I'd posit the following:
AW was electorally screwed because he's a conservative black veteran with BALLS !
One of the commies' worst recurrent nightmares.
It won’t do any good to get rid of Boehner, but it’s probably time to dump him just because his name is too well known now.
To his credit he didn’t get convicted of any kind of malfeasance during his tenure.
If a new speaker can be prevented by just 17 republican votes, then no one can be elevated to that position without some kind of agreement...Ryan, maybe??? Otherwise, that leaves the #3 in presidential elevation to the majority leader of the Senate, IIRC. Harry Reid.