# John Boehner

John Andrew Boehner (born November 17, 1949) is an American retired politician who served as the 53rd speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. representative for Ohio's 8th congressional district from 1991 to 2015. The district included several rural and suburban areas near Cincinnati and Dayton.

## Quotes
### 2000s

* What we really expect out of the Democrats is for them to treat us as they would like to have been treated.
** "Pelosi Elected Speaker, First Woman to Lead House", FoxNews.com (2007-01-04)

### 2010s

* If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, it would be Christmas everyday.
** Dismissing a question on the wisdom of cutting funding to homeland security.
* Just because you have a right to do something in America does not mean it is the right thing to do.
** "World Weighs In to Condemn Terry Jones' Planned Quran-Burning", "Sunshine Times", 2010-8-09
* We lost one of one of the great leaders of our lifetime on Monday. She was a true friend of America, and a champion of freedom. We're going to ensure that Margaret Thatcher’s legacy is honored by the United States government in a way commensurate with her enormous achievements.
** On the death of Margaret Thatcher. Southern Maryland News, April 14, 2013
* I leave with no regrets or burdens. If anything, I leave as I started; just a regular guy humbled by the chance to do a big job.
** Farewell speech (29 October 2015).
* Lucifer in the flesh, I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life.
** When asked his opinions on Ted Cruz during an appearance at Stanford University.

## Quotes about Boehner

* When it comes to formulating drug policy, too frequently lawmakers are allowed to simply ignore evidence-and even make up their own. I can't count the number of times I've seen shameless politicians use this strategy to mislead the public about drugs. Take for example, former speaker of the house John Boehner, who opposed marijuana legalization for his entire thirty-year political career. Back in 2011, he wrote a constituent to say "research shows that marijuana use in its raw form is harmful" and that he was "unalterably opposed to the legalization of marijuana." In 2018, following Boehner's 2015 resignation from Congress, he joined the board of Acreage Holdings, a Canadian firm that is the largest multi-state owner of cannabis licenses and assets in the United States. As you might've guessed, Boehner no longer opposes marijuana legalization. Now he's an advocate. Now he believes that laws prohibiting the substance are "way out of step." Boehner is a hypocrite. Don't misunderstand me, I think marijuana should be legalized nationwide. My position is unequivocal. What's more, I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for those who are able to change their minds in the presence of new and better evidence. This is called cognitive flexibility, a hallmark of intelligence. Boehner's newfound position, however, was motivated by greed. He doesn't seem to give one fuck about the extensive harms caused by the prohibitory policies he once supported. These policies compromise the health of synthetic cannabinoid users and facilitate racism in law enforcement. "I don't have any regrets at all," Boehner told National Public Radio. Astonishingly, he said, "The whole criminal justice part of this, frankly, it never crossed my mind."
** Carl Hart Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear (2021)
* This guy has emotional problems.
** Barbara Walters, in reference to Boehner's tears during her interview.