Analysis: Boehner forging new identity, flexing muscle

Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) is emerging from the shadows of Tom DeLay and George W. Bush.

Boehner struggled to forge his own leadership style after beating Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) to become majority leader in February 2006. The GOP Conference had tired of DeLay’s strong-arm tactics and constant ethics controversies. Boehner knew he couldn’t come on too strong, especially because Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) was still Speaker.

{mosads}When Democrats took control of the House and Hastert subsequently stepped down, Boehner stood by the leader of his party, President Bush, as many of his members were bucking the unpopular president.

Backing Bush on the $700 billion Wall Street bailout bill in late September and early October weakened Boehner and triggered more chatter that his time in leadership would soon come to an end.

But this week, in a rare break from Bush, Boehner opposed the $14 billion auto bailout package that the White House helped craft.

While White House Press Secretary Dana Perino hailed the auto bill as “an effective and responsible approach to deal with troubled automakers,” a headline on Boehner’s website stated, “American autoworkers and taxpayers deserve better than Washington’s flawed bailout.”

Boehner has also been critical of how Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have implemented the $700 billion bailout legislation.

In the days after Democrats strengthened their majorities on Nov. 4, there was intensifying speculation that Boehner would be challenged as House minority leader.

But after Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) settled for the whip post and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) opted not to launch a bid, Boehner was in the clear. As expected, Boehner easily fended off a challenge from Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.).

And now, despite being a top House GOP leader as Democrats picked up 30 seats in 2006 and 24 in 2008 (including special elections), Boehner’s power has grown in recent weeks.

Sensing an opportunity to steal the powerful ethics mantle from the Democrats, Boehner this week forced Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) to step aside as ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee. Boehner’s move to oust Young, an 18-term lawmaker reportedly under FBI investigation, shows that the last two elections have not weakened the minority leader.

{mospagebreak}Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said, “In this new Congress, Republicans will have an unprecedented opportunity to renew our drive for smaller, more accountable government and offer positive solutions to the challenges facing the American people. Leader Boehner is deeply honored his colleagues have placed their faith in him to lead that effort.”

While Boehner is not one to yell, he has gotten his members’ attention.

{mosads}Boehner was furious when some in his conference sided with Democrats despite his calls for a censure of embattled Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) this summer.

After that vote — in which 25 Republicans voted with Democrats and 29 voted “present” — Boehner told his conference on Sept. 9, “Anyone who votes against debating one of my resolutions, that’s fine. You just won’t have a committee assignment.”

Nine days later, Boehner offered another motion against Rangel and only five Republicans voted with Democrats to table it, while six GOP lawmakers voted present.

Boehner, elected four years before the GOP revolution of 1994, knows his party has to have the upper hand on ethics if he is ever to become Speaker.

The controversies surrounding Rangel, coupled with the unfolding scandal of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), gives Republicans hope that they can turn the tables on ethics. However, that goal is still hard to attain in the wake of damaging GOP scandals still playing out in courts, including the cases of DeLay, Sen. Ted Stevens (Alaska), Sen. Larry Craig (Idaho), Rep. John Doolittle (Calif.), Rep. Rick Renzi (Ariz.) and Rep. Vito Fossella (N.Y.).

Still, none of those members will be in Congress next year.

Young, meanwhile, retained his seat by defying the odds, fending off a GOP primary and then defeating Ethan Berkowitz (D) in the general election.

Young and Boehner are at opposite ends of the spectrum on earmark reform. Young fought for the “Bridge to Nowhere” earmark while Boehner doesn’t seek earmarks and wants his conference to seek strong reforms to the earmark process.

Boehner did not try to remove another lawmaker fond of earmarks. Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) will remain as ranking member of the Appropriations Committee even though he is reported to be under investigation by federal authorities.

Boehner crowed publicly after Joseph Cao (R), a Vietnamese immigrant, defeated indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) over the weekend.

{mospagebreak}In a memo released to the media, Boehner wrote, “Working with like-minded Republicans such as Governor Bobby Jindal, he took an aggressive stand against corruption, offering a principled alternative to what voters were offered by the local Democratic establishment.”

Some in the GOP Conference complained that Boehner did not offer enough alternatives to House Democrats’ legislation in the 110th Congress, playing into the Democratic arguments that the GOP is “the party of no.”

{mosads}Boehner has vowed to shift course and present detailed Republican plans — as he did this week on an auto bailout proposal.

For someone who was considered by some to be a dead man walking in October, Boehner has stunned many on Capitol Hill by expanding his authority through a series of deft moves.

When Republican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman Jeb Hensarling (Texas), considered a Boehner critic, indicated he would run for conference chairman, Boehner asked Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.) to run for the leadership post. Hensarling subsequently dropped his bid, not wanting to challenge a former RSC chairman that he is fond of.

Even though Pence had challenged Boehner for minority leader after the 2006 elections, the Ohio leader has formed an alliance with Pence — something DeLay (Texas) would have never done.

Boehner, whose power was weakened as his battles with National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) became public, endorsed Rep. Pete Sessions (Texas) over Cole for NRCC chairman in the 2010 cycle. Cole defeated Sessions two years ago for the NRCC post. Boehner did not publicly endorse in that contest.

After attracting his backing, Sessions secured enough votes and Cole withdrew before a vote was cast.

With Pence, Sessions and Cantor on his leadership team, Boehner has a lot going for him, most notably that the party not controlling the White House traditionally does well in midterm elections.

But the road back to the majority is long one.

President-elect Obama has a mandate after his sweeping victory over Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). The GOP position on immigration reform has soured so many Hispanics that some Democrats believe Texas will be in play for Obama in 2012. There are no black Republicans in Congress and even though Bush will be leaving office next month, Democrats will blame him for the recession in the years to come.

Republicans predict that Democrats will help them by overreaching and embracing a liberal agenda. Democratic leaders say that is wishful thinking, noting that they will avoid the mistakes of 1993 and 1994, the last time they controlled Congress and the White House.