After Boehner, House Hard-Liners Aim to Weaken Speaker's Clout

In recent weeks, it was sometimes hard to know whom hard-line conservatives were gunning for more: President Obama or their own Republican speaker, John A. Boehner. As it turns out, their target is the institution of the speaker of the House itself. To get to the broader goal of confronting Mr. Obama, they want to alter the fundamental power structure of the House by reducing the power of the speaker in favor of greater authority for the rank and file. The conservatives’ demands, including a long list of proposed rules changes, are made clear in a revealing questionnaire that they drew up for candidates seeking to replace Mr. Boehner.