Boehner Calls on Republicans to Build 'A Majority That Matters'

In an op-ed posted on townhall.com, Rep. John Boehner (R-West Chester) explained his call for Republicans to renew the vision and boldness they had during the Gingrich Revolution of 1994 and the innovative legislative proposals that encompassed the Contract With America. Boehner a struck a theme for his campaign to succeed Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) as majority leader: 'A Majority That Matters.' In other words, a Republican majority that is hawkish on spending (including in Iraq, see below) and other issues that strike a chord with disillusioned conservatives. Boehner laundry lists various legislative victories of Congressional Republicans since their takeover of the House of Representatives in 1994 including the largest tax cut in US history under the urging of the Bush Administration and the highlights of the Contract With America that were all passed in the first 100 days of the Republican majority in Congress. The substance of his article has some eyebrow-raising comments including criticism of the current House leadership for simply surrendering Congress' power of the purse to the Bush Administration over Iraq. Boehner is currently embroiled in a three-way race (Boehner, Blunt, and Shadegg) to replace embattled Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) as US House Majority Leader.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the article is what Boehner did not say. While he devotes a sizeable paragraph at the end of his op-ed to the recent scandals plaguing House Republicans, most of his article his devoted to conservative values and principles rather than the current state of the Republican Party. The focus of Boehner's article compares starkly with Rep. John Shadegg's (R-AZ) article from last week. Shadegg devotes almost the entirety of his article to the issue of corruption and even mentions Boehner by name, "Yesterday John Boehner wrote on this page about a proposal to reform the earmark process offered by Rep. Jeff Flake. While Mr. Boehner is suddenly talking about this idea, I was one of the first co-sponsors when it was introduced last spring. Aside from Shadegg treating "last spring" as if it were Biblical time, Boehner has always been a fiscal conservative and he has been especially troubled with recent spending hikes under Republican leadership. Boehner's election as US House Majority Leader would bring a lot of clout and public spotlight to the state of Ohio, which as an Ohioan I would like to see, but Boehner's election as Majority Leader would mean a lot as a Republican who is looking for a Majority Leader that is the opposite of Tom DeLay. John Boehner's mild-manndered approach to politics (which includes a willingness to reasonably compromise) is what this party and Congress needs now more than ever before.