Three reasons 1) Weak leadership. Nuff said there as it's pretty obvious. 2) Veto power. They can stop legislation by preventing a majority from coalescing on a bill they don't like. 3) They have no risk of losing their seats and are media savvy enough to threaten others' with a bruising primary. The Ds had a similar though lesser issue with their radical left until Clinton. They will again soon.
I never viewed Bohner as week. They are no risk of losing seats because of gerrymandering, which should be illegal.
He has been like a reed in the wind. He's afraid to tell that radical rump to GTH. It's not losing to Ds they fear Rs losing to more right wing radical Rs in primaried. Haven't you heard the term being primaries? Look at the moderate Rs who have lost to radicals in primaries for both house and senate. The loss of a senate primary has cost the Rs in general elections many times in the past three elections. Remember Nevada, Connecticut and Arkansas at least where a very beatable D faced a radical right R in the general and saved their ass. That rump is full of true believers who take ompromise as treason.
I agree with you looking at it that way. I just wonder why Trump and Carson are up in the polls. Most of the GOP base think like the 40 congressmen?