House Speaker John Boehner hit back strongly at his critics on the right — arguing he’s “the most anti-establishment Speaker we’ve ever had.”
Boehner said it pained him “to be described as spineless or a squish, but I’ll tell you what pains me the most — it’s when they describe me as ‘the establishment.'”
He then went through a list of the ways he’s shaken up the institution since he took over in 2011.
“Who is the guy who got rid of earmarks? Me. Who is the guy who believes in regular order? Me. Who believes in allowing more members to participate in the process — from both sides of the aisle? Me,” Boehner told reporters at his weekly press conference on Capitol Hill.
On Tuesday a group of 25 House Republicans tried to defeat Boehner from starting his term tern as Speaker, and he admitted to reporters who followed the dramatic vote, “I’ve given some thought to this as you might imagine.”
Boehner came armed with statistics to push back at those who say he’s not a true conservative, telling reporters that during the years he voted, “I had the eighth most conservative voting record in the Congress.”
Those who serve as Speaker rarely vote on the House floor.
He suggested that he’s the target of criticism because Americans are frustrated with the economy and with Washington not listening.
“I talk to Americans every day – talk to my constituents every day and this frustration that’s out there – they need to take it out on somebody. They take it out on the President, they take it out on me. It comes with the territory,” Boehner said.
After the tense vote two Florida Republicans who opposed Boehner were removed from the House Rules Committee, the panel appointed by the Speaker to chart which bills come to the House floor. On Wednesday Boehner said that after the divisive floor vote for Speaker he was starting “a family conversation” and suggested those members might be able to return to the committee.
Boehner said he still hasn’t decided yet whether or not there will be further sanctions against those members who didn’t vote for him.
“This family conversation will continue and we’ll come to some resolution in the days and weeks ahead.”