Bernie Sanders said that the demise of John Boehner demonstrates how far to the right Republicans have drifted, and the Democratic presidential candidate warned that the right-wing crazy may get worse.
In a statement, Sen. Sanders said, “It appears that even a very conservative speaker like John Boehner is unable to control the extreme right-wing drift of Republicans in the House. This is a party whose ideology is way out of touch with the American people. Without Boehner, it may get even worse.”
Sanders is correct. Things are likely to get worse before they get better when it comes to dealing with the Republicans. If the GOP goes all in on the insanity, Democrats are in for a real challenge.
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The Republican Party is so far out of touch with the rest of the country that they were willing to toss Boehner out on his ear because he was not willing to shut down the government in order to provoke a confrontation with President Obama on Planned Parenthood.
Boehner understood the political reality that shutting down the government to defund Planned Parenthood was not going to end well for the Republican Party. Without Boehner to at least try to argue reality to his own caucus, all bets are off for the future.
Some liberals and Democrats are celebrating the demise of Boehner, but the only thing that is certain is that conflict and instability that has been brewing within the Republican Party has now bubbled up to the surface.
Sen. Sanders properly diagnosed the situation. When a very conservative Speaker like John Boehner can’t control the extremists in the House, the stage is being set for the situation to get much worse before it gets better.
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
