A very smart speech by Speaker Boehner 
 
 By Ezra Klein 
 
 If you spent the afternoon watching C-SPAN, as I did, you heard applause. A lot of it. Over and over again. And when John Boehner took the podium to be sworn in as Speaker of the House of Representatives, it swelled back up, and stayed there. No one Republican member of Congress wants to be the first to stop applauding the new speaker. 
 
 Luckily, Boehner did it for them. “It’s still just me," he said with a smile. 
 
 Traditionally, politicians overpromise in these moments. If you look back to Nancy Pelosi's speech upon becoming speaker in 2007, or Newt Gingrich's speech upon becoming speaker in 1995, you'll see broad, ambitious, ideologically-charged agendas. Gingrich wanted "to find a way to truly replace the current welfare state with an opportunity society." Pelosi sought "a new America that declares our energy independence, promotes domestic sources of renewable energy, and combats climate change." 
 
 Boehner promised almost nothing at all. He certainly didn't set himself up as a foil to President Obama, or anoint himself leader of a new conservative moment in American politics. Rather, his speech had two themes: Humility, and comity. He called his chamber "the people's house," and said "we are carrying out their instructions." He spent a lot of time on the "scar tissue" that has built up under "some of the rituals that have come to characterize this institution under majorities Republican and Democratic alike." He promised a new era of openness and minority cooperation in the House. He emphasized his recognition that he held the gavel not because American liked him or his party, but because they were angry at the government and the Democrats who ran it. 
 
 It was, I think, as smart a speech as I've seen a politician give -- in part because it was savvy about what it didn't say, which is a rare virtue in Washington. Of course, the speech is the easy part. The rules Boehner is pushing through the House make it vastly easier to increase the deficit through tax cuts, an outcome that won't sit well with Boehner's repeated pledge to hold down the debt. Moreover, Republicans are already having to break their rules to pursue the repeal of health-care reform without paying for it -- a procedural offense in favor of a symbolic vote that, in addition to increasing the deficit, won't exactly usher in a new era of respect and esteem between the two parties. 
 
 That's to be expected, perhaps. Many speakers before Boehner have entered the House promising more openness and cooperation and given up on those promises when they began to conflict with more action. And Boehner himself has not always been able to "disagree without being disagreeable." It's when the going gets tough that speakers turn hard. 
 
 So we'll see. But thus far, Boehner's political instincts have been quite impressive. The White House may have a more able opponent in him than they thought. 
 
 Photo credit: Alex Brandon / AP. ||||| NRCC ELECTIONS HQ — The next Speaker of the House is one emotional dude. As he celebrated the end of Democratic rule in the lower house of Congress with several hundred friends here in downtown Washington, John Boehner broke down and cried while the crowd chanted “USA! USA!” 
 
 “I’ve spent my life trying to chase the American dream,” Boehner said, his voice cracking. He went on to espouse the virtues of capitalism and small business ownership in the way that you’d expect from the man who just led the Republican Party back from the political wilderness. Except with more tears. 
 
 The rest of Boehner’s speech looked forward to a world where Republicans run the House and the Democrats kowtow to tea party demands. 
 
 “We are witnessing a repudiation,” Boehner said, claiming that with each GOP vote rolling in, “America is putting Washington on notice.” 
 
 In a theme that ran throughout the night, Boehner promised his Republican Congressional majority would not be the same one lost to the Democrats four years ago. Speaker after speaker got up tonight and promised a more austere and respectful GOP, one that took to heart the so-called Pledge To America that Bohener touted as his party’s political agenda on the campaign trail this fall. 
 
 “This new majority is prepared to do things differently,” Boehner said. 
 
 He didn’t get into policy specifics but did offer these three tenets for how things will go in the House staring in January when Boehner and his compatriots are sworn in. 
 
 Boehner said the Republicans will govern by “cutting spending instead of increasing it, reducing the size of government instead of increasing it” and “reforming the way Congress works” and “giving the government back to the people.” 
 
 He said the party will start off by “ending uncertainty in our economy and putting our citizens back to work.” 
 
 For all the talk of a kinder, gentler more attentive GOP, however, Bohener made it clear who he thought the vote tonight was really aimed at. 
 
 “The people have sent a message to President Obama,” he said. “Change course.” 
 
 Evan McMorris-Santoro Evan McMorris-Santoro has covered politics for TPM since 2009. Before that, he was a reporter at National Journal’s Hotline covering election 2008. He started his career covering local politics at newspapers in TN and his native NC. 
 
 Share This Article Tweet 
 
 From Around the Web ||||| WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 16: U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) speaks to members of the media during his weekly news conference July 16, 2015 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Speaker Boehner spoke on various topics, including the Iran nuclear deal. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) 
 
 UPDATE @ 2:33 p.m.: 
 
 An exit interview with Speaker Boehner will air Sunday on the CBS show “Face the Nation.” 
 
 UPDATE @ 1:15 p.m.: 
 
 During a 1 p.m. press conference, Boehner said originally he was going to make the announcement on his birthday, Nov. 17. But after meeting with Pope Francis, praying and sleeping on it for a night, Boehner decided “today’s the day I’m going to do this.” 
 
 Boehner, who’s been in politics over 25 years, said he’s succeeded in large part because of the team he put together. 
 
 “This isn’t about me. It’s about the people, it’s about the institution,” Boehner said. 
 
 Boehner’s two girls, now grown women at ages 35 and 37, had their first campaign photo in 1981. 
 
 “It’s one thing for me to have to endure it; I have thick skin. My girls and wife have had to put up with a lot,” Boehner said. 
 
 He said the greatest thing about his job has been meeting thousands of people from his district. 
 
 At the beginning and end of his press conference, Boehner, visibly emotional at times, was singing lines from “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” 
 
 “It’s been an honor to serve in this institution,” Boehner said. 
 
 UPDATE @ noon: 
 
 House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) released this statement today: 
 
 “My mission every day is to fight for a smaller, less costly, and more accountable government. Over the last five years, our majority has advanced conservative reforms that will help our children and their children. I am proud of what we have accomplished. 
 
 “The first job of any Speaker is to protect this institution that we all love. It was my plan to only serve as Speaker until the end of last year, but I stayed on to provide continuity to the Republican Conference and the House. It is my view, however, that prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution. To that end, I will resign the Speakership and my seat in Congress on October 30. 
 
 “Today, my heart is full with gratitude for my family, my colleagues, and the people of Ohio’s Eighth District. God bless this great country that has given me — the son of a bar owner from Cincinnati — the chance to serve.” 
 
 Facing another revolt from an unruly caucus and the possibility of yet another government shutdown, House Speaker John Boehner abruptly announced today he will resign from the House at the end of October. 
 
 Boehner told a stunned GOP caucus at a closed-doors meeting that he will resign – a decision that even some close confidantes didn’t know until minutes before he announced it. 
 
 The West Chester Republican reportedly planned only to serve through the end of last year, but decided to stay after Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his 2014 primary election. 
 
 “The speaker believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution,” an aide said. 
 
 His news shocked Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Upper Arlington, was sitting next to Rep Pat Tiberi, R-Genoa Township when Boehner made his announcement. 
 
 “Neither one of us knew ahead of time,” he said. 
 
 Boehner, the golf-loving, perpetually tanned son of a Cincinnati-area bartender, was elected to Congress in 1991. He was elected majority leader in 2005 and speaker in 2011. 
 
 The former Ohio House member had set his sights on leadership almost from the moment he entered the House, with a portrait of Cincinnati native Nicholas Longworth, the last Ohioan to serve in the No. 3 post of the federal government, hanging in his personal office. 
 
 “I think he believed it was time,” said Dave Schnittger, a former aide to Boehner. He said Boehner had planned to make an announcement on his birthday in November, but later “moved the timetable to Oct. 30.” 
 
 Boehner had long clashed with conservative Republicans in the House, including Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urban, whose Ohio district adjoins his. Ohio Gov. John Kasich has likened the relationship Boehner had with conservatives to “herding cats.” 
 
 Many times, his willingness to seek compromise earned him the ire of Tea Party members of his caucus, who argued his negotiations ultimately sacrificed many of their ideals. 
 
 But his supporters said that anyone in that position would face criticism, and that the right wing would never be satisfied with a negotiator. 
 
 “What we gave up was an adult in the room,” said Stivers. “I hope we can get someone else who will be responsible.” 
 
 In July, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., a Tea Party conservative, introduced a measure that would have ousted Boehner from his leadership position. And in Houston, Texas, this week, the executive committee of the Harris County Republican Party passed a resolution calling on the 25 members of the Texas Republican House delegation to vote to sack Boehner. 
 
 On Friday, Meadows sent out a statement commending Boehner “for his honorable service, his humility, his undeniable love for his country and his desire to serve this great nation. 
 
 “I look forward to an open and inclusive discussion as the House pursues new leadership,” he said. 
 
 The Oct. 30 timetable may actually give Boehner the wiggle room to keep the government open, Stivers said: Because he won’t face a coup from right-wing conservatives, Boehner might be able to move freely to back legislation to pay for the government, raise the debt ceiling and pass a highway bill without having to tiptoe around the complaints of the Tea Party flank of his party. 
 
 “It’s an interesting way to actually free him up to get things done,” Stivers said. 
 
 His announcement comes one day after a visibly emotional Boehner sat behind Pope Francis during his historic address to Congress, which was set up by Boehner after two decades of trying to get a pope to speak to a joint session for the first time in U.S. history. 
 
 At one point, Boehner appeared to break down altogether when the pope addressed crowds waiting outside the Capitol to catch a glimpse of him after the speech. After the speech, Boehner reportedly told reporters from Politico and the Washington Post that he had nothing left to accomplish after bring Pope Francis to the Capitol. Asked if that meant he was resigning, Boehner laughed, then jumped into a nearby SUV. 
 
 Former Rep. David L. Hobson, R-Springfield, a friend of Boehner’s, said he had “no inkling from Boehner” that a resignation was coming. 
 
 He said Boehner was a leader long before Republicans took the House majority. 
 
 “John was one of the people who brought us out of the wilderness when we didn’t have anybody into the promised land, and now they’re throwing him under the bus,” he said, referring to the rebellious flank in his party. “I feel bad for the country. I think John was great for our party and great for our country and I’m honored to have served with him.” 
 
 Boehner, one of 12 children, played football at Cincinnati Moeller High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy but honorably discharged due to a bad back. He then graduated from Xavier University. He was elected to the Ohio House in the mid-1980s and beat scandal-plagued Buz Lukens in the 1990 primary. 
 
 Boehner’s resignation will set up a frantic search to replace him, and the conventional wisdom early on is that his No. 2, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, is his most likely replacement. 
 
 In a statement Friday, McCarthy called Boehner “a leader, mentor, and most of all a friend.” 
 
 “As our country has weathered difficult times at home and abroad, John has acted as a true statesman, always moving forward with the best interests of the American people close to his heart,” he said. “He will be missed because there is simply no one else like him.” 
 
 UPDATE@ 10:35 a.m.: 
 
 U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the No. 2 Republican in the House, is expected to be the leading contender to replace Boehner as speaker, Republican Representative Peter King told reporters. 
 
 UPDATE@ 10:20 a.m.: 
 
 Boehner’s departure is unfortunate for the future leadership of this country, said retired U.S. Rep. Dave Hobson, R-Springfield, who served with Boehner during his nearly 20 years in Congress. 
 
 “We’re going to go through a very difficult period to find anyone who has his abilities certainly in the short run here in the next five years,” Hobson said. 
 
 The departure likely wasn’t caused by Boehner’s political adversaries, but rather the people within the Republican Party. 
 
 “I don’t know what happened, but it’s certainly been a tough time for him,” Hobson said. 
 
 Hobson is unsure who will run for the vacant Ohio seat in Congress, but said he’s not planning on running. 
 
 Boehner was an original member of the Gang of Seven, which spoke out against several federal scandals during the early 1990s. 
 
 “John has been a fighter for change since he went there,” Hobson said. “Unfortunately, the right-wingers don’t remember or care about how much he’s been a leader for change in Congress.” 
 
 Earlier report: 
 
 House Speaker John Boehner is resigning from Congress at the end of October. 
 
 Boehner reportedly is frustrating over continuing battles over government shutdowns and in battling with conservative members of his own party. 
 
 No word yet on who will replace him as the congressman in the 8th district which covers Clark, Miami, Darke, Preble and Butler counties. 
 
 A Boehner aide that asked not to be named said Boehner “believes that the first job of any Speaker is to protect this institution and, as we saw yesterday with the Holy Father, it is the one thing that unites and inspires us all. 
 
 The Speaker’s plan was to serve only through the end of last year. Leader Cantor’s loss in his primary changed that calculation. 
 
 The Speaker believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution. 
 
 He is proud of what this majority has accomplished, and his Speakership, but for the good of the Republican Conference and the institution, he will resign the Speakership and his seat in Congress, effective October 30.”
– Incoming House speakers have a long tradition of overreaching in their opening speeches, writes Ezra Klein at the Washington Post. John Boehner took the opposite approach today with his themes of "humility and comity," and that's why Klein loved it. Boehner didn't gloat on behalf of himself or his party, and he didn't set himself up as the savior of conservatives or the "foil" to the White House. He even pledged to try to heal the "scar tissue" between the parties with more openness. "It was, I think, as smart a speech as I've seen a politician give—in part because it was savvy about what it didn't say, which is a rare virtue in Washington," writes Klein. Time will tell whether he can follow through, "but thus far, Boehner's political instincts have been quite impressive. The White House may have a more able opponent in him than they thought." Click here to read the full text of Boehner's speech.