Since he became speaker, John Boehner has tried and tried again to appease the Tea Party wing of his Republican caucus. He has let this small but loud contingent drive the House agenda, hoping that in return they would come to their senses for the most critical items. It hasn't worked. It has been a miserable failure. And now America is paying the price. Send Boehner a message: Tell him to dump the Tea Party, and work with reasonable Republicans and Democrats to find common ground solutions. Our government has shut down, and a debt ceiling fight looms, with the potential to do grave damage to our nation's economy. And yet, the Tea Party extremists are still obsessively focused on fruitless efforts to repeal Obamacare – with 40+ votes apparently not enough. Multiple reports indicate that a majority of total House members are ready right now to support a clean budget resolution to reopen the government. And yet, because Boehner still is letting himself be led by the most extreme ones, a contingent of as little as 30 Tea Partiers has veto power. Enough is enough. It's time to stop letting irrational extremists hold America hostage. Send Boehner a message: Tell him to dump the Tea Party, and work with reasonable Republicans and Democrats to find common ground solutions.