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You are here: Home / Politics / Election for Majority Leader

Election for Majority Leader

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Red State is following the election:

Update [2006-2-2 13:30:52 by krempasky]: Heh. They had more ballots cast then members in the room. Hilarity ensues.

Update [2006-2-2 13:40:40 by Augustine]: First ballot: Shadegg took roughly 40 on the first ballot, Blunt 110, Boehner 75.

Insert your own jokes.

*** Update ***

Shadegg has dropped out, which means that Boehner is going to win this.

*** Update #2 ***

It is official. Boehner is the new majority leader.

Democrats are going to have a field day with this.

Reader Interactions

53Comments

  1. 1.

    Paul Wartenberg

    Update [2006-2-2 13:30:52 by krempasky]: Heh. They had more ballots cast then members in the room. Hilarity ensues.

    Oh sweet monkey jebus. Do I need to come up there to help count? I *was* in Broward County back in 2000, so I’ve got the experience…

  2. 2.

    DougJ

    Is this the real leadership election? Or some strange Red State joke?

    So that means it goes to a run-off ballot between Boehner and Blunt.

    Am I the only one that thinks it is funny that the it’s come down to Boner versus Blunt. Those two had quite a competition in my mind when I was in high-school.

  3. 3.

    rilkefan

    Those two had quite a competition in my mind when I was in high-school.

    [emphasis added]

    DougJ is secretly Jehovah or Brahma or suchlike.

  4. 4.

    LITBMueller

    Looks like those Diebold machines are acting up again!!! Can’t they get their voting manipulation software down straight?

    Oh, and I hear Blunt’s canmpaign theme song has been “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who, focusing on the line “Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.”

    Shadegg didn’t find it funny, though. But, his motto, “We Can’t Go From the Hammer to Blunt,” really hasn’t gained any traction…

  6. 6.

    DougJ

    Meet the old boss, same as the old boss. I’m not cynical about these things — Shadegg would have been a real change, IMHO. Boehner’s more of the same.

  7. 7.

    DougJ

    For reasons I can’t fully explain, I was really looking forward to saying “Shadooby Shadegg”. I just can’t enough of that song: flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter. So good. Fuck it, I’m going to Itunes to buy it.

  8. 8.

    Pb

    For some reason it doesn’t surprise me — (a) Katherine Harris is there; (b) they make up some pitiful excuse as to why this happened, and then (c) they don’t reveal what the actual results were that their excuses can be verified–obviously they need a verifiable voting process just as much as we do. But at least they did a “do-over” this time instead of taking it to the frickin’ Supreme Court to litigate it. Geez.

  9. 9.

    Perry Como

    It’s good that an Ohio Republican was elected as majority leader. Ohio Republicans can wash away that corruption smell quickly.

  10. 10.

    Pb

    DougJ,

    Or as I said before, Shadeggadelic, baby. Maybe he’ll get another shot at it if Blunt gets indicted.

  12. 12.

    Zifnab

    I don’t know. Blunt comes across as more of a “bought and paid for” type of politician, if only because he’s so firmly next to DeLay. Perhaps I just haven’t seen Boehner ranting on FOX News as often.

  13. 13.

    Pb

    Oh, the House got a Boehner for their Majority Leader? Heh, maybe there will be some comedy potential there after all. :)

  14. 14.

    Marcus Wellby

    The GOP has the full lower anatomy covered — a bush in the WH, a boner in the house, and an asshole in the senate.

  15. 15.

    Richard Bottoms

    Roll Call has it too: “House Republicans are taking a mulligan on the first ballot for Majority Leader. The first count showed more votes cast than Republicans present at the Conference meeting.”

    Says TPM Reader JP: “This is priceless. They try to steal their own elections!”

    TPM Reader JW is even more biting: “That’s right, the Repubs are so corrupt they can’t even hold an honest INTERNAL election…”

    http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

    Democrat’s are going to have a field day with this.

    Yes we are. too funny for words.

  16. 16.

    LITBMueller

    Joke Attempt Two:

    Majority Leader Boehner gave his acceptance speech this afternoon. He promised to be a stand up guy, and that he had the balls to push through the necessary reforms. He admitted that specials interests would put up stiff resistance, but was confident that Congress could rise to the challenge.

    Boehner added that his focus making sure that Republicans had the upper hand, jobs were plentiful in our nation, everyone hand change in their pocket, rockets were defending us all, and the Party would continue in the traditions of Dick Nixon, oand ppose the foolishness of men like Lyndon Johnson.

    Wha…what? His name is pronounced “Bayner?”

    Shit. :(

  17. 17.

    Brad R.

    Democrat’s are going to have a field day with this.

    Here’s a better question: who’s going to be the first lefty blogger immature enough to make a joke about the GOP “popping a Boehner,” or something like that?

    UPDATE: Turns out it was me.

  18. 18.

    Steve

    I don’t think Shadegg would have been anything close to a reformer, but it definitely would have been the talking point to try and sell. At least the winner is someone other than Blunt, who would have made the Democrats’ job ridiculously easy.

    I also recall reading about some conference call where Blunt pissed off a bunch of the conservative bloggers by basically saying, “I already have the votes, so you better think carefully about which side you choose.” Guess his bluff got called.

  19. 19.

    Paul Wartenberg

    In the short term, this is a satisfying victory against the DeLay faction of congress and the GOP to have their hand-picked guy Blunt kicked to the curb.

    In the long term, Boehner has to take this ‘free of taint’ stuff and actually reform how the GOP and how Congress works. He’s going to have to show that he’s stepped beyond the corruption of being in the Ohio and Abramoff circles of greed…

    Now here’s the next question, who won the other posts, like the party Whip (the vote-getter guy)? If it’s a DeLay crony that should tell us how bad it still is…

  21. 21.

    Mr.Ortiz

    Blunt pissed off a bunch of the conservative bloggers by basically saying, “I already have the votes, so you better think carefully about which side you choose.” Guess his bluff got called.

    What bluff? He DID have all the votes. The problem is he got greedy and cast them all at once.

  22. 22.

    Zerthimon

    I disagree. Boehner is the worst outcome for Dems. Sure Shadegg would have been more active in trying to reform the corruption in Washington, but he was extremely conservative. He harkens back to the old-school, let’s abolish department of education, slash medicare and medicaid, kind of conservative. The kind that would alienate moderates. Boehner is a conservative, but he’s more moderate. He worked with Democrats to pass the No Child Left Behind bill for example. And democrats will have a hard time attacking him for supporting pork, since he was one of the view who voted against the transportation bill and the “bridge to nowhere”.

    This was the best choice for Republicans.

  23. 23.

    Otto Man

    Meet the old boss, same as the old boss.

    Christ, I just used that for a blog post on this and thought I was so damn clever. Then I come over here and three people have already beat me to it. Lightning fast reflexes.

  24. 24.

    Lines

    He worked with Democrats to pass the No Child Left Behind bill for example.

    So now that he’s Majority Leader will he fight for it to be funded?

    Also, NCLB is a piece of shit to most liberals outside of the beltway.

  26. 26.

    Doug

    I think it’s time for the Dems to do their darnedest to turn Ohio Republican corruption into a national story. It helps put Ohio in play, it tarnishes the new House leader, and it gives the impression that the Republicans are up to business as usual.

  27. 27.

    Paul Wartenberg

    Is he the one who handed out checks on the floor during a vote?

    Which one, Delay, Blunt or Boehner?

    I do know that handing out checks on the floor was/is a time-honored tradition in the Texas Lege.

  28. 28.

    MI

    err, that wasn’t snark. I remember seeing on the Daily Show that one of the guys running for majority leader had actually done that. I guess I could stop being lazy and google it!

  29. 29.

    MI

    Ok, here it is, yeah it was Boehner.

    “..Boehner once handed out checks from tobacco political action committees on the House floor. Blunt, who tried to insert a “provision benefiting Philip Morris USA” into the bill creating the Department of Homeland Security, is married to a Phillip Morris lobbyist, and his son lobbies for them in Missouri..”

    My god.

  32. 32.

    Davebo

    Sure Shadegg would have been more active in trying to reform the corruption in Washington

    Err.. I seriously doubt it.

    Two weeks after House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., pledged to help pass far-reaching changes to the rules of lobbying on Capitol Hill, House Republican members pushed back hard against those proposals Wednesday, saying their leaders are overreacting to a growing corruption scandal.

    In a tense, 3 1/2 -hour closed-door session, many Republicans challenged virtually every element of the leadership’s proposal, including a blanket ban on privately funded travel, stricter limits on gifts and an end to gym privileges for lawmakers turned lobbyists. Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., a veteran conservative who is seeking a top leadership post, said Congress knows how to do just two things well — nothing and overreact, according to witnesses.

    Oh yeah, he’s a reformer like Bush is a uniter.

  34. 34.

    DougJ

    I mean Boehner does. I’m sure Shadegg’s no angel, but I think he would have been an improvement. Maybe I’m naive.

    My favorite angle on the Republicans in the House was the rumor that Scanlon took Livingstone down. I remember vividly that a lot of Democrats were not happy about Livingstone stepping down.

  35. 35.

    MI

    Well wtf? Do Republicans know something about the ’06 elections that the Democrats don’t? The dems are hoping to ride the culture of corruption frame all the way to taking back the house, apparently (by electing this joker) The GOP doesn’t think it’s nearly the winning issue that dems do.

  36. 36.

    Angry Engineer

    Great. Choose the Ohio republican. No corruption there.

    Yea, that doesn’t really scream “we’re serious about reform”.

    Wow, so this guy who actually handed out checks on the floor is viewed as the answer to the Republican’s problems? Amazing. These guys really have absolutely no clue.

  37. 37.

    Mike

    Well MI, of course the Republemmings know something the Democraps don’t. They know that Diebold and ESS count the votes!!!

    After all, I think it was Kruschev that said “it doesn’t matter who votes, it matters who counts the votes”

  38. 38.

    Kimmitt

    Mike — my grandma always said, “If the scorekeeper loses, it’s his own damn fault.”

    Anyways, that’s what Repubs know that Dems don’t.

  39. 39.

    BadTux

    Then there’s Boehner’s Abramoff ties. To quote the LA Times:

    According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, he received $32,500 in campaign contributions from Abramoff and the lobbyist’s clients — more than DeLay did.

    And in the mid-1990s, Boehner was criticized by public interest groups for passing out campaign contributions from tobacco companies to lawmakers on the House floor.

    If Blunt or Boehner became majority leader, it would leave them open to Democratic charges that they remain steeped in a “culture of corruption” in Washington.

    This isn’t even counting the donations to Boehner’s “Freedom Project PAC”.

    The whole “Republican culture of corruption” meme is virtually the only time the Democrats have succeeded at “branding” the Republicans with something (as vs. the other way around). This certainly isn’t going to help.

    – Badtux the PoliSci Penguin

  40. 40.

    Paul Wartenberg

    Three things need to be done to end corruption in DC:

    1) Vote the bums out. We’ve got their voting records. We’ve got their ties to lobbyists. Kick em out. Done.
    2) Petition your State gov’ts to call for a Constitutional Convention specifically designed to pass amendments that limit the power of the lobbyists, eliminates pork earmarks and other corrupt financial practices, and defines the limits of presidential abuse of power (simplist amendment to write: “The President of the United States is not above the law. The Consitution and the system of checks and balances between branches of government shall be upheld at all times.”) If enough states petition for the same thing for a convention, Congress will be forced to call one.
    3) File referenda or state-level amendments (I dunno how it’s done in other states, but Florida has a system where if enough people sign a petition an amendment can be proposed directly by the voters) that reduce the costs of filing for political campaigns and make it easier for third party and/or independents to run for office. End the two-party rule: when both sides are corrupt a third side must be made available.

    What, too wordy?

  41. 41.

    Faux News

    It’s good that an Ohio Republican was elected as majority leader. Ohio Republicans can wash away that corruption smell quickly.

    Outstanding! I almost spit up my “liberal elite bottled water” on the computer screen.

    (cue nasty/spiteful post by Stormy proclaiming triumph for the GOP)

  42. 42.

    Zerthimon

    According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, he received $32,500 in campaign contributions from Abramoff and the lobbyist’s clients — more than DeLay did.

    Is there evidence that Abramoff directed the indian tribes to give money to Boehner? Remember the scandal isn’t that tribes under Abramoff gave money to politicians. It’s that Abramoff specificaly directed tribes to. And that he also gave some money directly.

  43. 43.

    DougJ

    I’ve got to go with Zerthimon here. Unless there’s some evidence of quid pro quo or the like, I’m reluctant to attack Boehner for this.

  44. 44.

    AkaDad

    I wanted Blunt to win because Blunt is something i can relate to heavily.

    I also thought they would vote for the guy with “less taint”, but they perferred a Boehner.

  45. 45.

    The Disenfranchised Voter

    Boner wins!

    Seriously, the way the guy’s name is spelled it looks like it should read like that.

    I told you Shadagg didn’t have a chance.

    And in closing, Republicans rigging an election? Why do I feel like it’s 2000 all over again.

  46. 46.

    Steve

    There’s no glib answer to the question of whether Abramoff-connected money is dirty or not, aside from the fact that some politicians have been giving it all back just to try and dispel any lingering issue.

    The GOP talking point is that tribal money is just like money from Abramoff himself; thus, Dems took plenty of money too. That’s not a fair argument.

    The Dem talking point is that the tribes were the victims here, and the tribal money is all clean, it’s just the direct money from Abramoff that’s an issue. That’s not right either.

    To get at whether the tribal money is dirty or not, you have to dig deeper. For example, many of the tribes had been donating to politicians (mostly Dems) well before they hired Abramoff. Obviously, if they kept on making the same donations after they hired Abramoff, the money is most likely clean.

    On the other hand, you have cases where Abramoff’s clients suddenly start making contributions to candidates they have no apparent connection with. For example, in 2004, Congressman John Doolittle (R-CA) got a $5000 donation from the Sac & Fox tribe, one of Abramoff’s clients located in Iowa. In 2003, he had written a critical letter to the Bush Administration questioning an action involving the tribe. This is not proof of a quid pro quo, obviously, but when a California Congressman intervenes on behalf of an Iowa tribe that he’s never had a relationship with before, and then gets a big donation from them, you might suspect something fishy.

    If anyone has seen allegations like this made against a Democrat – they got a donation out of the blue from an Abramoff client they had no logical reason to be dealing with – I’d be interested to take a look at it.

  47. 47.

    Krusher King

    Democrats will NOT have a field day with this–they’re too lazy, complacent (what they think they have to be complacent about, I will never be able to guess) disorganized, and craven. They are supine. The Democrats will, as usual, do nothing.

  48. 48.

    neil

    They had more ballots cast then members in the room. Hilarity ensues.

    See? See what happens when you count all the votes? We tried to tell you 6 years ago!

  49. 49.

    searp

    Just another sign that all the reform talk is just that. The K St. project IS the republican party. The ties to corporate money are exactly that close.

    Reform talk will fade away. The lobbyists don’t have to go to the gym. Next up: fake energy stuff. After that: fake terra stuff. It is an election year.

  51. 51.

    The Disenfranchised Voter

    Holy shit. This guy is a looney tune.

    This is posted from AkaDad’s link:

    Ten things you should know about Boner:

    1. For School Prayer and Amending the Constitution: Rep. Boehner supported a school prayer amendment to the United States Constitution in 1997 (H.J.Res. 78), 1999 (H.J.Res 66), and 2001 (H.J.Res. 52); voted to permit school prayer “during this time of struggle against the forces of international terrorism” (House Roll Call Vote 445, Nov. 15, 2001); and voted to only allow federal aid to schools that allow prayer (House Roll Call Vote 85, March 23, 1994).

    2. For Forced Religion in Anti-Poverty Programs: Rep. Boehner voted to permit taxpayer-funded anti-poverty programs to require aid recipients to join in religious activities. (House Roll Call Votes 16 and 17, Feb. 4, 2004)

    3. 100% Against a Woman’s Right to Choose: Rep. Boehner received a “0%” pro-choice score from NARAL Pro-Choice America in 2005.

    4. For Religious Employment Discrimination: Rep. Boehner voted to permit taxpayer-funded anti-poverty programs to engage in federally-funded employment discrimination. (House Roll Call Votes 15 and 17, Feb. 4, 2004)

    5. Against the Rule of Law in Ten Commandments Case: Rep. Boehner voted to prevent the Justice Department from enforcing a court order to remove a 5,000 pound Ten Commandments monument from Alabama’s state supreme court. (House Roll Call Vote 419, July 23, 2003)

    6. Against Common-Sense Environmental Safeguards: Rep. Boehner voted for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (House Roll Call Vote 122, April 20, 2005); voted to gut the Endangered Species Act (House Roll Call Vote 506, September 29, 2005); and voted to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act (House Roll Call Vote 242, June 15, 2004).

    7. For More Religious Employment Discrimination: Rep. Boehner voted to permit taxpayer-funded job training programs to engage in religious discrimination when hiring and firing employees with federal funds. (House Roll Call Vote 46, March 2, 2005)

    8. Against Confronting Proselytizing at the Air Force Academy: Rep. Boehner voted against an amendment to squarely address religious coercion and proselytizing at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. The amendment criticized “coercive and abusive religious proselytizing” of cadets at the Academy while observing that “expression of personal religious faith is welcome” throughout the military. (House Roll Call Vote 283, June 20, 2005)

    9. Led the Effort to Inject Religious Employment Discrimination into Head Start: Rep. Boehner added a controversial amendment in September to a previously bipartisan School Readiness Act which would “allow federally funded early-child-care providers to discriminate on religious grounds,” according to The Forward. The Forward notes, “The federal government transfers about $6.7 billion annually to 19,000 Head Start providers in 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia.” Jewish groups opposed to the measure, according to The Forward, include the “Anti-Defamation League, the Union for Reform Judaism, the American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee and the National Council of Jewish Women.”

    10. Pushed Ohio Schools to Embrace “Intelligent Design:” People For the American Way reports that Rep. Boehner and fellow Ohio Republican Rep. Steve Chabot wrote to the Ohio school board claiming that legislative language required that references to “Intelligent Design” be included in Ohio’s science standards. In fact, such language was removed from the relevant education bill before it became final.

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