Penced Out

Out-Boehnered
Indiana Congressman Mike Pence has failed rather spectacularly in his bid to become the Republican Minority Leader in the House of Representatives. Pence lost by 168 to 27 against Ohio's John Boehner, the current Majority Leader.

Both Boehner and Pence seem to agree that Republicans left the principles that got them elected in 1994, and this cost them the majority. The Republicans did indeed lose the principles that put them in power then. However, they left those principles long before 2006, and before even 2004.

It took more than that departure from their principles to cost them the majority. It took a perfect storm of their own bumbling (in part by Boehner), ineptitude by the President, the situation in Iraq, and various scandals to end their reign. And that is to say nothing about the Democrats' rare ability to not shoot themselves in the foot long enough to capitalize on those mistakes. It will take a lot more than just returning to the principles of 1994 to get the Republicans back into the majority.

Today's vote was an unclear outcome for the Republicans, but a defeat for Indiana.