Institutionalized

"Protecting the institution" is not the primary job of the Speaker of the House. In addition to being a representative of the district that elected him, the Speaker has a responsibility to identify, articulate, evangelize, and advance the policy agenda of his Party in accordance with his Constitutional oath. John Boehner refused to take on this role during his time in the Speaker's chair - choosing instead to play an ersatz foil to Obama while steadily giving ground before a leftward drifting status-quo. 

While considering new candidates for speaker it is vital to seek a replacement that is a champion for a Republican agenda and for the millions of Americans that have made the GOP the majority Party in both houses. The defensive lineup has held the leadership slots for too long. It is the duty of the House Republican leadership to stay on offense to advance a Republican agenda. Fulfilling that duty is doubly important when the Executive is run by the opposing party. Whatever one may think of Newt Gingrich, he was the last Republican Speaker to go on offense with a Republican agenda. That was a long time ago.

Opposing Obama's efforts to fundamentally transform America is important, but it in no way forms a solid basis for a Republican agenda. An agenda defined in the context of opposing democrats is simply an anti-democrat agenda. It is not a Republican agenda. If a candidate for a leadership position speaks constantly in the context of the opposing Party, that candidate should be removed from consideration.

I am certainly hoping for a conservative Speaker, but the most vital attribute for members of the House leadership is that they present a clear Republican agenda and aggressively pursue it. Please let's run screaming from any candidate that crows about uniting the Party. Anyone that has leadership experience knows that you don't unite people behind calls for unity. Present people with a compelling vision and they will naturally unite behind it. That is the job at which John Boehner was a dismal failure.

"Protecting the institution" may be the single most pathetic vision that a Party leader could lay out for Republican constituents at the present time. Many of those constituents would be just as happy to see the "institution" purged and burned to the ground. It isn't working for them, and they aren't all that happy with the Washington insiders that it does seem to be working for. The establishment offers up big government Republicans like McCarthy and Ryan and then tries to sell us on what great guys they are. The Republican House is a coalition body. The makeup of the eventual leadership team is likely to satisfy no one. But, it's time to stop trying to sell us personalities. Show us the vision the team will unite behind and convince us they will be held accountable to it. We don't need heroes, we simply need to be represented, for a change.