Boehner said:
"Last night I started thinking about this and this morning I woke up and I said my prayers -- as I always do -- and I decided today's the day I'm going to do this. As simple as that."He also told his caucus "that Pope Francis' visit to Congress the day before was a crystallizing moment."
What can we say, except that Speaker Boehner was listening?
Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation. You are the face of its people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.I think we heard from a servant of God yesterday.
But there is no mention of dignity in the Constitution!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that Boehner's conscience may have been pricked by the words of the pope, because his role was exposed for what it is: useless. For whoever replaces Boehner, the Democratic president and the filibuster are still in place, so whatever bills the House passes are subject to approval by the Senate and the president. Of course, the House has the power to defund the government, which amounts to not governing at all.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't forget the Hastert rule, which is written neither in the Constitution nor the law, which the speaker has the right to suspend any time he/she chooses. Thus it is by choice that so little legislation is ever passed.
After thinking further on Boehner's term as speaker, I concluded that he was not entirely useless. He did avert several disasters.
ReplyDelete