In many Washington publications Tuesday, you see that Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is struggling to hold onto his powerful perch in Congress. That it’s not a slam dunk. But if you read just Politico, you’d think he was in for a joy ride in today’s speaker vote.
Boehner isn’t likely going up in smoke today (pun intended). But look how Politico has portrayed the vote. In a display of what can only be described as leadership suck up, the writers use scare phrases like “right-wing opposition,” “far-right fringe” and “hard-line conservatives.”
Meanwhile, headlines in The Hill from Tuesday morning include these: 1. Boehner no votes pile up 2. WHIP LIST: Boehner opposition grows 3. Speaker seeks to squash rebellion. From Roll Call: 1. Weber, Backing Gohmert Over Boehner, Says ‘Retaliation’ Has Begun 2. Third candidate challenges Boehner for leadership. 3. GOP Insurgents Scramble for Anti-Boehner votes.
Even WaPo‘s conservative leaning Robert Costa, formerly of National Review, can see something is going awry with Boehner. The headline atop his story? “Boehner faces leadership challenge.”
The aforementioned Politico story is co-bylined by Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan, who this week was named Capitol Hill Bureau Chief, so don’t look for the ass kissing mindset to change anytime soon. Take note of their headline: “Speaker Boehner staves off dissenters.” Indeed, big, strong, brawny Boehner really has nothing to fear. While they casually mention that the 12-20 Republicans who plan to vote nay on his speakership will “blemish his brand,” they soon declare that the GOP leadership thinks it won’t even matter.
“Yet the GOP leadership thinks that Boehner’s almost-certain victory, plus the biggest House Republican majority in decades, gives him the legislative latitude he’s desperately sought since 2010,” the duo writes.
The next six graphs are all dedicated to buttering up leadership. They talk about “no more government shutdowns” or “face-offs with President Obama.” They quote a Boehner loyalist simply gushing about him. They discuss Boehner’s “legions of friends” on Capitol Hill.
They write that “Boehner hasn’t panicked.”
It isn’t until graph 11 when we begin to hear about those who are squarely against Boehner. But by graph 14, it’s back to playing kissy kissy five minutes in the closet games with leadership: “Boehner seems to have gained some supporters since his near-defeat two years ago. Rep. Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina, who abstained in 2013, will vote for Boehner this time, his office said Monday.”
And just to suck up some more, they add this: “Texas Rep. Bill Flores, who leads the conservative Republican Study Committee, said opponents should have challenged Boehner in the November party elections, not in the public vote for speaker on the first day of the new Congress, a view that many GOP backbenchers echoed in private.”
A few graphs later, they report that House leadership has “a sliver of concern” about what will happen on the House floor. Really. A SLIVER? That those “no” votes could pile up. They quote an anonymous GOP equating the ordeal to a “cancer” spreading throughout the body. Who ever worries about cancer?
It’s not really until the final graph of the story when the reporters say Boehner could lose. “If somehow Boehner is unable to garner a majority of votes, the election could move to a second ballot. At that point, Boehner’s allies could try to flip votes on the floor, or move into a closed-party meeting to hash out the differences.”
One thing’s for certain: Boehner and his press office won’t be kicking Politico out of their beds anytime soon.