Boehner is the new DeLay

It was something of an upset, but John Boehner (pronounced "Bayner," not "Boner") is the new House majority leader. The Washington Post reports:

Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), who ran an insurgent campaign calling for change in the face of a widening corruption scandal, was elected [Thursday] to succeed Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) as House majority leader in an upset over the acting majority leader.

Boehner's victory over Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a longtime DeLay ally, stunned even the Ohioan, said House members attending the closed-door election. It sent a clear signal that most House Republicans were eager for a relatively fresh face to lead the party in an election year when the GOP's decade-long control of the House is under threat.

Blunt was up 110-79 over Boehner on the first ballot, with John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) in third with 40 votes. But Shadegg's support went over to Boehner, who overtook Blunt and won 122-109 on the second ballot (yes, Blunt lost a vote).

As one who supports the Democrats, I wish Blunt had won, as it would have been much easier to paint him as DeLay II. But for the sake of the ethics of the House, for the sake of the health of American politics, I suppose it's better that Boehner prevailed.

But now we'll see how Boehner, who rose to prominence in the '90s under Gingrich's leadership but who retreated under DeLay, will lead a Republican caucus that has been brought low by scandal, that is deeply divided over issues like immigration, and that faces a tough election year ahead.

Clearly, it's a tough job.

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Around the blogosphere:

Shakespeare's Sister: "So what’s Boehner’s story? Rated 0% by NARAL, 7% by the ACLU, 17% by the NEA, 5% by the LCV, 0% by APHA, 7% by the AFL-CIO, 0% by the ARA, and 91% by the Christian Coalition. So anti-choice, anti-civil rights, anti-education, anti-environmental protection, anti-public health, anti-labor, and anti-seniors, but he loves the baby Jesus."

Nice, eh?

The Next Hurrah: "Why should we expect John Boehner to be a sincere advocate of Congressional lobbying reform, when he’s done nothing to advocate or implement reform among his fellow Ohio Republicans, possibly the most corrupt bunch of Republicans in the country?"

We shouldn't.

See also Booman Tribune, Daily Kos, and Wonkette.