Local
How to make friends and survive in Congress
By: Marc Sandalow
November 23, 2008
The House of Representative contains 435 overachievers and nearly as many oversized egos.
Becoming a leader is a chance to rise above the pack. Many lawmakers spend years positioning themselves for a shot at a leadership post. Relatively few succeed.
So it was not surprising that House Republicans wanted a shake-up after losing 30 seats and their majority in 2006, and more than 20 more seats on Election Day this month.
The surprise was that John Boehner held on to his post as Republican leader despite presiding over back-to-back drubbings.
Boehner survived because he is well liked. He regularly shares drinks and a smoke after hours with fellow Republicans at the Capitol Hill Club, and he even fraternizes with the Democrats he battles on the House floor. He fortifies other relationships with rounds of golf. He attended 271 campaign events for GOP House members or candidates in the past two years.
Boehner survived because he raises staggering amounts of money — more than $24 million in the 2008 election cycle alone — and distributes it generously to Republican House candidates from coast to coast.
He survived because even in the minority, Republicans were able to defeat spending increases and loosen restrictions on drilling for offshore oil.
And Boehner survived because he is a shrewd politician, who found leadership posts just underneath him for his two chief rivals — Eric Cantor of Virginia and Mike Pence of Indiana — clearing the field of all but token opposition.
“John has led us very, very well,” said Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia, arguing that the party’s position would be far worse without Boehner.
Ultimately the choice of a leader comes down to whom members believe will best enhance their power.
Boehner railed against Democratic excesses when he arrived in Washington in the early 1990s and helped the GOP win a majority.
“In John Boehner we have a leader who knows what it will take to succeed,” said Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., as he nominated Boehner for another term as GOP leader this week. “He knows because he’s done it before.”
Becoming a leader is a chance to rise above the pack. Many lawmakers spend years positioning themselves for a shot at a leadership post. Relatively few succeed.
So it was not surprising that House Republicans wanted a shake-up after losing 30 seats and their majority in 2006, and more than 20 more seats on Election Day this month.
The surprise was that John Boehner held on to his post as Republican leader despite presiding over back-to-back drubbings.
Boehner survived because he is well liked. He regularly shares drinks and a smoke after hours with fellow Republicans at the Capitol Hill Club, and he even fraternizes with the Democrats he battles on the House floor. He fortifies other relationships with rounds of golf. He attended 271 campaign events for GOP House members or candidates in the past two years.
Boehner survived because he raises staggering amounts of money — more than $24 million in the 2008 election cycle alone — and distributes it generously to Republican House candidates from coast to coast.
He survived because even in the minority, Republicans were able to defeat spending increases and loosen restrictions on drilling for offshore oil.
And Boehner survived because he is a shrewd politician, who found leadership posts just underneath him for his two chief rivals — Eric Cantor of Virginia and Mike Pence of Indiana — clearing the field of all but token opposition.
“John has led us very, very well,” said Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia, arguing that the party’s position would be far worse without Boehner.
Ultimately the choice of a leader comes down to whom members believe will best enhance their power.
Boehner railed against Democratic excesses when he arrived in Washington in the early 1990s and helped the GOP win a majority.
“In John Boehner we have a leader who knows what it will take to succeed,” said Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., as he nominated Boehner for another term as GOP leader this week. “He knows because he’s done it before.”
