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Divided We Stand

Divided We Stand
New book about the 2020 election.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Boehner

Yesterday, Mike Allen reported:
House Republican Leader Boehner today will release a new leadership document, "Pillars of a New Majority," a compilation of the five major speeches he delivered between June and October, as Republicans ramped up efforts to take the majority in the House. Boehner, in the "Foreword": "History will record 2010 as the year in which the American people reasserted control of their government, and the supremacy of the people over politicians and political parties was re-established. Born from this movement was a new majority in the U.S. House of Representatives -- a majority humbler than its predecessors, determined to rebuild trust and eager to do the will of the people. ... It's my hope that these five speeches -- some delivered as the Pledge [to America] was being conceived and written, and others delivered after its launch -- lend further context to our governing agenda ... President Obama must decide whether he will heed the will of the people and work with us to address their concerns, or continue on a path the people have rejected. If he joins us in listening to the people and acknowledges their demand for smaller, more accountable government, much can be achieved." 44-page PDF http://bit.ly/dBonpQ

--Also today, Boehner is expected to send a letter to GOP members and members-elect, asking for the honor of their votes to become Speaker-elect.

--"Pillars" is "Dedicated to the memory of Paula T. Nowakowski (1964-2010), my former Chief of Staff. A great American patriot, warrior for freedom, brilliant strategist, and beloved friend.
Politico also featured a rare analysis that actually gets the GOP's factional disputes and Boehner's skill at managing them:

John Boehner has no plans — or capacity — to rule the House like Nancy Pelosi did. It’s neither his style to centralize power in the speaker’s office like she did nor his strength to win his way through brute force or fear.

But make no mistake: Boehner will assume control of the House with his own elaborate plan for running the GOP on his terms. The plan includes fiercely loyal allies placed strategically throughout the House and his potential enemies placed right where he can better control them, according to Republicans close to Boehner.

Look no further than the emerging leadership team to see this dynamic at work.

Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, is likely to get tapped to run the Republican Study Committee, a hotbed for restless conservatives who view Boehner with some skepticism. Boehner paid a last-minute visit to Jordan’s district last weekend, part of his two-year-long nurturing of the young talent. There is no place in the Republican Conference that presents a bigger long-term threat to Boehner than the RSC.