Speaker Boehner: House will work through regular order, not secret negotiations

I remember seeing on the news a few days ago, that after John Boehner was re-elected as Speaker of the House, Boehner stated that the House would work through "regular order" rather than make secret deals with Obama and Senate Democrats.

In other words, instead of having high-ranking House Republicans engaging in secret meetings with Obama and Senate Democratic leaders in order to work out deals on things and then having House leadership push some compromise bill on the House membership, the House would work through normal procedures: Representatives will work on bills in committee and then vote on them on the House floor.

So my question for you is, should the House work through regular order, or should House leadership try to cut deals with Obama?

Boehner sure does know how to use a hard head to get things done. Fightingfan

would the leadership negotiating with the white house and senate really not be considered normal workings of the house?Abbeten

This. These "secret" negotiations help triangulate the legislative process and get legislation passed. If congressmen don't like the deals they can refuse to back them and send their leaders back for more negotiation. This is just more doublespeak from Boehner and the Republicans, they criticize President Obama for not getting things done, and then criticize the only real method he has for influencing the legislative process other than the veto. If President Obama sits back and lets congress work he's a slouch, if he engages in the process he's interfering with the democratic process, there is literally nothing he can do right according to them.

would the leadership negotiating with the white house and senate really not be considered normal workings of the house?Abbeten

This is opposed to the practice of having a small handful of politicians, namely a few high-ranking House and Senate members and the President and his officials work out secret deals. Instead of this procedure, in "regular order" the full panoply of the elected representatives of the U.S. would publicly put forward their ideas.

[QUOTE="Abbeten"]would the leadership negotiating with the white house and senate really not be considered normal workings of the house?whipassmt

This is opposed to the practice of having a small handful of politicians, namely a few high-ranking House and Senate members and the President and his officials work out secret deals. Instead of this procedure, in "regular order" the full panoply of the elected representatives of the U.S. would publicly put forward their ideas.

The bills still have to go to committee and the rank and file can still put their ideas forward. All that negotiations do is put the leaders who represent the most popular views within their respected platforms together to come up with a bill that serves as an effective compromise, and they then try to "whip" their members into support for the compromise. Their members are under no obligation to support whatever comes out of these compromises.

And the term secret is hilarious. These negotiations don't have to be secret. The only reason they have been under President Obama is because House Republicans would publicly crucify Boehner if they had been out in the open, maybe even revoke his leadership. It's one more example of how radical politicians who represent an extreme fringe have hijacked the Republican Party. The speaker of the House can't even advocate for his own positions anymore or negotiate in good faith, he's a puppet for his Tea Party overlords.

[QUOTE="Abbeten"]would the leadership negotiating with the white house and senate really not be considered normal workings of the house?whipassmt

This is opposed to the practice of having a small handful of politicians, namely a few high-ranking House and Senate members and the President and his officials work out secret deals. Instead of this procedure, in "regular order" the full panoply of the elected representatives of the U.S. would publicly put forward their ideas.

[QUOTE="whipassmt"]

[QUOTE="Abbeten"]would the leadership negotiating with the white house and senate really not be considered normal workings of the house?theone86

This is opposed to the practice of having a small handful of politicians, namely a few high-ranking House and Senate members and the President and his officials work out secret deals. Instead of this procedure, in "regular order" the full panoply of the elected representatives of the U.S. would publicly put forward their ideas.

The bills still have to go to committee and the rank and file can still put their ideas forward. All that negotiations do is put the leaders who represent the most popular views within their respected platforms together to come up with a bill that serves as an effective compromise, and they then try to "whip" their members into support for the compromise. Their members are under no obligation to support whatever comes out of these compromises.

And the term secret is hilarious. These negotiations don't have to be secret. The only reason they have been under President Obama is because House Republicans would publicly crucify Boehner if they had been out in the open, maybe even revoke his leadership. It's one more example of how radical politicians who represent an extreme fringe have hijacked the Republican Party. The speaker of the House can't even advocate for his own positions anymore or negotiate in good faith, he's a puppet for his Tea Party overlords.