Experience amazing at your Lexus dealer. >>> MAYBE HE THOUGHT YOU WOULD at your Lexus dealer. >>> MAYBE HE THOUGHT YOU WOULD FORGET. FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER WHO WENT BACK AND FORTH IN THE OBAMA ERA, BIG PART OF THE PARTISANSHIP. NOW HE HAS A PROBLEM WITH WHERE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS, BUT IS IGNORING HIS ROLE IN CREATING IT, AND SOME PLACES ARE REMEMBERING, AND TORCHING HIM. BOEHNER WAS AT IT TODAY. >> I DON’T REALLY BEAT UP TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS BOOK EXCEPT ONE, TED CRUZ, LUCIFER IN THE FLESH. >> IT’S A SOUND BITE. IT’S ONE HE HAS USED BEFORE AS HE SLAMS THESE RIGHT-WING FIGURES. BOEHNER WENT ALONG FOR THE RIDE. YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, THIS WAS YEARS, LONG BEFORE TRUMP HE WAS THE HOUSE SPEAKER, HE WAS THE LEADER OF THE PARTY. AND HE ENGAGED WITH THE EXTREME ELEMENTS. AT TIMES, HE DEWPOINT LIKE SOME OF THE FREEDOM CAUCUS AND PUSHBACK THERE, BUT HE FOUND WAYS TO UNITE AND LEVER WITH THEM WHEN HE WASN’T PUTTING OUT ANY COUPS THAT MIGHT REPLACE HIS JOB. ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE CLINTON IMPEACHMENT IMPEACHMENT. IN THE BOOK HE SAYS HE WAS WROPG ABOUT THAT, TOO, BUT WHAT DID HE DO WHEN HE HAD POWER? WE ALL REMEMBER. >> I THINK THERE’S A POINT HERE WHERE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE WONDERING, IS THE PRESIDENT ABOVE THE LAW? THE PRESIDENT COULD HAVE PUT THIS WHOLE ISSUE BEHIND US, NOT PUT THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD THROUGH THIS MISERY IF HE WOULD HAVE JUST TOLD US THE TRUTH IN JANUARY. >> JOHN BOEHNER WANTS POLITICIANS TO TELL THE TRUTH. BUT THAT WAS HIM AS CONFERENCE CHAIR, TRYING TO BECOME SPEAKER, USING HIS POWER TO GO ALONG WITH WHATEVER THE FAR RIGHT IN HIS PARTY WANTED, AN IMPEACHMENT THAT WHATEVER SOME OF THE POSSIBLE VALID ISSUES HE NOW SAYS HE REGRETS THAT HE DIDN’T FIGHT AGAINST THE IMPEACHMENT OF CLINTON. LATER, BOEHNER WAS IN FOR THE TEE PARTY ON STAGE AT RALLIES GOING HARD AGAINST OBAMACARE. >> THIS BILL IS THE GREATEST THREAT TO FREEDOM I HAVE SEEN IN THE 19 YEARS I’VE BEEN HERE IN WASHINGTON. JOIN US IN DEFENDING OUR FREEDOM. AND JOIN US IN DEFEATING PELOSI-CARE. >> ARE WE SUPPOSED TO THANK PEOPLE LITERALLY TODAY OR THEN, FOR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE IS THE GREATEST THREAT TO FREEDOM IN HIS LIFE IN THE MODERN ERA? NOW JOHN BOEHNER, AS HE TRIES TO SELL BOOKS AND GOES INTO THIS PART OF HIS CAREER CALLS IT CRAZY TOWN AND CHAOS CAUCUS WHEN HE REFERS TO THE TEA PARTY IN THE BACKLASH TO OBAMACARE, HE WAS PART OF THE REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN OVER THAT LAW AND WENT ALONG WITH DEMANDS THAT STARTED FROM PEOPLE WITH TED "LUCIFER" CRUZ. BOEHNER NOW SAYS THAT WAS A MISTAKE. >> EVEN THOUGH I DIDN’T WANT TO GO THE DIRECTION WHERE THE TEAM WAS GOING, THEY WERE THE ONES WHO ELECTED ME TO BE THE LEADER AND I HAD AN OBLIGATION TO LEAD THEM. SO THAT MEANS TO GO JUMP OUT IN FRONT OF THEM, EVEN IF I THOUGHT WHAT THEY WERE DOING REALLY DIDN’T MAKE A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE. >> WELCOME TO THE BEAT. >> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU, ARI. >> IS JOHN BOEHNER -- I WANT TO ASK YOU, IS JOHN BOEHNER CREDIBLE AND CONSISTENT IN HIS CONCERNS ABOUT THE PARTISAN AND RIGHTWARD DRIFT OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY? >> NOT AT ALL. I MEAN, AS YOU POINT OUT AND YOU COULD EVEN GO FURTHER, YOU KNOW, HE BASICALLY SAID, OKAY TO -- LET’S START WITH THE TEA PARTY. THE TEA PARTY EXTREMISM IN 2009. AT THE RALLY, YOU SHOWED HIM SAYING THIS WAS THE GREATEST THREAT TO FREEDOM, THE OBAMACARE BILL, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN THE GREATEST THREAT TO FREEDOM. ANYWAY, THAT SAME RALLY, THERE WERE PEOPLE THERE, YELLING "NAZIS, NAZIS" IN RESPONSE TO WHAT HE AND OTHER REPUBLICANS WERE SAYING. THEY WERE ACCUSING OBAMA AND OTHER DEMOCRATS OF BEING NAZIS IN 2009. A FEW MONTHS LATER AT ANOTHER RALLY ON CAPITOL HILL, THE TEA PARTY TYPES PROTESTING THE HEALTH CARE BILL WERE SPITTING AT JOHN LEWIS, AND OTHER BLACK MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND SHOUTED THE "N" WORD AT HIM AND HOMOPHOBIC SLURS AT BARNEY FRANK. ACCORDING TO ONE POLL, THE TEA PARTY BELIEVED THE RACIST BIRTHER CONSPIRACY THEORY ABOUT OBAMA AND THERE WERE MEMBERS OF BOEHNER’S OWN CAUCUS WHO WERE PRESSING THAT. HE NEVER TOLD THEM TO SHUT UP AND GET OUT. WHEN IT CAME TO BENGHAZI, HE WAS THE ONE WHO LET THEM HAVE 27,000 -- MAYBE IT WAS ONLY 23 HEARING AND PUSHED ALL SORTS OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES. ALL THE EXTREMISM THAT FED INTO TRUMPISM AND THE JANUARY 6th INSURRECTION WAS ALREADY BUBBLING TO THE FOREWITH THE TEA PARTY AND BACK IN THE OBAMA YEARS AND BOEHNER DIDN’T SAY ONE WORD ABOUT IT, BECAUSE HE VERY CRASSLY, VERY CYNICALLY, TRIED TO EXPLOIT THE TEA PARTY AND VIOLENT SENTIMENTS TO WIN A MAMTH IN THE HOUSE. THE TIGER CAME IN. HE TRIED TO RIDE THE TIGER. HE ENDED UP HAVING TO LEAVE TO BECOME A LOBBYIST. NEVERTHELESS, WHEN HE HAD A CHANCE, HE NEVER SAID THAT ANY OF THIS WAS WRONG. >> SO, PLENTY OF POLITICIANS HAVE THEIR SPIN, EXAGGERATIONS AND CHANGES OF HEART OVER TIME. THERE SEEMS TO BE A PARTICULARLY STRONG TREND HERE OF REPUBLICANS DEALING WITH WHERE THE PUBLIC IS HEADED. BY MANY MEASUREMENTS IT’S OBVIOUSLY MORE EXTREME, WHO THEN COME OUT AND CLAIM THEY WERE NEVER FOR IT. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT? WHAT DOES THAT TELL US ABOUT SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE IN THE LINE OF THE PRESIDENCY, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT JOBS. MOST IMPORTANT JOBS. WHAT DOES IT TELL YOU ABOUT SOMEONE, WHEN FREED, COMES OUT WITH ALL THIS? >> HE’S NOT MUCH OF A LEADER. I’VE OFTEN WONDERED, WHY DO YOU DO THIS IF YOU CAN’T FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN? IT’S A HARD JOB. MY HATS OFF TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, SENATORS. >> SURE. >> IT’S A HARD JOB. IT’S NOT AN EASY LIFE. THEY GET PAID RELATIVELY WELL. THEY HAVE LOTS OF PERKS AND RESPECT, AND COME ON SHOWS LIKE THIS AND SAY WHAT YOU THINK. WHAT’S THE POINT OF THAT IF YOU CAN’T REALLY SAY WHAT YOU THINK AND WORK TO PUT YOUR IDEAS AND PRINCIPLES INTO POWER AND POLICY? THEY ALL CLAIM THAT’S WHAT THEY’RE THERE FOR BUT BOEHNERS AND OTHERS HAVE SHOWN WHEN PUSHED AND SHOVED THEY’RE REALLY JUST THERE FOR THE POWER. HE WAS GETTING KICKED AROUND. IT WASN’T A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE. HE RAN AWAY SCREAMING. HE GOT THE PUNISHMENT HE DESERVED. >> YEAH. >> HE DOESN’T DESERVE TO BE SEEN AS A WISE OLD STATESMAN WHO WE CAN LOOK AT AND SAY JOHN BOEHNER, THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING OUT AGAINST THE AUTHORITARIAN DRIFT IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE FACT THAT IT’S BEEN TAKEN OVER BY WHAT YOU CALL WHACK JOBS WHEN YOU WERE PRESENT AT CREATION FOR ALL OF THIS. SO, REALLY, AT LEAST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND SAY YOU MADE A MISTAKE AND YOU WERE WRONG ABOUT THAT, AND MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE STOOD UP AND SAID SOMETHING SOON ERER. THE BIRTHER CONSPIRACY THEORY PUT DONALD TRUMP INTO PLAY AS A REPUBLICAN LEADER. >> AND AS YOU SAY THERE’S ROOM FOR CONSTRUCTIVE GROWTH AND OTHERWISE. >> YEAH. >> WHAT HE’S DOING NOW SEEMS TO BE SUCH RIDICULOUS REVISIONISM IN ORDER TO ENGRATIATE HIMSELF. THE POLITE SOCIETY OUTSIDE HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS, BECAUSE HE’S STILL HANGING OUT WITH MODERATE, REPUBLICAN CIRCLES, BUSINESSPEOPLE. IT’S NOT AS IF HE’S OHM IN BERKELEY, WHERE I SUSPECT SOMEONE LIKE YOU MIGHT BE SO AT HOME -- JUST KIDDING, DAVID. YOU COULD BE HOME ANYWHERE. BUT HE’S NOT OUT ON SOME LEFT COAST DIATRIBE. HE’S IN A MODERATE, CENTER/RIGHT PLACE IN HIS LIFE BUT STILL FEELS THE NEED TO SAY I’M NOT WITH THEM. I’M SUPPOSED TO FIT IN A BREAK BUT I’LL LET YOU HAVE A QUICK REPOST SINCE I MENTIONED BERKELEY. >> AS I SAID, IT’S A LOVELY CITY. THE KEY THING HERE IS THAT WE KNOW PEOPLE EVEN SERVING NOW IN THE HOUSE, ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE AND THE HOUSE IN THE SENATE, THEY OFTEN TELL PEOPLE THEY CAN’T STAND WHAT’S HAPPENING TO THEIR PARTY. THE PARTY ITSELF, THE PEOPLE IN THEIR PARTY, THEY’RE SCARED, TOO, ABOUT THE WACKOS IN THE PARTY. VERY FEW OF THEM SEEM TO HAVE COURAGE TO TALK ABOUT IT OR SAY ANYTHING WHEN IT MEANS PUTTING SOMETHING ON THE LINE. THAT’S BAD FOR THE PARTY AND BAD FOR EVERYBODY. >> EXACTLY. I’VE GOT TO GO. THE PROOF OF THEM BEING AFRAID
