“I know that many Kansans did not support either of them for Speaker, but there was simply no viable alternative.”
BS! There was no viable backbone among the broader membership.
That’s the garbage Lynn Jenkins’ staffer told me. I knew she was a Boehner girl and would vote for him. She’s going to have a nice committee appointment.
5 more votes would have forced another vote. That’s it.
The question for Kansas voters is: who did this guy vote for in November?
November was when the Repubs conducted a secret ballot to decide who their candidate would be. Certainly prior to that it was important for new Republican members to quietly/secretly select a better choice. That was a time of no risk of retribution by Boner.
Two things out of this are bothersome:
First, there was no effective or concerted effort with regard to ousting Boner in November; i.e., any winner probably would not have been suitably experienced or adept at outplaying the Dems. Ergo, we may not be in as bad a position as it appears.
Secondly, if anything happens to Biden, Boner with all we now know about his character and personal habits is next in line for the presidency. Imagine that.