I'll avoid the obvious joke . . . and provide links to the articles I'm reading to figure out the new House Majority Leader, John Boehner of Ohio.
One theme is the "second chance" stuff, since Boehner was ousted after GOP House losses in '98. A second theme is the "post-Abramoff" stuff, which is especially fatuous given Boehner clearly moves very comfortably in the moneyed architecture DeLay erected (and refuses to return $30,000 in Abramoff-directed tribal money). So spare us the "reformer" talk; let's see some results first.
The Seattle Times has a very nice, concise overview of his political career. Belying the "post-Abramoff" silliness, Boehner is very adept at spreading around contributions to fellow politicians:
His political-action committee, The Freedom Project, has given nearly $3 million to Republican candidates since 1996.
In the last election cycle, the PAC contributed $718,630 to 103
Republican candidates for the House and eight Senate candidates as well
as $30,000 to the Republican campaign committee and $10,000 to state
parties.
The San Fran Chronicle sates my partisan hackery:
After all, in 1995 he was forced to
apologize for distributing checks from tobacco PACs to his colleagues as they
worked on the House floor. He has routinely accepted paid travel from corporate
interests, often taking along his wife. His acceptance of donations and trips
from Sallie Mae, provider of student loans, has drawn particular scrutiny
because of its interactions with the committee he chaired. He even carries a
taint of the Abramoff scandal -- having received $30,000 in donations from
Indian tribes represented by the lobbyist.
And he's refused to return that money too. Meanwhile, the lobbying loophole for tribes that Abramoff exploited is still in place.
Many if not most papers are interpreting Boehner's victory over Blunt as reflecting House Republicans' "growing concern" over the lobbying scandal. While such an impression may be created by changing the facade, the core problems remain. And claims of concern are somewhat overblown considering rank-and-file Republican's resistance to lobbying reform itself.
In a tense, 3 1/2 -hour closed-door session, many Republicans
challenged virtually every element of the leadership's proposal, from a
blanket ban on privately funded travel to stricter limits on gifts to
an end to gym privileges for lawmakers-turned-lobbyists.
So spare us the 'Change is in the Wind'-stuff. The old protection racket is firmly in place.
Until Boehner begins dismantling the cozy-if-corrupt financial system of Tom DeLay, any "post-DeLay" or "post-Abramoff" talk is dangerously misleading.
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