Right-Wing Media Celebrate House Speaker John Boehner's Resignation

Written by Kate Sarna

Published

Conservative media cheered the news that House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) will resign from Congress in October, calling him a “failure,” claiming he has “no one to blame but himself,” and declaring that conservatives are crying “tears--  of joy!”

John Boehner Announces He Will Leave Congress In October

NY Times: “Under Intense Pressure From Conservatives” Boehner Made An “Emotional” Announcement That He Is Resigning In October. The New York Times reported on September 25 that after “struggling” through his tenure as speaker of the House of Representatives, Boehner announced to his Republican colleagues that he would be resigning. He will be giving up not only the speakership, “one of the most powerful positions in government,” but also his Ohio congressional district seat at the end of October:

Speaker John A. Boehner, under intense pressure from conservatives in his party, announced on Friday that he would resign one of the most powerful positions in government and give up his House seat at the end of October, as Congress moved to avert a government shutdown.

Mr. Boehner, who was first elected to Congress in 1990, made the announcement in an emotional meeting with his fellow Republicans on Friday morning.

The Ohio representative struggled from almost the moment he took the speaker's gavel in 2011 to manage the challenges of divided government and to hold together his fractious and increasingly conservative Republican members.

Most recently, Mr. Boehner, 65, was trying to craft a solution to keep the government open through the rest of the year, but was under pressure from a growing base of conservatives who told him that they would not vote for a bill that did not defund Planned Parenthood. [New York Times, 9/25/15] 

Conservative Media Reacts To News Of Boehner's Resignation With “Joy”

Fox News' Charles Payne: Boehner Has “Been A Failure As Speaker Of The House.” On Fox Business Network's Varney & Co., Payne said Boehner's resignation “is absolutely extraordinary” since “we've heard the calls ... for his resignation for a long time” that “have echoed louder and louder.” Payne went on to call it “amazing,” considering that “this is a critical moment” for conservativeswho are pushing to shut down the government over Planned Parenthood funding:

I would say that he has been a failure as speaker of the House, with respect to not leveraging his position, not leveraging the power of the Republicans, and not leveraging the voice of the American public enough to hold back President Obama and most of his initiatives. [Fox Business Network, 9/25/15]

Laura Ingraham: Boehner “Has No One To Blame But Himself.” On her radio show, Ingraham argued that Boehner “has been under extreme pressure” from conservatives and his “leadership position has been on the line for some time,” and  “has no one to blame but himself.” She also called Boehner a “tear factory.” [Courtside Entertainment Group, The Laura Ingraham Show, 9/25/15]

The Drudge Report Tweeted Out That Boehner Would Have “One Last Cry.” The Drudge report headlined a tweet about the Times' article reporting Boehner's resignation, “ONE LAST CRY.”

[Twitter.com, 9/25/15]

Hot Air's Michelle Malkin: “Today, Conservatives Cry Tears--  Of Joy!” Fox News correspondent Ed Henry tweeted that Boehner's tears the day before his announcement -- during the pope's address to Congress -- “make a lot more sense today.” Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin responded: “Today, conservatives cry tears--  of joy!”:

[Twitter.com, 9/25/15]

Breitbart News Editor-At-Large Ben Shapiro: “Good News: Boehner Out Come October.” Breitbart's Ben Shapiro tweeted a critique of Boehner's performance as speaker, citing his fight to prevent a government shutdown and writing that Boehner's exit in October “will guarantee him enough time to ram through a crappy budget deal funding Planned Parenthood:” 

[Twitter.com, 9/25/15]   

Erick Erickson: “Had Boehner And His Staff Just Not Treated Other Republicans Like Jackasses, He'd Still Be Speaker.” Conservative pundit Erick Erickson claimed that Boehner would “still be speaker” if he and his staff had “just not treated other Republicans like jackasses”:

 [Twitter.com, 9/25/15; Twitter.com, 9/25/15]