The news of Boehner's exit was 110% unexpected, certainly NOT the news headline I ever imagined I'd be reading this morning. But after an entirely justified reaction somewhere in the vicinity of WOW, OMG, and WTF, my feelings are now mostly MEH, but with a little bit of "silver-lining" hope over what might transpire in the aftermath.
As many have pointed out, whoever succeeds His Orangeness will almost certainly be much worse than he has been. Harder to work with. More beholden to, and emboldened by, the GOP's looney-tunes coalition. More hell-bent than ever to do everything possible to see that Obama and the Dems accomplish as little as possible. The next 14 months are not going to be pretty. Not pretty at all.
However, I'm not really concerned, and in fact am starting to see an opportunity for us to be in pretty good shape when those 14 months have concluded...
Let's face it. Even if Boehner navigated the political mine field on his horizon, and came out the other side still the speaker of a miraculously unified party, the remainder of Obama's presidency would still see the same stagnant, obstructive, vindictive, do-nothing Congress. The only way that will change is when they name a Speaker, and the Senate chooses a Majority Leader, with a D after each name.
No matter how Boehner exited, the GOP is not very likely to pick another "moderate" (really HUGE, Trump-esque air-quotations there) to replace him. So we end up with someone truly crazy and even more extreme. It just might turn out to our advantage in the end.
1) It's not as if Congress can accomplish LESS than they do now. And even if they do succeed in making the current Congress seem progressive and productive, their short-term dysfunction can be nothing less than proportional to the long-term blowback.
2) Neither the Dems' role as opposition nor their ability to fulfill it have diminished; they should, in fact, be better off with a stronger resolve to fill a role that is more critical than ever.
3) And if they think the key to success is to pick the most conservative leader possible, then I say, "Go for it!" Pick the most far-right, tea-party-orthodox, anti-Boehner deliverer you can find for your next Speaker. Then, when the people see the bright, shiny, brand-new Congress lay the same accomplishment goose-egg as before... when the crazy-talk grows louder and more incessant until it is unmistakable and unavoidable... after those who were once considered extreme fringe find themselves mainstream, heart-and-soul GOP role models, without limits or filters...
... we just might see some favorable outcomes come next November. There just might be more people paying attention, and fewer people liking what they see and hear. And enduring a post-Boehner Congress just might be worth it all in the end. At least I hope so.
What else can I say, besides "pass the popcorn!"