By Inma Sumaita, For The Miami Student
The Butler County Democratic Party Executive Committee met and unanimously came to the decision to censure Speaker of the House John Boehner.
This censure, decided Feb. 26, was to reprimand Boehner on his recent decision to extend an independent invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Butler County Democrats, as constituents of the 8th Congressional District, expressed resentment for the decision.
"Mr. Boehner chose to ignore long established diplomatic protocol where the U.S. Government does not overtly choose sides during the election campaigns of allied countries," Communications Director of the Butler County Democratic Party Dave Spurrier said.
The invitation to Netanyahu to speak before a joint-session of Congress two weeks prior to the Israeli election suggests U.S. sponsorship and could influence the election, according to critics. In addition, the invitation could also disrupt fragile negotiations with Iran regarding their nuclear program.
This is the third time Boehner has been censured, the first two times by the Butler County Progressive PAC and The Democratic Women's Club of Southwestern Ohio.
As the motion of censure reads, the "Speaker Boehner's invitation is an unprecedented move undertaken with the leader of another nation with the sole purpose of undermining the President of the United States."
The censure reflects the opposition held by local democrats of Boehner's suspected partisan behavior.
"Representative Boehner has consistently chosen partisan gamesmanship over what he was sent to Washington to do and that is being a facilitator for conducting the people's business," Spurrier said. "The speaker is under the impression that he has the full confidence and support of all of his constituents and that is not the case here in Butler County."
Junior Erik Seroogy, president of Miami University College Democrats, held a strong opinion about Representative Boehner.
Many democrats feel Boehner has been undermining the president and by such, causing a split between the Republican's House and Senate Democrats.
"Like all people in the government, Boehner is doing what he thinks is the right thing," Seroogy said. "However, his values are rather ingrained and his actions are becoming quite irrelevant to the matter of public interest."
The Democrats of Butler County held a similar view. According to Spurrier, it is an expectation of Congress to conduct people's business.
"Propose, debate, haggle and if you can't convince enough legislator's of the merits of your argument compromise and move on to the next piece of business," Spurrier said. "Several hundred votes saying you don't like something doesn't change it unless you have the votes to overturn it. If you don't then move on and stop wasting time while ignoring the pressing issues impacting the lives of the American people."