Massie: Boehner resignation good news for country

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie won’t miss John Boehner.

House Speaker Boehner’s announcement that he would resign from Congress Oct. 30 is good for the nation, House Republicans and Massie himself, the Northern Kentucky Republican congressman told the Enquirer Friday.

“I think it’s good news for the country,” Massie said. “Now it is up to members of Congress to decide what to do with the gift that has been handed to them. I hope we don’t squander it.”

Massie, as one of the more visible tea party Republicans in Congress, has been one of Boehner’s loudest Republican critics. Two months after being elected in 2012, Massie voted against re-electing Boehner as speaker. He voted against him again this year.

Massie objected to what he saw as bullying tactics by Boehner, a fellow member of the Greater Cincinnati delegation: not allowing debate on topics, punishing members for votes he doesn’t like. He also felt Boehner didn’t stay true to conservative principles.

“The way John Boehner ran the House of Representatives, he acted as if he was Speaker of the United States,” Massie said.

A resolution introduced in the House in August to boot Boehner from the speaker’s chair listed eight reasons why Boehner wasn’t fit to lead the House. Massie was one of four members of the House to sign on.

Massie believes this resolution was the tipping point that led to Boehner’s resignation.

“When we returned to Congress from the August recess, the lack of support for the speaker was palpable,” Massie said. “Members started running for his position and lower positions.”

Who does Massie support? Massie said he hasn’t committed, but he thinks Republican Florida Rep. Daniel Webster is a strong candidate.

He believes Webster would govern “from the bottom up.” That means people like Massie would get their long-stalled bills heard more in committee and on the floor. He hopes this means his bill to audit the Federal Reserve and his “food freedom” bills that would lift restrictions on items, such as raw milk, will move forward.

Massie believes it would also mean less brinksmanship on the budget. This could mean a long-term highway bill and better infrastructure, Massie said. At least he hopes it means people won’t just vote the way the speaker wants them to.

“Having a new speaker is good news for every congressional district, because heretofore, many members of Congress have been giving their voting cards to the speaker, figuratively at least,” Massie said. “Now there’s hope that every member of Congress can vote their conscience.”