Speaker of the House John Boehner could end the government shutdown and raise the federal debt limit quite easily by allowing the House of Representatives to vote on those two things alone. There are enough “moderate” Republicans to join with Democrats in passing the necessary legislation, which would sail through the Senate and be supported by the President. The Speaker has chosen instead to demand changes to the Affordable Care Act that Senate Democrats and the President won’t (and shouldn’t) accept.

The debt limit won’t be a problem for a week or so, but why is Boehner refusing to allow a “clean” vote on the shutdown?

Two New Yorker writers offer their opinions at the links below. One argues that Boehner is primarily a coward. The other argues that he is primarily a hack (i.e. that he has no personal convictions). A reasonable conclusion is that he is a cowardly hack.

The two New Yorker articles:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/10/what-is-john-boehner-scared-of.html

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/georgepacker/2013/10/darkness-in-washington.html

You can share your thoughts with the Speaker’s office here:

http://www.speaker.gov/contact