s the good news for Boehner-haters — he may well be done next year, to be replaced by Cantor or Jeb Hensarling or Jim Jordan (or Paul Ryan?). The bad news is that the sooner Boehner decides to pull the plug, the less reason he has not to abandon the Hastert Rule. Right now that’s the only thing that’s stopping the Schumer/Rubio amnesty bill from passing the House with overwhelming Democratic support. If Boehner decides he no longer wants to be Speaker, he could decide to bring the bill to the floor, secure a major legislative “achievement” when it passes, and then ride off into the sunset as the media tosses bouquets at him for his conservative-thwarting “reasonableness” and “statesmanship.” In that case, the fact that the House is taking its time to vote on immigration is actually a bad thing because you’d want to dispense with reform before all the budget stuff starts. Once Boehner deals with all that — and especially if he reaches some sort of major compromise with Obama — there’ll be less reason for him to stick to the conservative line. Better to get immigration done now, even if that means killing reform, while he still cares about being Speaker and then tackle budgetary matters.


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: amnesty; amnesty4illegals; boehner; boehner4amnesty; congress; retire; speaker
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1 posted on 09/05/2013 7:02:04 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
Before you pop the champagne, ask yourself: How much of an improvement would Speaker Cantor be?

I don't know. Let's find out.

2 posted on 09/05/2013 7:03:23 AM PDT by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all -- Texas Eagle)
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To: SeekAndFind

All that government stuff eating is interfering with important activities — smoking, tanning, playing golf.


3 posted on 09/05/2013 7:04:48 AM PDT by twister881
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To: Texas Eagle
SPEAKER JASON CHAFFETZ has a nice ring to it...

4 posted on 09/05/2013 7:05:21 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: Texas Eagle

Ditto.


5 posted on 09/05/2013 7:05:56 AM PDT by shove_it
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To: SeekAndFind

I hate to see Boehner go in 2014...

I want him gone NOW....


6 posted on 09/05/2013 7:08:57 AM PDT by PoloSec ( Believe the Gospel: how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again)
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To: SeekAndFind

Speaker Trey Gowdy?


7 posted on 09/05/2013 7:09:33 AM PDT by upchuck (The nobama regime: a string of omnishambles that stretches, seemingly, to infinity.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Then why run for re-election?

Or... why bother to vote for him?

PRIMARY HIS ASS NOW!!!


8 posted on 09/05/2013 7:09:35 AM PDT by Mr. K (Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics, and then Democrat Talking Points.)
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To: Texas Eagle

This is spin since Oboehner is now radioactive among conservatives.

His members elected him, virtrually all.

There were rumblings that 16 would stand up to oppose him earlier this year after he pushed through the deal to raise taxes and the national debt.

Boehner, Cantor and over 90 percent of the GOP congressman-women etc. are all not real conservatives, that’s what we learn with that story.

The 60 or more who make noises and vote NO from time to time include many who made the decision earlier this year to support the leader pushing all this stuff they end up voting NO on and loudly saying they oppose.


9 posted on 09/05/2013 7:09:39 AM PDT by Nextrush (BALANCED BUDGET NOW, PRESIDENT SARAH PALIN,CHANGE I BELIEVE IN)
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To: SeekAndFind

I heard Doc Thompson filling in for Glenn Beck this morning saying Chaffetz is now sliding into supporting amnesty.


10 posted on 09/05/2013 7:11:14 AM PDT by Nextrush (BALANCED BUDGET NOW, PRESIDENT SARAH PALIN,CHANGE I BELIEVE IN)
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To: Texas Eagle

Cantor is no conservative. He would be a disaster. He needs to be taken out of any leadership position.


11 posted on 09/05/2013 7:14:07 AM PDT by kabar
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To: upchuck

Trey Gowdy supports amnesty.


12 posted on 09/05/2013 7:14:42 AM PDT by kabar
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To: SeekAndFind

Boehner/Cantor = six of one; half-dozen of another.


13 posted on 09/05/2013 7:14:54 AM PDT by Sans-Culotte ( Pray for Obama- Psalm 109:8)
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To: Mr. K

What happens if he’s reelected in Ohio and resigns? Does Kasich appoint a successor or is a special election held?


14 posted on 09/05/2013 7:15:45 AM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Retire now! At least from the Speaker position..... useless in that position.


15 posted on 09/05/2013 7:16:31 AM PDT by b4its2late (A Liberal is a person who will give away everything he doesn't own.)
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To: cripplecreek

If he is re-elected, he apparently will LOSE the speaker role anyway...

So, why bother Ohio?


16 posted on 09/05/2013 7:16:51 AM PDT by Mr. K (Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics, and then Democrat Talking Points.)
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To: SeekAndFind

In honor of his service to Obama Boehner should get a free ride out of town.

On a rail.

in a new suit of tar and feathers.


17 posted on 09/05/2013 7:18:07 AM PDT by Iron Munro ("You bring me the man, I'll find you the crime" - Lavrentiy Beria [and Eric Holder])
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To: SeekAndFind

Speaker Boehner should resign today....traitor that he is!!! Oh.....and...Mr. Speaker, take that turncoat Eric Cantor with you!!! You two Obamabots make me want to vomit!!!


18 posted on 09/05/2013 7:19:50 AM PDT by JLAGRAYFOX ( My only objective is to defeat and destroy Obama & his Democrat Party, politically!!!)
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To: PoloSec

Amen. If this is true Bonehead is going to be a very dangerous man for
Conservatives in the mean time.


19 posted on 09/05/2013 7:24:29 AM PDT by tennmountainman (Stop Worrying And Just Learn To Love The Bomb!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Is he retiring perhaps because his Constituents want him gone?

Speaker of the House number - for comments regarding his support for Syrian intervention aka debacle.

202-225-0600


20 posted on 09/05/2013 7:29:55 AM PDT by ExTexasRedhead
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