Boehner Reaches Into Bag of Tricks to Disrupt Democrats

By CARL HULSE
NYT

WASHINGTON — Representative John A. Boehner came to Washington in 1991 as a rabble-rousing Republican willing to disrupt the House to score points against powerful Democrats. Now, as the House Republican leader in a town again dominated by Democrats, the Ohioan is back to his old tricks.

Trying to build opposition to a climate change measure being considered as the Fourth of July recess loomed, Mr. Boehner commandeered the floor for an hour to mount an unofficial filibuster and ridicule the legislation. He has sanctioned efforts by rank-and-file Republicans to tie up the House with dozens of procedural votes. During the debate on the economic stimulus, he threw the huge bill to the floor with a theatrical thump.

“There are times when the majority just does such outrageous things that you have to find a way to make your point to the American people,” said Mr. Boehner, who began his House career as one of the so-called Gang of Seven, a group of Republican upstarts that confronted Democrats over the House banking scandal and other institutional abuses.

Mr. Boehner has various motivations for using whatever means are at his disposal to make a political case. Republicans portray the climate measure as a flawed threat to the economy. Given the fact that his party is almost totally powerless, a little stagecraft can be the only way to get attention. Then there is the issue of bolstering morale among his beleaguered House colleagues, who said they were energized by Mr. Boehner’s performance against the energy bill.

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