Daily Archives: September 13, 2010

A man of swagger and no charisma with a bad nicotine habit is how the press seems to be describing the next possible Speaker of the House John Boehner. Some have compared him to Newt Gingrich, I would not go that far. Gingrich was a man who I felt like, though I did not agree with him on most issues, could be the man who goes the local country club, while Boehner is someone who might hang out at the local tavern after a long days work, which is how Joe Scarborough once described him.

Joking aside, it is important to understand who Boehner is. First, he is a congressman from Ohio when he took office in 1991. He is running for his 10th term in congress. His website continues to describe him this way:

John’s first two terms in the U.S. House were marked by an aggressive campaign to clean up Congress and make it more accountable to the American people. During his freshman year, Boehner and fellow members of the reform-minded “Gang of Seven” took on the House establishment and successfully closed the House Bank, uncovered “dine-and-dash” practices at the House Restaurant, and exposed drug sales and cozy cash-for-stamps deals at the House Post Office. John also adopted a personal “no earmarks” policy upon taking office in 1991, a no-pork policy he maintains to this day.

Later, John was instrumental in crafting the Contract with America, the bold 100-day agenda for the 104th Congress that nationalized the 1994 elections. One of the Contract’s cornerstones – the Congressional Accountability Act, requiring Congress to live under the same rules and regulations as the rest of the nation – bears the unmistakable imprint of his drive to reform the House. The success of John’s reform-minded agenda earned him election to the House leadership after the GOP election victories in 1994. As House GOP Conference Chairman in the 104th and 105th Congress, John was a powerful voice in the fight to force Washington to stick to the strict spending limits in the Balanced Budget Act. In September 1999, as Vice-Chairman of the House Administration Committee, John joined House leaders to announce the first-ever “clean” independent audit of the House, a reform he first called for as a member of the Gang of Seven in 1992.

Notice a few interesting things about Boehner. First, he is a career politician which means he might not work quite so well with the anti-incumbent crowd following the Tea Party. Second, he is essentially calling for some of the same reforms that he has never been able to pass most of his years in congress like a Balanced Budget Amendment, ethics investigations, lower taxes, less spending. This agenda is basically the same as it has always been.

Finally, this should be used for criticism. The last few days, some have stated that the President should not attack the “next” Speaker because he is not well known or should not be a target. This is very similar to the same rebuttal that they say for Sarah Palin when conservatives ask not to attack her. I’m sorry, but you are in the public spotlight and have been serving in congress for years you are not immune to criticism. Also, remember that this is the same man who compared Wall Street Reform to using a nuclear weapon on an ant. Ladies and Gentleman, I give you John Boehner.