All indications are that the next Speaker of the House, John Boehner, is a staunch conservative. His background would certainly indicate as much. He’s become the hope of many conservatives looking for change in Washington.
Congressman Boehner was born the second of 12 children in Reading, OH and had a financially challenging childhood. He attended evening classes at Xavier University and graduated in 1977. As a businessman he worked in a small plastics business, taking over upon the death of the owner. This gave him a strong dislike for government regulation, and he has been known to call regulators the “Gestapo”.
Boehner normally keeps his thoughts and emotions hidden, but has been known to shed tears when speaking about conservative values, and when discussing Ronald Reagan. So far, so good.
But, things are different today than when Boehner entered the House of Representatives in 1990. As the Tea Parties have shown it’s not enough to be conservative; voters demand conservatives whose primary interest is in what’s good for the people, not lobbyists or major contributors. This calls for single-minded politicians capable of putting politics aside and going about the work of creating a solvent, strong country where people with initiative can thrive. Government, as practiced for the last forty five years, has slowly but surely denied the public those simple benefits. Putting the people first requires considerable courage and the ability to disregard potentially damaging press reports and diminishing poll results.
The other side of John Boehner appears to be a man who’s quite accustomed to the fruits of power. His inner circle is populated with lobbyists. He rents his Washington apartment from a lobbyist. He routinely flies on private jets owned by business interests. In my opinion his most blatant act was when he handed out campaign contributions from tobacco companies on the House floor just before a vote on tobacco legislation. These are not indications of a man whose sole interest is the people he serves. Accordingly, he deserves close watching.
Boehner gained a level of fame with his “Hell, No” quote on YouTube. He has recently been quoted as saying, “this is not a time for compromise.” Talk aside, the tax legislation passing through Congress right now includes a lot of compromise – and a considerable amount of pork. This is not a good start for a man capable of shedding tears over conservative principles. Let’s hope he remembers that the real owners of this country, the people, expect and demand action on their behalf.
