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晨枫 发表于 2013-10-8 21:16 ![]()
4 r9 R( x' i; ^. p# z! |8 @奥巴马的做法如出一辙：先在阿富汗扩大驻军，然后撤出。在一段时间里，还频繁打击巴基斯坦境内，不过进来 ...
1 \5 o, o1 j+ c2 D( x3 SJohn Boehner’s room for manoeuvre limited by unofficial principle
4 |3 {+ S4 F, G0 gBy Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington
. ~8 H' u6 M5 }. MTea Party wields disproportionate power in Congress% d1 ]% n* \0 P
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http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6 ... .html#axzz2hFPHlkS1
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John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, is trying to keep his job as the top Republican in Washington, end the government shutdown and increase the debt ceiling.
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But he wants to do so without violating an unofficial principle, known as the Hastert rule, that says a Speaker should not put up for vote any bill that does not have the support of a majority of his rank-and-file members. It might prove an impossible goal, especially with conservatives interpreting the rule as inviolable party doctrine.
; q8 e8 w* U ?& m9 R: V- c' BFor all the intractable politics and doomsday scenarios of US debt default, there is still reason to hope for a breakthrough. It is worth remembering just a few months ago, Mr Boehner seemed more concerned about his legacy and the long-term future of his party than he was about his rightwing flank.
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It was a period when Mr Boehner appeared ready to turn his back on the Tea Party and set Republicans on a course toward rehabilitation following their dismal 2012 election results.
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; y6 E1 f: n6 N0 n6 dIn the aftermath of Barack Obama’s win in November, Mr Boehner brought to the floor, and passed, a handful of bills with Democratic support and only a minority of Republicans on board. They included the “fiscal cliff” deal that raised some taxes but also made tax cuts permanent for the vast majority of Americans; a bill to aid victims of Hurricane Sandy; and a bill to support abused women.7 J5 F1 U# y3 \) q( M
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In each instance, Mr Boehner violated the “Hastert Rule”, for reasons that seemed obvious: the Republican party had just lost a presidential election, in part for seeming out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans and for waging what was dubbed by Democrats as a “war on women”.# H; k, {5 p' ]8 z2 u0 n
$ H" a+ }. \! Z3 p- V7 F" TAs Mr Boehner’s violations began to mount, so did suspicions among conservatives that the Speaker might pursue an even bigger goal: passing a bipartisan immigration bill in the House, with the help of Democratic legislators, that had already won passage in the Senate.
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Sure enough, in early June Mr Boehner suggested, to ABC News, that he would be willing to bring immigration to the floor in violation of the Hastert rule.9 W3 x1 D. G; O( E
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“It’s about what the House wants. And my job is, as Speaker ... is to ensure that all members on both sides have a fair shot at their ideas,” he said
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Passing immigration reform with cross-party support, but without that of his conservative party colleagues in the House, would have helped transform the Republicans’ image. It would also have made Mr Boehner’s legacy.
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Instead, the Speaker crumbled as conservatives insisted that he abide by the Hastert rule. Some rank-and-file members warned him of dire consequences if he tried to pass immigration without conservatives’ full support.5 }+ h: w- d) ?+ g% f' }
' }$ H" n# B. y/ }) C8 v% H3 HBy the end of June, under intense pressure, Mr Boehner gave his word to fellow Republicans that immigration reform would not come up for a vote unless it was supported by most of his party in the House. If the reform fails to pass by the end of Mr Obama’s term, as many now fear, Mr Boehner will surely get the blame.
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) Y0 @" H, y( P8 N4 B7 e2 |The bigger constitutional questions raised by the current fiscal debacle is whether the Hastert rule, intended to ensure that the Speaker serves the interests of his party members, is a dangerous relic in the age of the Tea Party, which wields a disproportionate amount of power in Congress and seems happier to shut down government than to govern.# \2 g/ `# ~8 Z3 a, B! }8 w
, M4 Q% y' r: V8 KWhile it is certainly not Mr Boehner’s job to do Democrats’ bidding in the lower chamber, a return to coalition building would serve the country better than the current dysfunction. It would also help the Republican party. Assuming he could hold on to his gavel long enough and get enough moderate Republicans on board, the passage of bipartisan bills, from immigration reform to a grand bargain to reduce long-term deficits to tax reform, would boost the economy.1 y' p: I- F5 f
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Instead, the nation finds itself on the verge of a default that is worrying the markets. Were the US to default, the Speaker might not have to worry about his job for much longer. Mr Boehner would probably lose it come the midterm elections in November.
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发表于 2013-10-9 00:00:33
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