Shed a tear for Boehner’s departure

I am going to miss John Boehner as speaker of the House. The GOP looks like the fun party with its ring-a-ding leader and his dash of Dean Martin. Boehner even sauntered into his resignation news conference Friday while crooning, “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay. My oh my, what a wonderful day.” The speaker chose not to cling to power but to walk away without compromising his supporters.

“Why do I want to make my members, Republican members, walk the plank?” Boehner explained on “Face the Nation” on Sunday. The son of a barkeep wants to avoid a government shutdown — also known as another government shutdown. He knew his effort to thwart a kamikaze mission could invite his party’s “knuckle draggers,” as he calls them, to challenge his leadership. Republicans who stood by Boehner then might face a primary challenge.

Boehner knew his perch was precarious; he likened being speaker to trying to keep 218 frogs in a wheelbarrow. So rather than fight, Boehner, 65, shrugged. His is not so much an Ayn Randian Atlas shrug as it is what Politico’s Glenn Thrush called an “’I’m just playing the cards I’ve been dealt,’ nicotine-induced zen” shrug.

I am going to miss the era of smoke-filled rooms and chain-smoking power brokers. Boehner’s likely replacement — Kevin McCarthy, 50, of Bakersfield, California — has a West Coast sensibility. McCarthy leads his fellow R’s on early-morning mountain bike rides when the House is in session. (I learned on “Face the Nation” that Boehner does yoga, but not, I presume, while caucusing.)

I am going to miss those basset hound eyes that shed endless sentimental tears. I am going to miss that orangy mug. It takes a tough man to tinge his skin the same tint as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s hair. I am going to miss references to Boehner’s patronage at Trattoria Alberto and Pete’s Diner. There’s something endearingly old-school about a pol who frequents businesses known by an owner’s first name.

I think President Barack Obama will miss Boehner more than I. The softy speaker, after all, fell for Obama’s ruse about wanting to reach across the aisle to cut a grand bargain.

I am going to miss the speaker who got rid of earmarks — pet pork-barrel spending — out of conviction, even though it made it harder for him to impose discipline among his ranks. I am going to miss the barkeep’s son who didn’t believe in fighting for the sake of fighting. He didn’t go for destructive stunts like the 2013 government shutdown championed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. After that house of cards collapsed, he hoped tea party members would see that shuttering the government is a losing tactic. As he said Sunday, “have the courage to do what you can do. It’s easy to have the courage to do what you can’t do.”

Email Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@sfchronicle.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, March 28

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Initiative promoter Tim Eyman takes a selfie photo before the start of a session of Thurston County Superior Court, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Olympia, Wash. Eyman, who ran initiative campaigns across Washington for decades, will no longer be allowed to have any financial control over political committees, under a ruling from Superior Court Judge James Dixon Wednesday that blasted Eyman for using donor's contributions to line his own pocket. Eyman was also told to pay more than $2.5 million in penalties. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Editorial: Initiative fee increase protects process, taxpayers

Bumped up to $156 from $5, the increase may discourage attempts to game the initiative process.

Protecting forests and prevent another landslide like Oso

Thank you for the powerful and heartbreaking article about the Oso landslide… Continue reading

Boeing’s downfall started when engineers demoted

Boeing used to be run by engineers who made money to build… Continue reading

Learn swimming safety to protect kids at beach, pool

Don’t forget to dive into water safety before hitting the pool or… Continue reading

Comment: Why shootings have decreased but gun deaths haven’t

High-capacity magazines and ‘Glock switches’ that allow automatic fire have increased lethality.

Washington state senators and representatives along with Governor Inslee and FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez break ground at the Swift Orange Line on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Community Transit making most of Link’s arrival

The Lynnwood light rail station will allow the transit agency to improve routes and frequency of buses.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Wednesday, March 27

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

An image of Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin is reflected in a storefront window during the State of the City Address on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at thee Everett Mall in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: State of city address makes case for Everett’s future

Mayor Franklin outlines challenges and responses as the city approaches significant decisions.

FILE - The massive mudslide that killed 43 people in the community of Oso, Wash., is viewed from the air on March 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Editorial: Mapping landslide risks honors those lost in Oso

Efforts continue in the state to map areas prone to landslides and prevent losses of life and property.

Burke: ‘Why not write about Biden, for once?’ Don’t mind if I do.

They asked; I’ll oblige. Let’s consider what the president has accomplished since the 2020 election.

Comment: Catherine missed chance to dispel shame of cancer

She wasn’t obligated to do so, but she might have used her diagnosis to educate a sympathetic public.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.