To say that I am concerned and alarmed at what I see happening to the Republican Party in DC would be a gross understatement. You might be welcoming the news that the House of Representatives finally reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, but the details are scary. Speaker Boehner had to, once again, violate the so-called Hastert Rule which holds that no vote will be allowed that the majority of the majority doesn’t support. The final roll call in the House ended with the majority of Republicans (138-87) opposing the reauthorization.
Now, on the one hand, that the Republican leadership is growing increasingly comfortable governing with a reliance on the Democratic minority is a positive development and something that I felt was absolutely necessary if we are not going to implode politically in this country.
On the other hand, the House Republicans are dangerously radicalized. I’d also note that Eric Cantor stood with the radicals today and throughout the battle over reauthorization.
Cantor’s main objection is that the new version of the law empowers Native American tribal courts to prosecute people who come on their reservations and rape women. Irin Carmon wrote about this problem last year in Salon.
“We have serial rapists on the reservation — that are non-Indian — because they know they can get away with it,” said Charon Asetoyer, executive director of the Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center in Lake Andes, S.D. “Many of these cases just get dropped. Nothing happens. And they know they’re free to hurt again.”
Asetoyer was talking about the loophole that prevents tribal authorities, who have jurisdiction over crimes committed on Indian territory by Indians, from having any authority over non-Indian male abusers. That’s despite the fact that non-Indian men account for an estimated 80 percent of rapes of Indian women, and that the astronomical rate of abuse of Indian women is well documented by the federal government.
This is this situation that Eric Cantor fought so hard to perpetuate. I mean, this is crazy. Before the House passed a bill that addresses this issue today, they voted for a version of the bill that would not address it. It actually got 166 votes, only two of which were cast by Democrats (Dan Lipinksi of Illinois and Mike McIntyre of North Carolina).
I’ll give credit to Boehner for sticking up to his own crazies this time, but I don’t know how much longer he can hold on.
I can’t imagine anyone trying to take the Speakership from Boehner. Cantor knows it is a thankless job until GOP gets control of Senate or WH.
A few years ago, there was a sort of coup in the Tennesse house; the democrats voted for a moderate republican speaker who voted for himself and beat out the official GOP candidate. At the end of last year, I thought that a speaker Tom Cole was not outside the realm of possibility, through a coalition of democrats and sane republicans…
Can Boehner be stripped of his Speakership in some kind of vote of no confidence, and be replaced? Or is he safe until the next Congress?
I don’t know the mechanics, but my understanding is he can be forced out by his caucus (unless he pulls a Willie Brown and keeps his job by securing the votes of a rump faction of Republicans and all the Democrats—but I see no evidence Boehner is as skilled a pol as Brown).
Interesting. I figured it’s a pretty fluid thing and Cantor can take over if he can round up the votes. I wonder what’s the last time that a Speaker was coup’d.
Gingrich got forced out after the ’98 elections (after surviving a 1997 “coup” attempt). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich#Leadership_challenge
Yeah, I guess that’s how any attempted coup of Boehner would play out in the end, too. The sitting Speaker would just resign rather than lose a humiliating vote of no confidence or however the process works.
The Speaker is elected by the entire House, and can be removed only by a vote of the entire House. Removing Boehner would be almost impossible. The same alliance of Democrats and not-too-crazy Republicans that’s passing bills will want him in power; the Democrats can’t expect much better from any other Republican; and the not-too-crazy Republicans really don’t want one of the nutcases running the show.
IMO the only real threat to Boehner’s speakership would be for a group of 20+ less-conservative Republicans to ally with the Democrats, electing one of their own as speaker and cutting some deal with Pelosi for other adminstrative powers. This would happen only if they were up against the wall with the public calling for Republican heads due to Republican obstructionism. But Boehner’s never going to let that happen; his repeated breaches of the Hastert fend this off. If public pressure starts getting rough he lets the votes go through.
Giving in this way isn’t unpleasant for Boehner; Boehner’s one of the not-too-crazies himself anyway. He doesn’t want to be the Bad Guy in public because he likes being in power and doesn’t want to lose the majority in 2014.
If Boehner get knocked out by a scandal or health issue, he’ll be replaced by Cantor who will do the same thing. Cantor is also in it for the power, not the ideology; he’s not really an ideologue, he’s just playing one for the moment.
That or he’s a sociopath and will not let any sane bill to the floor. Watching this guy its 50/50. If complete obstruction benefited him he would gladly do it. Empathy is not his scene.
Boehner’s not as skilled as Brown (hey, he’s not as skilled as Brown’s pet goldfish) but Nancy Pelosi is, or more–from the same school–and it suits her for Boehner to hold the gavel. This is now the third vote (following the fiscal speedbump and Sandy relief) to bypass the infamous Hastert Rule and pass the House with more Democrats than Republicans signing on. The Hastert Rule has been broken, and with it the rule of the crazies. I’m very optimistic that we will start getting a little effective government, not every day but with some frequency, starting with desequestration in the next few days.
Boehner – the bad cop
Cantor – the worse cop
The Republicans control their own behavior. It’s the job of Democrats and progressives (in Congress and outside of it) to keep applying steady pressure to enact the platform and budget priorities that the majority of Americans voted for last fall.
It’s up to Republicans how long their extremist, anti-democratic tactics continue. Applying enough pressure that Boehner has decided to break the “Hastert Rule” 3 times in less than 2 months on major legislation is a sign that we’re moving in the right direction (I think).
Hey, we can’t have Sharia Law … uh, I mean Tribal Law, usurping the authority of … Oh, the heck with it.
C’mon, man. What’s the point of being Republican if you can’t prey on women and people of color? In this case, it’s two birds with one stone — so what’s the problem?
What? You didn’t get the memo about the deserving and the moochers?
Now can we send Dan Lapinski and Mike McIntyre the way of Holy Joe.
Particularly egregious because McIntyre’s district includes the Lumbee tribe.
According to TMP these Rebubs voted against it
Could make for some interesting senate races
Rep. Tom Cotton (AR)
Rep. Steve King (IA)
Rep. Bill Cassidy (LA)
Rep. John Fleming (LA)
Rep. Justin Amash (MI)
Rep. Michele Bachmann (MN)
Rep. Kristi Noem (SD)
Rep. Paul Broun (GA)
Rep. Tom Price (GA)
Rep. Phil Gingrey (GA)
Rep. Jack Kingston (GA)
Rep. Austin Scott (GA)
Rep. Tom Graves (GA)
Drum makes the point that Boehner realizes that to go with the radicals would only rebound more to the GOP’s detriment so he sets aside the rule to avoid pissing off even MORE women who will vote for the Dems.
I would rather non-Indian rapists be tried in regular US Federal courts than tribal courts (certainly tribal authorities should be able to arrest and detain them!) but it’s still better than letting them go free. It’s also no reason to hold up the act.
the President won re-election, the democratic caucus in the Senate added two seats, the writing is on the wall. I expect the “Hastert Rule” to go the way of the word processor. It was a ridiculous notion anyway without complete control of the Government, at some point you have to prove you can govern, with, or without your caucus. The radicals were useful 2 years ago, not so much anymore. The tea-pubs just want to posture for the folks back home anyway, knowing there are enough sane Republicans to get things done, they are free to wallow in their perverse “purity” and continue to run against Washington even as they are a part of it. That’s a sweet deal for them. Boehner aint going anywhere, no matter what he does. Who’d want the job anyway?