The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

WASHINGTON — Speaker John A. Boehner, under intense pressure from conservatives in his party, will resign one of the most powerful positions in government and give up his House seat at the end of October, throwing Congress into chaos as it tries to avert a government shutdown.

Mr. Boehner, who was first elected to Congress in 1990, made the announcement in an emotional meeting with his fellow Republicans on Friday morning.

I thought it was an Onion story when my boss first mentioned it, but Boehner is leaving Congress the end of next month with more than a year remaining on his term.

This seems rather abrupt.  Any bets on whether they found a dead male cheerleader in his trunk or there’s an impending investigation and indictment for corruption of some sort?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/26/us/john-boehner-to-resign-from-congress.html?_r=0

He started as one of the rebels in 1994. Now he is establishment and has to corral the new rebels. After 25 years that becomes herding cats. He ends on a high note by inviting the Pope to speak to the Congress.

Or maybe the Pope whispered something in his ear.

I feel a *real* split of the Republican Party will happen early next year.  Tea Partiers will try and create their own party.

I think Trump, regardless of whether or not he signed an agreement to back the Republican nominee if not him, will run as an Independent.  You all remember what happened last time an Independent got traction in a Presidential election.

Bubba.

This is probably a victory for the loons.

The loons are taking over with our own Brindenstien going right over the ledge with them.

Dude, he shot the rapids about the time he took the oath of office.

He's been hanging out with the Marshall family and Cha-ka ever since.

Or maybe the Pope whispered something in his ear.

This is probably a victory for the loons.

We just need to go ahead and get behind Bridenstein for Speaker and get Trump elected President - that way we can get all the crazy right out in front of all the stupid people and get their noses rubbed in it in a big enough way that even they will never want the smell of that sh$t ever again!!  Only then can we make real progress toward a just and lasting world vision!

Otherwise, it's just another 1 degree on that boiling frog pot....

1 2 and 3 are all covered by the Tea Party splinter calling itself the "Freedom Party". They don't get that the only freedom they espouse is "Freedom from taxes" or "Freedom from common sense". All other personal freedoms they intend to quash if it flies in the face of their personal religious conviction.

If all goes as planned, the House will know who its next speaker will be by the end of next week. Elections for the next House leadership will be held on Thursday, October 8 — a date outgoing Speaker John Boehner said he came to after consulting the Republican conference.

Boehner's office released this statement from the speaker:

After consulting with our conference, a large majority of our members have made clear they want these elections held next week. With their considerations in mind, the House leadership elections will take place on Thursday, October 8.
Boehner announced last week that he would give up the speakership and his House seat at the end of October.

California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Boehner's current number two, announced earlier this week that he will run for Speaker. "If elected Speaker, I promise you that we will have the courage to lead the fight for our conservative principles and make our case to the American people," McCarthy wrote. Boehner had been criticized for not doing enough to fight for conservative principles. McCarthy is promising to be more open-ear to conservatives and more willing to have more an aggressive message.

There are two declared candidates for speaker — McCarthy is running against Daniel Webster of Florida. There are also two declared candidates for majority leader.

It's a hand-to-hand campaign, and McCarthy spent the weekend literally calling every single member of the House Republican conference, asking them what their concerns are, what they want, what they need and what he's going to do for them. McCarthy is also likely to meet with the caucus members ahead of the elections.

The speaker of the House is elected by the whole House, but it of course important going forward for the future speaker to have the support of his Republican colleagues.

The election will likely give the House Freedom Caucus — roughly three dozen of the most conservative Republicans — more say in the House. They don't have a candidate that could win the speakership but they have enough members to really decide what the next speaker should say and do.

That means the next speaker may not have it any easier than Boehner did — and his biggest challenge will still be to get a majority of the House on board with any issue Republicans want to push.

Whoa, slow down... That's exactly the thinking of conservatives years ago. Nancy P and Obama. Let them get elected and watch how crazy things get, rub noses in it and then no one will ever want that sh&t again... Well now, look how that worked out. People are so fed up with the normal political options that a hair piece is leading in the polls. Dems had the chance to make a just and lasting world vision, they mostly blew it. Now a new world vision is emerging... Walk slowly and put the cat down, this is going to be one heck of a ride.

There was chaos on Capitol Hill on Thursday after front-runner Rep. Kevin McCarthy withdrew his name from the House speakership election. The closed-door House Republican meeting that was supposed to emerge with a speaker nominee spilled out into the hallway outside of the House Ways and Means Room in the Longworth Office Building. That's where reporters rushed lawmakers to find out exactly what had happened and where the conference might go from here.

Here's a peek into that hallway, in 60 seconds:

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, a more conservative alternative running against McCarthy, called the announcement "absolutely stunning":

"Look, it was totally, it was just absolutely stunning what happened. Nobody anticipated that that was going to happen. I love Kevin McCarthy; he's a good man and that was a tough thing to do, but God bless him."

Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., offered his own re-enactment of McCarthy's decision:

"'I am not the one' is what he said. 'I am not the one to get to 218.' I don't know if that was possible or not, he apparently decided he'd much rather stay as majority leader."

The House GOP announced it was postponing the speakership election, and almost immediately, rumors started around who else might enter the race.

Some called for a "caretaker" speaker — someone who could keep the speaker seat warm until new elections can be held in January 2017. That would likely be a senior member who wouldn't run in '17.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., said a caretaker would help the party "stay unified in our basic principles":

"I think it'd be better to have a caretaker so we can stay unified in our basic principles rather than focus around a personality."

One of Rohrabacher's suggestions for a caretaker was Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky. Only Rogers wasn't on board:

"I don't think I'm the person for it."

Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., addressed something of an elephant in the hallway — a compromise he said people "may not want to talk about," but he said could be a "very real possibility":

"We may need a bipartisan coalition to elect the next speaker, that's a very real possibility right now, and I think everybody who's honest about this knows it."

Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla. — another candidate running for speaker who was endorsed by the House Freedom Caucus — didn't call for bipartisanship but instead for Republicans to "come together and be a group":

"I think there's this real desire for us to come together and be a group. A group that's coalesced around the idea of moving forward."

Despite all the chaos, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., seemed confident that the Republican Party will find its way:

"Again, we're in kind of, somewhat, chaotic territory, but we will find a way through this and it's going to be a way that serves our party and the American people the best."

(http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/shared/npr/styles/placed_wide/nprshared/201510/447111759.jpg)

Kevin McCarthy Gone, In 60 Seconds

Someone have something juicy on this cat?

http://publicradiotulsa.org/post/kevin-mccarthy-gone-60-seconds (http://publicradiotulsa.org/post/kevin-mccarthy-gone-60-seconds)

Right wing pundits seem to think it might have to do with his slip that the whole purpose behind the Bengazi committee was to sully Hillary’s presidential bid.