Tea Party Republicans contemplating a bid to oust Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) shouldn't count on Democrats to help them unseat the Speaker.
And without their support, there is no chance to topple Boehner in this Congress.
But Democrats from across an ideological spectrum say they'd rather see Boehner remain atop the House than replace him with a more conservative Speaker who would almost certainly be less willing to reach across the aisle in search of compromise. Replacing him with a Tea Party Speaker, they say, would only bring the legislative process already limping along to a screeching halt.
I'd probably vote for Boehner [because] who the hell is going to replace him? [Ted] Yoho? Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) saidWednesday, referencing the Florida Tea Party Republican whos fought Boehner on a host of bipartisan compromise bills.
In terms of the institution, I would rather have John Boehner as the Speaker than some of these characters who came here thinking that they're going to change the world, Pascrell added.
Liberal Rep. Ral Grijalva (D-Ariz.) agreed that, for Democrats, replacing Boehner could lead to a worse situation.
Then we would get Scalise or somebody? Geez, come on, said Grijalva, who referenced House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). We can be suicidal but not stupid.
Boehner, who has grappled with dissent from the Tea Party wing since he took the Speaker's gavel in 2011, has seen opposition to his reign grow this year, even as he commands the largest GOP majority since the Hoover administration.
Thats led to talk of a new coup, something that is more difficult to pull off after the election of a Speaker on each Congresss first day of business.
Any lawmaker can file a motion to vacate a sitting Speaker, a move that would force a vote of the full House. The effort would almost certainly fail, as the conservatives would need the overwhelming support of Democrats to win a majority. But it would be an embarrassing setback to Boehner and his leadership team, who entered the year hoping their commanding new majority would alleviate some of the whipping problems that had plagued them in the past.
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Dems vow to protect Boehner from conservative coup