Boehner to Give Jobs Speech of His Own

112th Congress is formally under way

(NEWSER) - Much pomp and circumstance and gavel-surrendering took place on Capitol Hill today as the 112th Congress got under way, reports the AP . The GOP-controlled House formally elected John Boehner as its new speaker, with Nancy Pelosi moving to her new gig as minority leader. "God bless you, Speaker Boehner," said Pelosi as she handed over the gavel. (Yes, he had to wipe away tears during her speech.) Must be a big deal because it was live-streamed on Facebook for the first time, notes Fast Company . More»

John Boehner, Mitch McConnell lament 2 years of 'misplaced priorities'

(NEWSER) - Further evidence that today's summit-that-isn't-quite-a-summit between Republicans and Democrats won't yield many kumbayas: Mitch McConnell and John Boehner stake out their position on working with Democrats in a Washington Post op-ed and say they're happy to do so—provided President Obama and company are willing to "move away from the misplaced priorities of the past two years" and embrace GOP positions on tax cuts, health care, lower spending, etc. More»

He won't agree to raising ceiling without spending cuts to offset

(NEWSER) - Remember the nasty fight in DC last summer over the national debt ceiling? Get ready for round two this fall. John Boehner launched the first volley today, demanding at a fiscal summit that any increase in the ceiling be offset by spending cuts, reports the Hill . "When the time comes, I will again insist on my simple principle of cuts and reforms greater than the debt limit increase," said Boehner. "This is the only avenue I see right now to force the elected leadership of this country to solve our structural fiscal imbalance." More»

It's just a 'slice of America,' he says in interview

(NEWSER) - Peggy Noonan's column in the Wall Street Journal this week is an interview with John Boehner in which the speaker talks about issues great and small. Some samples:

• The House: "We got 435 members. It's just a slice of America, it really is. We got some of the smartest people in the country who serve here, and some of the dumbest. We got some of the best people you'd ever meet, and some of the raunchiest. We've got 'em all."
• President Obama: "He and I get along fine. But boy do we have big differences."
• Debt ceiling talks: The White House "spun this thing that I walked away from this." In reality, Obama "lost his courage. ... He just couldn't bring himself to do what he had to do." ( Politico's Mike Allen says Boehner here is getting out in front of an upcoming New York Times magazine piece on the collapse of the talks.)
• Eric Cantor: "Eric and I have never disagreed on strategy, ever. From time to time there's been some disagreement on tactics, not usually between Eric and I, usually on the staff level."

Press corps miffed by quiet social life, he suggests

(NEWSER) - President Obama isn't aloof, he says—it's just that he and Michelle don't tend to paint the town red. "My suspicion is that this whole critique has to do with the fact that I don’t go to a lot of Washington parties and, as a consequence, the Washington press corps maybe just doesn’t feel like I’m in the mix enough with them," he tells Time in an interview, noted by Politico . "And they figure, well, if I’m not spending time with them, I must be cold and aloof." More»