House Representative Mark Meadows, R-NC, is flexing for the latest round of Congressional tug-of-war. The North Carolina politician seeks to oust John Boehner, R-OH, as Speaker of the House.
House Republicans have felt Boehner’s leadership tenuous, too conciliatory and, above all, just not conservative enough. So Meadows, a proactive opponent of Boehner’s, is making moves — again.
He tried to oust Boehner in July 2015, but the motion never passed. Last week he warned Boehner to strategically defund Planned Parenthood, or he’d file a resolution to appoint a new Speaker.
Jason Roberts, professor of political science at UNC, said the move is not unprecedented.
“There have been occasions when a sitting Speaker was deposed,” he said. “The most famous happened in 1910 when the House revolted against Joseph Cannon of Illinois. This revolt changed the power dynamic between the Speaker and the House for decades.”
Perhaps, the latest revolt — 105 years after Cannon’s — could change the power dynamic between the Speaker, his party and his caucus.
From the Sept. 16 debate, it was clear the Republican Party despises Planned Parenthood. Fiorina, had a memorable (and factually questionable) soliloquy about a viral video, one alleging Planned Parenthood sells the body parts of aborted fetuses. Some candidates echoed her opinions supporting the most harrowing displays of bureaucratic inefficiency: the government shutdown.
But not surprisingly, several candidates avoided endorsing a shutdown to protest Planned Parenthood. Gov. Chris Christie, N.J., wouldn’t explicitly say “yes” or “no” to a government shutdown. Neither did Fiorina.
Gov. John Kasich, Ohio, however, said he wouldn’t support a shutdown and one would hurt the Republican Party’s image.
“The president of the United States is not going to sign this, and all we're gonna do is shut the government down, and then we're gonna open up — open it up, and the American people are gonna shake their heads and say, ‘what's the story with these Republicans?’” Kasich said during the debate.
But how many Republicans are shaking their heads at their party? It’s hard to say. On the surface, it appears Republicans aren’t divided over big picture issues like the nuclear deal, Obamacare and taxes. But underneath — and it’s among democracy’s most celebrated shortcomings — is the eternal friction over how to implement policy.
Frank Pray, chairman of the UNC College Republicans, said the Republican Party is as strong as ever, but improving leadership could take many forms.
“While we believe we have great leadership already, making all of this possible, there is always room for improvement,” Pray said in an email. “Whether that takes the form of a leadership change in the House of Representatives or continuing on with the same leaders but tweaking their leadership strategies is not for us to comment.”
Republicans generally dislike the Iran nuclear deal. Some hate it. Ted Cruz said he’d shred the document on his first day in office. Others find it just a little unsavory, like Rand Paul, who said he’d take an honest look at the deal.
“Should we continue to talk with Iran? Yes. Should we cut up the agreement immediately? That's absurd,” Paul said.
Congressional tug-of-war has Republicans pulling Democrats, and Democrats pulling Republicans. During election season, the game heats up. Some politicians want their party to pull harder; others are more willing to drop the rope. Right now, Boehner’s just hoping for the latter.
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