GOP Inflicts a Foot Wound

Just when it seemed that Democrats had a;ready placed themselves in an immense self-dug hole with their destructive bickering over the House Majority Leader race, here comes the GOP to trump that story with a boneheaded decision of their own involving House leadership. The GOP reelected John Boehner and Roy Blunt as the top two Republican leaders in the House.

The margin of victory for the two were not close by any stretch, with 147+ GOPers preferring the status quo. Most Republicans said they liked that Boehner and Blunt were politically "savvy". Do they really need "savvy" at this point? Do they realize that it was this status quo that got them kicked out of Congressional leadership? It's hard to top the immediate cat fight started within the Democratic party, but, somehow, the Republicans did. After a midterm in which well over half of voters viewed GOP corruption as their main reason for voting Democrat, it would seem obvious that a House clean-up was in order. After all, Boehner and Blunt were implicated - fairly or not - in the lobbyist takeover of Congress.

This also sets up a House in which it's likely that very little substantial changes will be implemented. Between the infighting and over-caution of the Dems and the embittered and partisan GOP leaders, watch for a possible collapse of the House, with uncertain implications for both parties. But John McCain will get another boost. Unless he continues his pandering to the right.