The tea party takes the reins in the House

Most recently, the original government funding plan leadership concocted would have defunded Obamacare but eventually allowed the Senate to pass a “clean” continuing resolution into law. They felt they had given Republicans what they wanted, plus they would be able avoid a government shutdown and save leverage for an October debt ceiling fight. A group of members balked, claiming this was nothing more than procedural trickery, leaving Boehner and Cantor deeply frustrated and at a loss for what to do next.

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“Do you have an idea?” he asked reporters last week when questioned about a new plan. “They’ll just shoot it down anyway.”…

A senior Republican aide said the criticisms of the House leadership were unfair as key tools of persuasion are no longer a part of the whipping process, making “the House more open, more transparent, and more difficult to manage.”

“This is just math. We have 233 House Republican members. The majority in the House is currently 217,” said the aide, noting that it is usually 218 votes but there are two vacancies. “That means a small group of Members can gum up the works on any vote. There are fewer and fewer tools available to leadership. Earmarks are gone – which is a good thing, but it has consequences. Taking away committee assignments hasn’t made members any likelier to vote ‘yes’ – and, frankly, no one has a plausible suggestion for what would do the trick. The world simply changed. It’s made the House more open, more transparent, and more difficult to manage.”

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