Opinion of John Boehner

[Landslide Lyndon]

Couldn't agree more with Jeff Toobin on that.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-pointless-cowardice-of-john-boehner

The mainstream reaction to the forced resignation of John Boehner as the Speaker of the House has been a kind of weary admiration. He fought the good fight against the extremists in his Republican caucus, the narrative goes, but his solid Midwestern virtues (he’s from Ohio) were ultimately no contest for the extremism of the Tea Party. This interpretation is far too generous to Boehner, whose failures, political and substantive, were due mostly to cowardice. The tragedy of Boehner is that he could have been a great Speaker, even on his own terms, but instead his legacy is one of almost complete failure.

...

When Boehner announced his impending departure, he expressed pride that he had kept the government open (after a sixteen-day shutdown in 2013) and raised the debt limit. This, to paraphrase a famous Republican, reflects the soft bigotry of low expectations. Keeping the government open and paying its debts are the minimal undertakings of an elected body, not legislative triumphs. But Boehner could point to almost nothing else that happened on his watch, because the Tea Party would tolerate nothing else.

And what did Boehner’s cowardice in the face of the Tea Party stalwarts get him? They forced him out anyway. Boehner built his career around keeping his job, and he still failed. If Boehner had allowed the passage of immigration reform, it’s entirely possible that the Tea Party would have rebelled and evicted him—but at least he would have had a substantial accomplishment to his credit. Instead, Boehner tried nothing, accomplished nothing, and lost his job anyway. It’s the legacy he deserves.

[Ebsy]

Better than Newt Gingrich and Denny Hastert?

[TJ in Oregon]

One of the best members of congress and one who will be sorely missed. He had a difficult position to begin with and one that was just as often made more difficult by the 'false prophets' in his own party as it was by the Democrats. He had a job of herding cats whose modus operandi was to be shocked and outraged while perpetually taking kamikaze stands. The mere fact that he hasn't passed landmark legislation is the nature of being in the opposition party against the president.

[Torie]

One of the best members of congress and one who will be sorely missed. He had a difficult position to begin with and one that was just as often made more difficult by the 'false prophets' in his own party as it was by the Democrats. He had a job of herding cats whose modus operandi was to be shocked and outraged while perpetually taking kamikaze stands. The mere fact that he hasn't passed landmark legislation is the nature of being in the opposition party against the president.

Well said. Boehner's biggest weakness is that he was not a good communicator vis a vis the public. And perhaps he was not mean enough, and thus did not punish malefactors when appropriate, when they were derailing things.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

In abscence of fillibuster reform; Speaker's hands are tied, but the Grand Bargin after the 2012 election was clearly in site and immigration reform, he walked away. HP.