John Boehner Admits That He Is Not Trying to Win His Lawsuit Against Obama

Last updated on April 9th, 2018 at 09:41 am

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House Republicans are trying to court shop for a sympathetic judge to hear their lawsuit, but they aren’t trying to win. Speaker Boehner’s goal is to make the lawsuit last until November.

The Hill reported, “House Republicans may try to court shop to find the best venue for their lawsuit against President Obama’s use of executive action. While most legal experts believe the suit will ultimately be filed in D.C. district court, some think Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) might add additional plaintiffs to the House’s case in a bid for standing to sue elsewhere. That strategy could extend the life of a lawsuit that scholars already believe has little chance of traction but could still serve to energize the GOP’s conservative base before the November midterms.”

The Speaker’s court shopping is proof that he has no desire to win this lawsuit. In fact, he expects to lose. What Boehner is trying to do is keep the lawsuit on life support through the 2014 elections. Rep. Boehner is set to waste millions of taxpayer dollars on a House Republican get out the vote effort.

Speaker Boehner has not been able to keep up the facade that this is a legitimate legal action. Experts and scholars widely agree that whatever court this suit eventually ends up in will rule that the House isn’t able to demonstrate that they were injured by President Obama’s actions and doesn’t have legal standing.

Boehner’s endgame is to find a court that will let Republicans argue their case for as long as possible. Republicans know that their bill to speed up the lawsuit against the president will never pass the Senate, so the point is to create an issue for House Republican incumbents to run on this fall.

Republicans told their voters in 2010 that if they were given control of the House, they would repeal Obamacare. Anyone with a basic understanding of the legislative process knows that this was a lie. The House can’t repeal anything by acting alone, but Republican voters bought it and the result was a giant problem for John Boehner.

Obamacare hasn’t been repealed. The law has only gotten stronger and more accepted with the passage of time. This is why Boehner’s lawsuit is an excuse. The lawsuit against the president is meant to blame Obama for the Republican inability to keep their promise. House Republicans are sending the message that Obamacare exists because the president is breaking the law. It is their tactic of blaming Obama shifted to a new venue.

If the court throws this lawsuit out quickly, Boehner will lose his issue for the fall and risk that Republican voters catch on that they were lied to. Boehner’s court shopping is admission that he is not trying win. The Speaker’s goal is to fool voters while running out the clock until November.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association