Boehner's resignation serves as a representation of the numerous divisions that are becoming ever more apparent in the Republican Party. Conservatives all over the nation have been voicing their dissatisfaction with "establishment" Republicans, growing tired of their willingness to bend to the demands of Democrats (thus abandoning their conservative principles) and their lack of loyalty to their constituents. The demands of this branch of voters are being echoed by candidates like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, who actively criticize the state of politics in Washington and advocate for a new wave of Republicans that will stand by conservatism. In addition, the growing dissatisfaction with moderate Republican politicians has led to surges in the popularity of anti-establishment presidential candidates like Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina, and Ben Carson, who, like Cruz and Rubio, are tired of Washington Republicans being "pushovers." Not only this, but this new wave of voters demanding a return to conservative politics poses a threat to moderate candidates like Jeb Bush and John Kasich, who are not as vehemently devoted to conservatism as some of their counterparts.
The extent of this dissatisfaction has been reignited with the recent debate over whether or not to perpetuate funding for Planned Parenthood in the upcoming federal budget bill. Conservative voters and politicians have voiced their unwillingness to appropriate funds for the women's health organization, but moderate Republicans like Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell understand that compromise is necessary to avoid a government shutdown. As a result, the Republican party is in a very difficult position at the moment; If it continues to fund Planned Parenthood, it will alienate conservative voters, who have begun to comprise a growing portion of the Republican electorate. On the other hand, if Washington Republicans attempt to defund Planned Parenthood, the proposed budget bill will not make it past President Obama and Senate Democrats, resulting in a government shutdown. If that were to occur, the poor leadership of the Republican Party would once again be made apparent to Americans.
The remediation of factional disputes in the Republican Party will be far from resolved even after this budget bill controversy passes. Regarding the upcoming presidential primaries, it is absolutely essential that a candidate appealing to all sides of the Republican political spectrum is elected if the party hopes to get its candidate in the White House. Though there is a growing number of voters who want politicians devoted to conservative ideas, many Republicans continue to understand that more moderate candidates are necessary to avoiding Congressional deadlock. Thus, the fight for the Republican nomination will continue to drag on as people hope to find a candidate that appeals to all factions of the Republican Party.
What do you think? Will the "Conservative Revival" among Republican voters lead to the election of an anti-establishment, right-leaning presidential nominee? If so, is this the right move for the Republican Party, or would it be better off with a more moderate candidate? Amidst all these factional disputes and divisions, what seems to be the Republican Party's future?
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/25/politics/john-boehner-resignation-jeb-bush-2016-presidential-campaign/
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/25/politics/why-john-boehner-quit/index.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/26/us/john-boehner-to-resign-from-congress.html?ref=politics&_r=0
4 comments:
I feel that there most definitely is a 'conservative revival' among Republican voters, since they, like most Americans, are angry with the way government is being handled at this current point in time. Therefore they are looking for people, like Trump, Carson, and Fiorina, people who are outsiders to the system or those who are at least voicing their discontent with the functioning of Washington. These candidates appear to the voters that they will help to lead the country in a new, better, direction than it is currently headed in since they're not bogged down already in the political games of Washington. Furthermore, like any group that feels as if it is and has been ignored, the conservative sect of Republicans are going to be looking for a candidate that reflects their views (especially those on social issues, i.e. defunding planned parenthood). In recent years Republicans in Washington have been more willing to compromise when these conservatives wanted them to remain strong, and as a result conservatives feel as if the politicians are no longer representing their core values. Many of the Republican candidates have tried to play off of this anger, not only with Washington, but also the degradation of conservative values, in the hopes of winning over this growing population of Republicans. Although for those Republican voters who feel that having a functioning government and a government with a Republican President back in the White House, I feel that they are going to be giving their votes to more moderate candidates (i.e. Bush). In order to make it through the general election the Republicans are going to have to run a candidate that will be able to appeal to a wider majority than just their own party, which would be made much easier with a candidate who falls more towards the middle. Furthermore for our government to be able to help our country at all, the people who are running it need to be able to work together, and not just be solely focused on their own group, but instead the whole of America. Therefore a more moderate candidate would be the wisest choice for the Republican voters to back. Overall I see that these internal issues will continue, since not every single person can ever be satisfied by who is chosen or what decision is reached, but hopefully they'll be able to look just beyond themselves to the bigger picture of maintaining the party and the nation.
Republican supporters may be complaining about the current republican representatives being “push-overs” and not properly reflecting conservative ideals however this is not a very valid argument because the representatives have not swayed from their beliefs enough to compromise. Furthermore, it is important to realize that the stagnation of the government is just as important as proper representation and that the poor leadership in the Republican party is not the only problem. The entire party system must be revamped because currently the Democrats and Republicans are so juxtaposed that nothing can be decided upon. The need for something new will certainly be reflected in the 2016 Presidential poles because hopefully new leaders will bring compromise to the table instead of further separating the parties. However, although the candidates coming from a non-political background, such as Trump, Fiorina, and Cruz, argue that they will add something new, if they too refuse to compromise on issues such as the funding of planned-parenthood another government shut down is inevitable. Because of this, I think that it would be a better move by the Republicans to nominate a more moderate candidate. When thinking of the country as a whole, the need to act is out first priority and if Republicans want a conservative spin on decisions then their best bet is to nominate a moderate because otherwise there will be no decision made at all. This inability to compromise seems to be one of the Republican party's biggest failure. This want for severe conservatism is loosing them support of the youths, who this generation are largely liberal, in addition to resulting in a lack of contributions to government activity and policy due to their unwillingness to find a middle-ground.
Many liberals are celebrating the departure of Boehner from congress, but leaders of the party are wary of its effects. The resignation must have come to a surprise to all of Washington; it is not every day that a member of such power steps down midterm. Whether he quit because of increasing dissatisfaction with the stagnation in Congress or an epiphany following the Pope's visit a day prior is debated. What is not debated is that this move opens up an opportunity for more radical Republicans to take the position. Boehner's resignation was supposed to be "a warning shot across the bow of mainstream, establishment Republicans that they should start listening to their broad base of support," but this call has been majorly ignored. It is evident instead that the majority, 2/3 according to the article, of Republicans are disillusioned with the current Republican leadership and actually feel betrayed. Among these are Tea-Party Republicans, Libertarians, socially conservative Republicans, moderate Republicans, and many more factions. This has led to a sort of pluralist frenzy to see who can come out on top for Republican leadership once more. This could potentially, and quite likely, lead to even more radical leadership than before.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/255483-speaker-boehner-resigns-the-tragedy-of-strategy
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