WASHINGTON -- Speaker John Boehner's resignation from his post leading the U.S. House of Representatives is indicative of the general discord brought on by a small number of uncompromising lawmakers, Alaska Rep. Don Young said Friday.
Boehner announced he will resign from his position -- second only to the vice president in the line of succession -- and Congress at the end of October.
As the news of Boehner's decision unfolded Friday, the message from many lawmakers across Capitol Hill seemed to crystallize: that this move would, albeit temporarily, loosen the control over the House wielded by some tea party Republicans who are willing to shut down the government and threaten to remove Boehner from his position at the helm.
Young said he is more confident than ever there won't be a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood or other funding issues. "Because John's free to do as he damn well pleases now, and if he has to get votes," he can work with Democrats to move a "clean" funding bill, Young said.
"Democrats say they don't want to shut the government down and I believe the majority of Republicans don't want to shut it down," Young said.
Young said he was confident that Boehner had the votes to retain his position of power. "But I just think he decided that this constant disruption of the conference and this demanding of 'my way or no way at all' " was not the way he wanted to govern, Young said.
As for conservatives ready to shut down the government, Young suggested they weren't thinking very far ahead.
"All right you guys, you burnt the house down. But winter's coming and you don't even have a tent," Young said. "So as an Alaskan I've never burnt something down if I didn't have a tent."
Young said he was "a little bit surprised" and "disappointed" at Boehner's decision to step down.
"He just had his first grandchild, that could have played a part in it. He never did bring his family down here; that separation is not good. He had a great day yesterday -- it's one of his crowning achievements to take the pope to the floor of the House for the first time in history -- and maybe now is the time that he just decided that's enough," Young said.
Boehner "was dealt a difficult deck of cards," Young said.
Things have changed in Washington, said the Alaska representative, who has been in Congress for 42 years. "It's a lot more difficult now than it was when I first came down here."
Young decried partisan behavior and a centralization of power in Congress in the speaker's office, instead of spread among committee chairmen.
"John is to some degree of the old school, in that there's supposed to be civility," Young said. "He kept trying to do it by trying to get people to agree to work together, and they just, frankly, don't want to work together."
Young said Boehner had promised to return legislative power to committee leaders but didn't come through. At one time, bills came to the floor for a vote out of committee agreements, not "through the so-called Republican side or the Democrat side," Young said.
"That may change; I doubt it," Young said with regard to the next speaker.
Who will take over as speaker is as yet undetermined, and Young isn't backing any particular horse yet. "There's a lot of discussion already -- he's not even cool, I say, and they're already trying to divide up the loot."
And the senior member is not campaigning for the spot himself, he said.
The job will be tough, no matter who takes over, Young said. "But it can be done. … It's going to take a great deal of force, as well as finesse."
Young argued too that much blame for the congressional logjam lies with the Senate, which he termed an "inoperative group of people," blaming both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada.
"No one's willing to give up anything on any side and their so-called platform. You can't govern that way," Young said. "You're not sticking by your principles because the problem gets bigger because you didn't do anything."
Both parties are guilty of exploiting the filibuster process to hijack Senate action, Young said. "The House doesn't have that problem."