The clerk called his name
twice to vote for speaker, but
John Boehner wasn't on the
House floor. He didn't have to
be, of course. Once the tally
was announced, the
Republican from Ohio
emerged, now officially
speaker of the House. He
looked up at his wife, two
daughters and 10 of his 11
siblings in the gallery above.
They were crying, and so was
he.
The new speaker, his hair
perfectly parted and his suit
perfectly pressed, dabbed his
eyes with a white
handkerchief. Then he took an
oversize wooden gavel he had
picked and began his maiden
speech to his new House.
"Thank you all," Boehner said,
engulfed in the applause. "It's
still just me."
Wednesday's ceremonial
installation capped a
remarkable and at times
quixotic political journey for
Boehner, 61, who rose from a
tough upbringing and years of
mopping floors and tending
bar to the highest office in the
U.S. Congress.
The Ohioan, who was once
banished from the GOP
leadership in an internal
power struggle, took the
speaker's oath on a day
steeped in the ritual and
grandeur of every Washington
turnover, but notable for the
understated and austere tone
he set.
Boehner tends to shun big
moments such as these. He's
more at home on the golf
course with his rank-and-file
buddies than at the rostrum
making grand gestures.
Before the official
proceedings began, he
stepped from a side door onto
the House floor. He was alone
and went largely unnoticed -
except by Rep. Sheila Jackson
Lee (D-Tex.), who embraced
him for a photo.
Others quickly circled around
him in the well. Rep. Michele
Bachmann (R-Minn.) shook his
hand. Rep. Charles B. Rangel
(D-N.Y.) patted him on the
back. Rep. Peter T. King (R-
N.Y.) introduced his grandson,
Jack, 6.
And moments later, Boehner
disappeared. He stayed away
for an hour, until he was
officially made speaker. It was
a fitting prelude: Boehner is
presenting himself as a low-
key, easygoing leader, in
deliberate contrast to his
predecessors Nancy Pelosi (D-
Calif.) and Newt Gingrich
(Ga.), who took over the last
time Republicans regained the
House.
Boehner is also promising an
environment far more
hospitable to the minority
than in recent decades, saying
he will permit Democrats to
offer amendments and debate
controversial bills.
"This isn't about him," said
Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.),
one of Boehner's closest
allies. "It's about his vision for
how this House should be run.
When he says he's humble,
he's humble."
Boehner began his day by
walking out of his English
basement apartment on
Capitol Hill, where he told
camped-out reporters, "The
sun is out, and the American
people are in charge."
He made his way to a private,
bipartisan, prayer service at
St. Peter's Catholic Church,
where he was the first
member of either party's
leadership to arrive.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/05/AR2011010506320.html
twice to vote for speaker, but
John Boehner wasn't on the
House floor. He didn't have to
be, of course. Once the tally
was announced, the
Republican from Ohio
emerged, now officially
speaker of the House. He
looked up at his wife, two
daughters and 10 of his 11
siblings in the gallery above.
They were crying, and so was
he.
The new speaker, his hair
perfectly parted and his suit
perfectly pressed, dabbed his
eyes with a white
handkerchief. Then he took an
oversize wooden gavel he had
picked and began his maiden
speech to his new House.
"Thank you all," Boehner said,
engulfed in the applause. "It's
still just me."
Wednesday's ceremonial
installation capped a
remarkable and at times
quixotic political journey for
Boehner, 61, who rose from a
tough upbringing and years of
mopping floors and tending
bar to the highest office in the
U.S. Congress.
The Ohioan, who was once
banished from the GOP
leadership in an internal
power struggle, took the
speaker's oath on a day
steeped in the ritual and
grandeur of every Washington
turnover, but notable for the
understated and austere tone
he set.
Boehner tends to shun big
moments such as these. He's
more at home on the golf
course with his rank-and-file
buddies than at the rostrum
making grand gestures.
Before the official
proceedings began, he
stepped from a side door onto
the House floor. He was alone
and went largely unnoticed -
except by Rep. Sheila Jackson
Lee (D-Tex.), who embraced
him for a photo.
Others quickly circled around
him in the well. Rep. Michele
Bachmann (R-Minn.) shook his
hand. Rep. Charles B. Rangel
(D-N.Y.) patted him on the
back. Rep. Peter T. King (R-
N.Y.) introduced his grandson,
Jack, 6.
And moments later, Boehner
disappeared. He stayed away
for an hour, until he was
officially made speaker. It was
a fitting prelude: Boehner is
presenting himself as a low-
key, easygoing leader, in
deliberate contrast to his
predecessors Nancy Pelosi (D-
Calif.) and Newt Gingrich
(Ga.), who took over the last
time Republicans regained the
House.
Boehner is also promising an
environment far more
hospitable to the minority
than in recent decades, saying
he will permit Democrats to
offer amendments and debate
controversial bills.
"This isn't about him," said
Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.),
one of Boehner's closest
allies. "It's about his vision for
how this House should be run.
When he says he's humble,
he's humble."
Boehner began his day by
walking out of his English
basement apartment on
Capitol Hill, where he told
camped-out reporters, "The
sun is out, and the American
people are in charge."
He made his way to a private,
bipartisan, prayer service at
St. Peter's Catholic Church,
where he was the first
member of either party's
leadership to arrive.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/05/AR2011010506320.html
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