Why on earth would anyone want Boehner’s job?

You get to blast any deal that gets struck, reiterating your support for lowering taxes, reducing spending and reforming entitlements — all of which burnishes your “true conservative” credentials.

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But if you’re actually in charge, suddenly you’re the one in the cross hairs. You become tainted by the Washington process. And because everybody who is being intellectually honest knows that Obama will never sign on to a small government agenda, you’re destined to be ineffective and to lose your conservative street cred.

That is why I don’t think any of the “true conservatives” will run for the position. They don’t want the responsibility. Their power is based on criticism of whoever is in charge, not from actually BEING in charge. The entire meme of their existence is on casting blame. It’s always “the establishment” or “lack of leadership” or whatever. None of them are actually going to step up and take on a leadership role and take responsibility for what happens. They are going to sit on the back benches and criticize. It is very easy to come up with clever sound bites when you aren’t responsible for what happened. Notice that the REAL leaders are actually leaving the Congress and taking on other roles. Jim DeMint, for example. Look at Mike Pence. Now there is a strong Republican leader. He left Congress and ran for governor of Indiana. THERE is your future leaders. The ones who sit in Congress and complain about “the establishment” without actually getting out front and offering REAL alternatives but sit there and simply criticize whatever comes along need to go.

crosspatch on December 23, 2012 at 1:14 PM

For example, John McCain’s base of power was that he would often attack the Republican party from the left. He was the darling of the media … right up until he ran for President. At that moment me became the GOP and there was no way the media was going to support him. Sarah Palin was an extremely popular Governor with approval ratings over 80% among all of the people in Alaska right up until the moment she accepted the nomination for President. She fought big oil. She didn’t run to the aid of the Old Boy network when Ted Stevens was accused of things. But the SECOND she accepted the nomination for President, the entire base of support collapsed.

If one of these back benchers decides to stand up and take a position of leadership, they will be ripped to shreds by the other back benchers whose base of power is founded on nothing more than criticism. The person stepping forward will be picked apart and eventually be blamed. The Republicans have no sense of party loyalty. They don’t stand up for each other. They don’t because there is no consequence for their actions and, in fact, they get in the paper more by being critical because the papers WANT to publish criticism of Republicans. So if someone wants to be a big name and be quoted a lot in the press, the way to do that is to bash other Republicans.

How much play do people who support Boehner get here on Hot Air in the various articles vs. people critical of him? How much have you read here about what Paul Ryan might have to say? Who has reach out to Ryan to even plumb what he might have to say? Nobody. What you read is the criticism because that is what gets their name in front of you. Until that changes, the Republicans are going to spend most of the time fighting with each other. I see “true conservatives” bad-mouthing the Republicans more than they criticize the Democrats. Politically, the “true conservatives” are the best political ally the Democrats have right now.

crosspatch on December 23, 2012 at 1:30 PM