John Boehner Steps Down

            Cincinnati native John Boehner announced his retirement from the United States Senate amid in-fighting within the caucus. Boehner, a devout Catholic, announced this decision after the Pope’s visit to America on Friday, September 25. In a one-on-one chat with the Pope, “he put his arm around me and pulled me right into him and said: 'Please pray for me,’” recalled the emotional Boehner in the Face the Nation interview.

Boehner was raised Catholic, attended Moeller, a local Catholic high school, and graduated in 1968. He was born in Reading, Ohio and was an altar boy who attended mass before school every day at Moeller high school. After graduating he joined the Navy and due to a bad back was honorably discharged after eight weeks.

Boehner and Pope Frances shake hands. Image courtesy of: https://www.flickr.com/photos/speakerboehner/21655063656/

He would go on to attend Xavier’s business school, a Catholic university, earning a degree in Business Administration in 1977. He worked in the packaging and plastics industry before entering politics.

He started his tenure as Speaker of the House in 2010. In January 2013, Boehner prevented Congress from the “fiscal cliff” by overruling the majority of republicans and siding with the Democratic Party and saving congress from the looming cliff. In the same month Boehner did the exact same thing breaking the “Hastert Rule” and choosing to side with the Democrats in order to pass Hurricane Sandy relief. A year later Boehner defied House conservatives in order to prevent another debt ceiling crisis.

In February of 2015 Boehner kept the Department of National Security open, he got the Democratic Party to support a week long extension for funding, and agreed, in return, to bring up a "clean" DHS funding bill the next week, which passed and saved the Department. Finally at the end of the road, Boehner prevented another government shutdown over Planned Parenthood by resigning. Boehner will leave congress entirely on October, 30 and continue living quietly in Cincinnati with his family.

Boehner became the mediator in congress, and I feel like that is the perfect type of politician. Boehner sided with both Democrats and Republicans on a variety of issues, including the previously mentioned topics. The reason he wasn’t harder on the Democratic President Obama and his party was because he truly believed in some similar ideas, so for the Republican party to metaphorically hang him on a cross is misinformed and misguided.

The party system in America is naturally corrupt and Boehner stood against that system, partly because of his moral standards and Catholic upbringing. He felt like something should be done, but he might not be the one to change it entirely with the announcement of his resignation.

The timing makes someone wonder how much influence his meeting with the Pope had on his ultimate decision. Personally, I feel like it had everything to do with it because Boehner is a devout Catholic who is deeply religious, so having a heart-to-heart chat with the leader of the Catholic Church must be profound. He discussed this talk during a press conference announcing his retirement.

Boehner found himself alone with the Pope after the rest of his followers left. He spoke about the encounter in a face the nation interview, “I was standing there with the pope and the cardinals and the rest of his entourage were all moving out to their vehicles. And the pope takes his left arm and grabs my left arm and pulls me near him, and saying really nice words. I would repeat them, except it would really cause me to cry,” described Boehner.

Boehner was fed-up with the fractured caucus, which is currently divided over the government funding of controversial Planned Parenthood. In the midst of this divide the government was on the verge of another shut-down.

The Speaker’s resignation is important for the divided House and makes us ask what is to come. More than 30 members of the Republican Party were threatening to force a no-confidence vote, which would make the speaker rely heavily on a democratic vote. His resignation resolved this problem and only shows how much of a problem the in-fighting actually is. Some Republicans were attempting to get Boehner to take a much more confrontational approach to the democratic President Obama on issues about government spending, abortion, immigration, and Obamacare.

Boehner’s resignation brings up the idea of moral ambiguity as a politician. To bend and change ones moral grounds in order to gain higher approval ratings. Are all politicians naturally corrupt? No. But that doesn’t mean certain compromises within someone’s personal morality don’t occur. It is entirely possible Boehner felt the weight of his political conscience too heavy and decided to wash his hands of the whole bloody affair.

Boehner reminds me of the legendary character in Frank Capra’s classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Senator Jefferson Smith, a scapegoat who felt the brunt of the political machine saying. “Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: 'I'm free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't. I can. And my children will,” said Senator Smith in an elegant scene with his secretary, Clarissa Saunders.

Every leader within American politics bears the stress and tension of its people. It’s easy to blame the president just like it’s easy to blame the head coach. It’s no wonder the president looks 25 years older after 8 years of service. Boehner felt that pressure, so he decided to get out of this machine. He was at a moral crossroads and the visit with the Pope made him realize this dilemma. It made him realize how corrupt the American political system is. Pressure from both parties and the constant in-fighting in the caucus directly affected his decision. He simply had enough with the leaders of the free world acting like spoiled children.

Boehner has given up politics and will live the remainder of his life with his family in the area. So if you’re ever driving around town after class, don’t be surprised to spot the former Speaker of the House.