“Our founders didn’t want some parliamentary system where if you won the majority you get to do whatever you wanted,” he said. “They wanted this long, slow process. And so change comes slowly, and obviously too slowly for some.”
He said during his four and half years as speaker, Congress agreed to the largest deficit reduction deal in history, protected 99 percent Americans from tax increases and passed the first major entitlement reform in 20 years.
“It wasn’t good enough,” he said, cautioning that “there are people out there spreading noise about how much can get done.”
“I mean, this whole idea that we’ll shut down the government to get rid of Obamacare in 2013 – this plan never had a chance,” he said.
He reiterated that he stepped down rather than have his fellow Republicans “walk the plank” on a vote to toss him out of the speakership, but said he never doubted he would’ve prevailed if that measure – sponsored by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. – had come to a vote.
“Winning that vote never an issue,” he said.
Later, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, on the same show, echoed Boehner’s complaints about the Republicans who have caused Boehner so much frustration.
“It’s about inexperience,” he said. “The people who keep saying they want things to happen - what have they accomplished?” he asked. “What have they gotten done? They’re serving in the Congress. Have we accomplished anything?”
“A lot of the people who are doing the complaining and saying why isn’t anything getting done – maybe they ought to look in the mirror.”
He said despite that shouting, the voters he’s met on the campaign trail genuinely want to see things get done, and argued his experience has proven he can get things done.
Boehner had kind words for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who dropped out of the race, saying “he’ll come back. He may be president some day.” But Walker’s team, he said, “ran over their skis. You’ve got to husband your resources.”
During his interview, Boehner called the more rebellious in his party “false prophets” who made promises they couldn’t keep.
Asked if Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican and presidential candidate who has advocated shutting the government down in order to gain leverage on issues, was one of those, Boehner said he would defer to comments he made about Cruz at a Colorado fundraiser in August.
At that fundraiser, he reportedly called Cruz a profane word that could also mean a donkey.
Elsewhere, the House Freedom Caucus Sunday – a group of the same conservative critics of Boehner led by Jordan, whose district abuts Boehner’s - released a statement saying they have not yet decided who they’ll support to replace Boehner as speaker.
“We look forward to meeting with each of the candidates and our Republican Conference colleagues over the coming weeks in a careful and deliberative fashion to discuss how best to ensure that we follow regular order in the House and give a voice to the countless Americans who still feel that Washington does not represent them,” the statement read.
Boehner said Congress would now be able to keep the government operating after Sept. 30; before he announced his resignation, Congress had looked headed for a shutdown over a dispute over federal funding for Planned Parenthood. H e said he expected that his Democratic colleagues will also vote to keep the government open.
He said his decision may make it easier to pass bills in the days he has left, saying he’ll probably “have a little more cooperation from some around town.”
“I don’t want leave my successor a dirty barn,” he said. “So I want to clean up barn a bit before the next person gets it.”
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