On CNN's program, The Lead, Wednesday, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) was asked by host Jake Tapper what he thought about improving background checks for gun purchases. The Speaker surprised audiences by replying, "They should actually do a real background check on everyone." Very impressive for someone who hasn't been an advocate of any aspect of gun control.
Then, a few hours later than day, Tapper called Mr. Boehner's office just to confirm what the Speaker told him to his face (something real reporters do). The office clarified that, no, the statement that he said that exists on tape wasn't accurate, but rather he "supports laws currently in place."
Okay, so John Boehner's statement was impressive for just four hours. But for Republicans in Congress these days, that's pretty good, and a start. Onward and upward!
Also on Wednesday, Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) was interviewed on WEWS-TV, and in a discussion on issues surrounding gay marriage surprised audiences by saying, "If people want to have civil unions and have some way to transfer their resources, I'm for that."
Very impressive for someone who has been a staunch critic of all things concerning gay marriage.
Then, the next day, Governor Kasich's office clarified that, no, the statement he said that exists on tape wasn't accurate. "The governor's position is unchanged," Mr. Kasich's spokesman said Thursday to reporters. "He opposes gay marriage and opposes changing Ohio's constitution to allow for civil unions."
Okay, so John Kasich's statement was impressive for just one day. But that means he beat John Boehner for 'Impressive Republican of the Day.'
It should be noted that Mr. Kasich's spokesman, Rob Nichols, went on to say that the governor "may have used the term 'civil union' loosely in this instance."
This is the equivalent of ordering a pizza and later saying that you really wanted a porterhouse steak, but may have used the term "pizza" loosely. Except that when you demand the steak you're not playing games with people's lives.
Hey, I don't know exactly what the problem is. Maybe Republicans have decided to start channeling their inner Britney Spears. Maybe there's something about Republicans speaking on Wednesdays. Maybe it's a problem with Republican elected officials named "John." Maybe it's physically impossible for elected Republican officials to hold on to the truth for longer than 24 hours. Maybe Republican politicians see that Mitt Romney got the be their party's presidential nominee by changing his positions more often than a yoga instructor, so maybe it could work for them, too.
Who knows?
But one thing is clear. When the GOP released its "Growth & Opportunity Project" report this week, and it noted "Asked to describe Republicans, they said that the Party is 'scary,' 'narrow minded,' and 'out of touch' and that we were a Party of 'stuffy old men'" -- this is one of the things they were talking about.
Though they were probably using the terms, "scary, "narrow minded," "out of touch and "stuffy old men" loosely.
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