[casuist]

Force him to the center so that he can win reelection by positioning himself as a check on Republican rule? Great strategy.

[tanknetter]

Force him to the center so that he can win reelection by positioning himself as a check on Republican rule? Great strategy.

The big mistake of the Republican Congressional take-over in 1994 is that Gingrich, Armey and the rest actually tried to "rule" ... giving Clinton the opportunity to tack right, "triangulate" and create the perception that he was acting, as you say, as a "check" on what they were trying to do.

I don't see Boehner doing that. First, I don't think he has the stones for it (neither does Mitch), but also because it's proven bad strategy (from the 1990s).

Positioning themselves as trying to "help" Obama "back" to the center is the right approach imho, because it gives Obama enough rope to hang himself (politically) without being seen as the ones actually building the gallows and walking up to pull the lever.