John Boehner and the future of politics

So, during the Pope's address, John Boehner, who invited Francis to speak, cried more than even usual.

And the next day he got up and, after his prayers (and I believe that!) decided, "why am I doing this?" and quit as Speaker of the House and a member of Congress.

I went to Stop-and-Shop in Cheshire today and outside the door where people try to raise money, there was a table of used books and cupcakes and four young men and a banner that said, "Young Republicans of Cheshire High School".

I ignored them on the way in and would have on the way out except one of them, an Asian kid, said, "want to look at the books". And I said, hard-hearted as it was, "my heart is broken that their are 'young' Republicans...." And I meant it, even though at their age I was a fan of Barry Goldwater until he suggested selling the Tennessee Valley Authority that made our electricity in southern West Virginia and over several states, remarkably cheaper for a whole lot of Appalachians who didn't have much money.

Hopefully, in my way of looking at it, they'll grow out of it too. Just listen to the debates, young Republicans.....

Boehner, as much as I didn't like him, made a lot more sense that the Tea Party nuts in Congress. Boehner actually still believed in compromise and making deals. He, more or less, held the Republicans in line. Without him, who knows, total chaos in the House? Not beyond reason.

This ''my way or the highway" attitude of the most Conservative Republicans can make the already unacceptable grid-lock in the government even worse.

But then, if that happened, by the time those young men at Stop and Shop could vote, maybe Americans will come to their senses and put the Democrats back in charge.

I know I've written this before--that I'm a Yellow Dog Democrat. If Pope Francis, as much as I admire him, was running as a Republican against a Democrat who was a Yellow Dog, the Lab would get my vote.

Maybe I was unkind to those 'young Republicans'. But maybe they, like those finally fed up the Speaker of the House, don't care a fig about a Democrat's broken heart. Who knows?

I actually admire Boehner's faith and his values. After the Pope told the Congress that we must find ways to talk and solve problems in spite of disagreement, several bills came up in the house that threatened to shut down the federal government again.

I think John Boehner just said, "enough already". I can bless him for that. I just don't know what the fallout of his absence will be.....