Blunt loses House leader bid on 2nd ballot to Boehner

[proud2BlibKansan]

Blunt loses House leader bid on 2nd ballot to Boehner

The Kansas City Star

Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri went into the balloting to be the new House majority leader in front, with 100 commitments.

The first ballot, however, showed Blunt seven short of the 117 needed.
The second ballot gave Rep. John Boehner of Ohio the powerful post by a 122-109 vote.

Blunt will continue as whip, third in the leadership. He had been serving as an acting leader since Tom DeLay stepped down because of campaign finance violation charges in Texas.

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Blunt may have been seen as too close to DeLay as Republian struggle with scandals and investigations on the Hill and in the White House.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/13776083.htm

[JeffR]

1. Blunt may have been seen as too close to DeLay

Close enough to end up sharing a cell with him?

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Oh I hope so

[El Supremo]

2. Now, just how do you pronounce 'Boehner'?

Is it like "pulling" one?

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I think so

[BillZBubb]

3. Sweet! Boehner is just as dirty as Delay!!!!

Boehner once passed out lobbying checks to Repug house members on the floor of congress. If the Democrats can find a better poster boy for the culture of corruption, I'd be shocked. We need to go after this guy and the weasels who selected him.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Outstanding choice then!

[movonne]

4. Being from Ohio also makes me wonder how clean Boehner is...

[rainbow4321]

8. So much for Blunt saying he "can count members of the House"

yeah, well, WE can count, too, and chimp was NOT elected in 2000/2004..how's it feel to be Diebolded, dude? Guess Rove didn't take too kindly to Blunt's "chimp trashing"??

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8FFAF7O9.html

Blunt, R-Mo., said he remains confident of a first-ballot win at Thursday's elections to pick a successor to Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas. "If anybody can count members of the House, I can count members of the House," he said, referring to his experience as GOP whip.

Republicans confront poor polls as they settle in for the new session of Congress, a topic Blunt was asked about when he spoke to about 65 or so conservatives. Burson Taylor, Blunt's spokeswoman, said the congressman responded that President Bush's own low polls are partly the cause. He went on to say that House Republicans must take steps to make sure lawmakers "can advance our message" better than is now the case, she added. As an example, Blunt said Republicans should try not to pass major legislation in the middle of the night, she added.