The Blackmail Caucus, also known as the Republican Party

John Boehner was a terrible, very bad, no good speaker of the House. Under his leadership, Republicans pursued an unprecedented strategy of scorched-earth obstructionism, which did immense damage to the economy and undermined America’s credibility around the world.

— Opening paragraph of Paul Krugman’s The Blackmail Caucus, also known as the Republican Party, published yesterday by The New York Times.