Boehner as New House Majority Leader

John Boehner beat Roy Blunt by a relatively modest 122-109 votes to become the new Republican Majority Leader in the House today. I was pulling for John Shadegg personally, because he was a fresh face with a proven track record of fiscal conservatism.

But in retrospect, Boehner wasn't a bad choice. Blunt, for all his experience, was unapologetically and unabashedly connected to Tom DeLay. And if the Republican Congressional caucus expects to garner any respect with the electorate this November, they're going to need fresh leadership and a commitment to reform. Blunt was not offering that. Boehner offers the opportunity of it. Let's hope he delivers.