Speaker of the House John Boehner, fed up with the Republican freshman House members supported by the so-called “populist” tea party movement, is ignoring their whines and stonewalling and will work towards a compromise to avoid another public relations disaster on tax cuts and budget deals. Capitol Hill Blue has learned that a frustrated Boehner recently told his close aides “to hell with them,” referring to many of the 85 freshman Republicans installed in Congress in 2010 by the tea party movement.
Polls show growing buyers remorse among voters who supported the tea party-backed Republicans in 2010 and Boehner — stung by widespread public criticism over his previous capitulations to the tea party types in Congress — is reaching out to Democrats.
“The Speaker has had it with the regressive policies of the tea party faithful,” a senior aide tells Capitol Hill Blue. He wants progress on tax cuts and on a budget deal and the only way he can do that is by working with the Democrats.”
Boehner in recent weeks has talked to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi to try and craft deals with the Democrats. When some tea party types starting whining, Boehner basically told them to go to hell and let him to his job.
“Boehner is finally realizing that as Speaker he needs to serve the interests of the American people and not the limited, self-serving interests of the tea party-backed group of newcomers on the hill,” said GOP analyst Scott Angle. “He knows he has to deal and he’s ready to do so.”
Congressional sources say Boehner recently had a “come to Jesus” meeting with House majority leader Eric Cantor and told him to “get with the program” or “get out of my way.” Cantor, a rabid right-wing tea party sympathizer from Virginia, is viewed by an increasing number of GOP leaders as a “back-stabbing Judas” who shows more allegiance to the tea party than the House leadership.
“Boehner is finally showing some backbone,” Angle says. “He’s standing up to Cantor and the extremists who are damaging the Republicans and hurting the country.”
Congress faces a Feb. 29 deadline to extend the tax cut that saves an average American family about a thousand bucks a year.
