Boehner on GOP House: ‘Hard to Keep 218 Frogs in a Wheelbarrow’
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Fred Watkins/ABC(WASHINGTON) — Republican House Speaker John Boehner compared trying to pass a bill in the House of Representatives to keeping “218 frogs in a wheelbarrow” on This Week on Sunday morning.
“I’ve never been shy about leading. But you know, leaders need followers. And we’ve got 89 brand new members. We’ve got a pretty disparate caucus,” Speaker Boehner said. “It is hard to keep 218 frogs in a wheelbarrow long enough to get a bill passed.”
Boehner was responding to my question about the perception held by some that he has had difficulty maintaining control over his caucus during his tenure—especially the GOP freshman.
Boehner said he has no doubt that he will continue in his role as speaker if his party can hold the House in November. And while he feels “pretty good” about the ability of the GOP to hold its majority, he conceded “you never know what’s gonna happen.”
“I feel pretty good about where we are today. But you know, my job is—as the leader—is to make sure that if everything falls apart, that we still have the tools that we need to hold onto our majority in the House,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I think most of our members are doing very well. But again, you never know what’s gonna happen over the next six months.”
For her part, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said “I do” when asked on This Week if she thought her party would win back the House of Representatives if 2012’s election was held today.
“I feel pretty good about where we are,” she said, guessing that 75 Republican seats are up for grabs this year.
The Democrats lost their majority in 2010 when Pelosi was speaker.
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