One by one, conservatives are expressing their displeasure in the way Speaker of the House John Boehner is leading the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Conservative talker Mark Levin has expressed his frustration on a nightly basis in recent weeks.
Add author Mark Steyn to that list. On Thursday’s “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” Steyn likened Boehner to failed 1996 presidential candidate and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and said they still don’t understand why what happened in November 2010 happened.
“No, I don’t. I don’t, to be honest,” Steyn replied. “I think John Boehner has been an incredible disappointment. I think John Boehner has basically climbed into the Bob Dole suit, and I think they misunderstand the lessons of the 2010 election, which is that the tea party chose to work within the diseased husk of the Republican Party it loathes. And it still hasn’t forgiven for 2006 and 2008. So for the Republicans to demonstrate that ‘hey, we’re back to 2006 again,’ except on Obama-level spending, is not a good idea.”
Steyn explained the recent small cuts the Republican majority in the House had been able to achieve through continuing resolutions were inadequate.
“We need Republicans to at least take the lead in broadening public discourse,” he continued. “This country is broke. It’s the brokest country in the history of the planet. And the idea of arguing over itsy-bitsy, half a billion here and half a billion there, and continuing resolutions staggering forward every ten days, is preposterous. It’s inadequate to the task. It’s inadequate for the challenge facing America”
Listen:
Based on the reluctance of the GOP to take charge, Steyn wasn’t optimistic about the country’s ability to change course fiscally.
“Yes, and in fact, I think it’s teaching a lesson that’s actually more dangerous than that, which is that the political institutions of the United States are simply impervious to course correction,” Steyn said. “And there are no good conclusions to be drawn from that, because basically what we’re being offered it one party that wants to floor it and put its foot on the pedal as we go over the cliff, and another party that says, ‘Oh, no, no, no, it’s OK – vote for us. We’re only going to go over the cliff in third gear.’ That’s not enough of a choice for a functioning two-party system.”
