How to beat Boehner

So how do you win a revolution? It occurs to me that you need a few things: The right leader, the right timing, and luck. And the problem right now is that conservatives are missing the first (and arguably most important) ingredient. Newt Gingrich probably offers the best example for how it can be done.

So how did he do it? First, there was luck. Minority Whip Dick Cheney became Secretary of Defense, opening the door for Gingrich to make a play for the position. If that doesn’t happen, Cheney probably becomes Speaker, and (considering he had been Gerald Ford’s chief of staff) one assumes he would have been less a revolutionary figure than Gingrich. It would be hard to overestimate the importance of Gingrich having become minority whip. This meant he had the logistical infrastructure and organizational ability to count votes.

What is more, Gingrich began working with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in 1979 as part of an effort to take the majority, and later took over GOPAC. Both organizations were focused on helping elect new Members to Congress. This means that newly-elected Republicans would be indebted (and thus loyal) to Gingrich. Aside from his brilliance as a visionary thinker, Gingrich spent years assiduously cultivating support and planning for a majority.