"He loves being a major American political figure"
by digby
Ezra has a great interview up with Robert Costa reporter for National Review and probably the one reporter with his finger on the pulse of Republicans in Washington.
He explains very cogently all the stuff we've been talking about in terms of the institution of the Republican Party and why it seems to have gone batshit crazy. It has to do with structural changes in the party and the organization of the House along with gerrymandering, of course as well as a few other things. So, no surprises, but he explains it well. You just have to wonder what in the hell can be done about it.
One thing's for sure, it doesn't appear that we can count on John Boehner to put country before party and avert the disaster that seems to be looming on the debt ceiling:
EK: This may be a bit of an odd question, but why does Boehner want to do his job like this under these circumstances? From the outside, it seems like a miserable existence.
RC: I think John Boehner is frustrated by leading the Republicans in the House but I think he very much loves being speaker. To understand him you have to understand that. He gets to the Capitol early. He relishes the job and the position but he doesn’t relish being at odds so often with his members. He loves being a major American political figure, but he’s not a Newt Gingrich-like figure trying to lead the party in a certain direction. He’s just trying to survive and enjoy it while it lasts.
So basically he just likes the perks and the status of being speaker and will do what it takes to remain there regardless of the consequences. If this thing is going to be averted Democrats should probably stop looking at Beohner as the instrument that will get it done.
Which leaves ... ????
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