海角大神

John Boehner says that his decision to resign as House speaker and as a congressman, announced to a shocked Washington Friday, was never about finishing out the pope鈥檚 visit and then stepping down. But apparently Pope Francis' message of following the Golden Rule was at work.

Singing a snatch of 鈥淶ip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah鈥� to the congressional press corps, the speaker 鈥� clearly relieved and at peace with his decision 鈥� said he got up Friday morning, said his prayers as he always does, and decided that this is the day. It鈥檚 time to end the 鈥渢urmoil鈥� over his leadership that鈥檚 been churning in his sharply divided Republican caucus for several months. He will leave Congress at the end of October.

鈥淚 don't want my members to have to go through this. I certainly don't want the institution to go through this," he said, speaking of an expected vote to challenge his leadership.

The timing is great 鈥� or horrible 鈥� depending on which side of the Republican divide one stands. Looming budget and debt-ceiling decisions will provide an opportunity for delighted hardliners to flex their muscles, while establishment Republicans are mourning that 鈥渢he crazies鈥� have won and fear another government shutdown. More broadly, though, there is a question among lawmakers and pundits as to whether Boehner's act of self-sacrifice really will calm the waters.

With or without the speaker, 鈥渢he problems are not diminished that we face,鈥� Rep. Greg Waldman (R) of Oregon told reporters after he emerged from the morning GOP conference meeting where Mr. Boehner dropped his bombshell news.

鈥淲e have to figure out a way to come together and find solutions that we can all agree on,鈥� said Congressman Waldman. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy out there. People are fired up. You see it in the presidential politics. You feel it here. We just represent the sentiment in the country,鈥� said the congressman.

Right-wing conservatives were ecstatic at the news. When presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R) of Florida announced Boehner鈥檚 pending resignation at a 海角大神 Voters Summit in Washington, the audience jumped to its feet in a standing ovation.

In the near term, Boehner and his counterpart in the Senate, majority leader Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky, seem determined to push through a 鈥渃lean鈥� short-term budget to spare the country from a shutdown on Oct. 1, when the government runs out of money. Hardliners have been looking for a showdown over the funding of Planned Parenthood.

What happens longer term 鈥� after Boehner leaves 鈥� with budget and debt-ceiling negotiations is potentially the bigger problem. With the speakership open, every GOP leadership position in the House could be affected. A leadership shakeup could well be occurring right when some of these larger issues need to be resolved.

At the moment, the conventional wisdom has the second ranking Republican, majority leader Kevin McCarthy (R) of California, winning an election for speaker 鈥� if he decides to run. Boehner said Friday that he thought that Representative McCarthy would 鈥渕ake an excellent speaker.鈥� He told the No. 2 leader of his decision just minutes before the Friday morning GOP conference 鈥� having to repeat the news five times 鈥渂ecause he didn鈥檛 believe me.鈥�

Boehner鈥檚 resignation could be the kind of 鈥渟acrifice鈥� the conference needs to move forward, says John Feehery, former spokesman for Dennis Hastert, the longest serving Republican speaker of the House.

He also believes that a McCarthy election could help stabilize the raucous caucus. 鈥淚 think that McCarthy, once he becomes speaker, will have some honeymoon for a while. And then we鈥檒l be in a general election and the focus will change,鈥� Mr. Feehery says.

Even so, McCarthy would generally do what Boehner did, and would try to avoid a government shutdown, Feehery says. 鈥淭here are only a certain number of plays you can make.鈥�

That鈥檚 not how hardliners see it. Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R) of Kansas vows to vote for a speaker who will 鈥渟tand up鈥� for the party鈥檚 principles. The House has 鈥渁n incredible power of the purse鈥� that鈥檚 not being leveraged. It needs to be used on must-pass legislation, such as the budget, he says.

Asked about the basic political fact that Democrats can filibuster, or block, GOP legislation in the Senate and that the president, likewise, has a veto pen, Representative Huelskamp says the problem is that the president is not being challenged.

鈥淭he president has never been forced to negotiate, and when he did, John Boehner gave away the store,鈥� said the congressman. 鈥淭he House should play the leadership role in this town, and we鈥檙e basically following the president,鈥� which is why Republican voters are so upset, he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always an excuse ... for the status quo.鈥�

This kind of thinking drives moderate Republicans such as Rep. Peter King (R) of New York to exasperation 鈥� possibly turning into confrontation.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 any way you can satisfy these people, and the time has to come when we just go to war with them,鈥� Representative King said in an interview. He described Boehner鈥檚 resignation as 鈥渁 victory for the bad guys,鈥� lamenting that 鈥渢he more he tried to work with them, the more they went after him.鈥�

When asked what plans he might have for 鈥渇irm action鈥� against the right flank, he said he didn鈥檛 want to go public with any statement.

Given this divide, the next speaker will face the same problems Boehner did, says Ray Smock, former House historian.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 see the speaker鈥檚 resignation as solving any of the serious problems in the Republican caucus. The only truly happy person right now is John Boehner,鈥� said Mr. Smock in an e-mail.

At times, the speaker was downright jovial at his press conference, even as he took his kerchief to his nose to mop up from his emotionalism and tears 鈥� for which he is famous.

More seriously, he urged Congress to stay focused on the priorities of the American people, and to work for 鈥渃ommon ground鈥� between Republicans and Democrats.聽

As for the next speaker, the No. 1 responsibility is to 鈥減rotect the institution,鈥� he said. And secondly, 鈥淚f you just do the right things every day, for the right reasons, the right things will happen,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 doing this today for the right reasons, and you know what? The right things will happen as a result,鈥� he said.

He makes it sound so easy.