Boehner v. Cantor

In class this week, we discussed intraparty tensions that sometimes pit leaders of a party against one another.  From Politico, here is a current example:

The top aides to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Speaker John Boehner are now seeking a truce after a bitter year of behind-the-scenes fighting that pitted the top House Republicans against one another.

Tensions had gotten so bad between the two offices that senior aides decided, for the good of the party and their own bosses, that the rivalry has to be toned down.
The interoffice tensions were so prominent that elected Republican lawmakers were chafing at the public and private tribulations of the ongoing Boehner-Cantor drama — one GOP lawmaker stood up and complained about it in a recent closed-door meeting of House Republicans — and the two operations came to the realization that the constant sparring between their camps could hurt both lawmakers politically.

One top House staffer described the tense relationship as having “reached the breaking point.”

So like two warring nations, Boehner and Cantor aides, with the approval of their bosses, have decided to hit the “reset button.” GOP insiders used different terms to describe the new reality — a truce, a cease-fire, a détente.

Whichever euphemism is used, the two sides are clearly trying to mend their relationship for the good of their Republican majority.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72340.html#ixzz1lEMgU38m