That may not be a bad thing.
Some conservatives — people I trust and know to be the real deal — are very Frumian in their view of Boehner. If he didn’t have that darned yearlong golf tan, it would help, but he knows what he’s doing and members know he knows what he’s doing. And that’s essential when you’re in the minority. (O.K., so maybe that wasn’t exactly what David said.)
Does a Leader Boehner mean the House GOP doesn’t get it, it being the message voters were sending? Not necessarily. Does Leader Boehner mean that Pence and some RSCers are all the more motivated to be a force for conservative policy — because they have their doubts about Boehner? Maybe.
We’ll see very shortly, but I think Blunt will win the whip race — meaning, essentially, no new faces. Something fun could happen with Eric Cantor, but I’m not holding my breath. The sense I’ve gotten from folks who are partial to him is the Shadegg has underwhelmed this time around. Cantor will lead in a big way someday though.
Congrats, Congressman Boehner, and just remember what you ran on and that dark day in November and what lead to it. Somehow I think it will be hard for him to forget.