Thursday, February 02, 2006
Boehner Beats Blunt for House Repub Leader; Voting Irregularity on First Ballot
Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) beat Acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) to take the place of Tom DeLay, who was forced to step down because of his indictment on money laundering charges.
Blunt was close to DeLay. After Boehner announced he would challenge Blunt, Rep. John Shadegg (R-Arizona) announced he would run also. The strategy (not stated in public) seemed to be to give anti-DeLay/Blunt members an alternative and to assure that no one would win a majority on the first ballot.
The strategy worked.
Blunt got the most votes on the first official ballot -- 110 to 79 for Boehner and 40 for Shaddag. But because Blunt didn't get a majority, he had to face Boehner in a runoff, and the Shaddag people voted for Boehner.
Interestingly, although perhaps not surprisingly, the first ballot had to be thrown out -- declared null and void. I was not in the room, of course, but I am told that on the first ballot they had more ballots cast than members present. It appeared that someone literally was stuffing the ballot box.
Republican corruption is everywhere -- even when they are just choosing among themselves.
Blunt was close to DeLay. After Boehner announced he would challenge Blunt, Rep. John Shadegg (R-Arizona) announced he would run also. The strategy (not stated in public) seemed to be to give anti-DeLay/Blunt members an alternative and to assure that no one would win a majority on the first ballot.
The strategy worked.
Blunt got the most votes on the first official ballot -- 110 to 79 for Boehner and 40 for Shaddag. But because Blunt didn't get a majority, he had to face Boehner in a runoff, and the Shaddag people voted for Boehner.
Interestingly, although perhaps not surprisingly, the first ballot had to be thrown out -- declared null and void. I was not in the room, of course, but I am told that on the first ballot they had more ballots cast than members present. It appeared that someone literally was stuffing the ballot box.
Republican corruption is everywhere -- even when they are just choosing among themselves.
