Cable news and various journalists have reported many stories concerning speaker of the House John Boehner's resignation and the right wing extreme demands of the republican tea party, now called the "freedom caucus." But the real story has never been told. It's the story of a party that dislikes the democratic process.
The real story is that Boehner and the republicans outnumber the tea party extremist like around 240-38 but lack the character and leadership to put the little boys in their place. Instead they cave in and allow the minority to control the majority in the party. Part of the reason is they do not want the country to make progress under the Obama administration. They could actually pass meaningful legislation with out the tea party vote with democratic help if they wanted to. That is exactly what happened the last time they shut the government down. They passed the CR that opened the government back up with democratic votes. In fact the democrats supplied the majority vote.
Part of the real story is John Boehner failed to exercise his leadership and instead created a House that became dysfunctional. Allowing the House the wasted time to take up and vote to defund the ACA over 50 times illustrates just how bad the real story became. The other part of the real story is that republicans think democratic Presidents should implement their agenda when they lose elections. The democratic process is absent in their ideology.
Yes, the real story is a sad, sad story how the republican party has changed the nature of our political system from one that worked to one that represents an ideology that does not work even when they control one house of congress.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
