Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on January 5, 2011

Buh-bye, Pelosi - new Speaker of the House John Boehner now holds the House gavel

BETTER THAN CHRISTMAS.

Today was the day that so many Americans, especially tea party participants and tea party supporters, have been waiting for: the results of the mid-term November election shellacking, brought about by grassroots efforts from engaged, patriotic, concerned people from every state across the country. American voters who are passionate about taking back our country from those in government who would love to set a flaming match or two to that pesky Constitution.

It’s the beginning of the cleaning out of the House and Senate of elitist, big-government spendthrift politicians on both sides of the political fence. And with the changing of the guard today in the House, I am delighted to say adiós to one of the most vile, frightening people in Congress — the EX Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

OK, OK, she won’t be truly gone, but she WILL be stripped of much of her evil underworld powers and her ability to breath fire.

John Boehner didn’t get as gooey and emotional as some had feared he might — he was quite excellent in his speech and held back on outright weeping. Pelosi, on the other hand, kept forgetting that it wasn’t “all about her” having to relinquish her position or the economic disaster that the Democrats have brought upon this nation, and as a result, were voted out — she most certainly didn’t know when to friggin’ stop talking. And talking. And good grief, MORE TALKING. They needed an orchestra to cue up like they do at film award ceremonies to cut the long speeches, but then again, they know better in Hollywood and never let the losers actually speak at those affairs, do they? It’s tough to stop being Queen.

Pelosi is obviously taking lessons on shameless hogging of the podium and blathering too long from Dear Leader. And then, there’s that super-cool GAVEL — uh, Nancy, disengage your Vulcan death grip from the handle… it’s no longer yours, babe.

From Mediaite, Did Nancy Pelosi Speak Too Long During Boehner’s Ceremony? Brit Hume Thinks So:

Fox host Megyn Kelly and her viewers were wondering whether it was customary for the outgoing Speaker of the House to give a speech during the swearing in ceremony for the new Speaker? Fox’s senior analyst Brit Hume was on hand to provide his historical perspective that he remembered past Speakers only provided very brief comments, if they spoke at all. However, the trailblazing first woman Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi had other plans.

Pelosi gave a lengthy speech where she thanked many supporters and wished the new Republican majority and Speaker John Boehner success. Hume told Kelly, “I think she spoke longer than Boehner did, and if there was a theme to Boehner it seemed to be that less is more.” From there Hume contrasted Boehner, describing him as not an excessively partisan person and as someone who might be successful in changing the tone with the minority opposition.

Some may view Pelosi’s eagerness to speak and hold the gavel a few extra minutes as an attempt to steal the spotlight. However, putting aside historical precedent, what’s wrong with a vanquished opponent having one last chance to speak, reminisce and offer as many kinds words as they like about the man who dethroned her?

Pelosi is even being criticized from across the pond for her self-centered, inappropriate Sunset Boulevard “I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille” farewell speech…

Reported by Janet Daley at Telegraph, Obama White House sheds some of its hard men and Nancy Pelosi makes an ungracious exit:

Watching Nancy Pelosi’s startlingly inappropriate farewell as House Speaker, in which she turned what should have been a gracious constitutional ceremony into a blatantly partisan defiance of the electorate’s judgement, I wondered whether her fingers were actually going to have to be peeled off the Speaker’s gavel. She really is a piece of work: unrepentant and self-congratulatory to the end, even in the face of overwhelming repudiation by the voters. It was left to John Boehner, the new Republican speaker, to make the generous, bipartisan speech that was fitting for the occasion. How long that bipartisanship can last in a Congress so bitterly divided remains to be seen – but at least he behaved well at the outset.

From Gateway Pundit, John Boehner Takes Up The Gavel And Throws Down The Gauntlet:

Congratulations Speaker Boehner!

When it was time to hand over the gavel Pelosi droned on and on, reciting her “accomplishments”. Boehner reminded her that “we are dust” and “to dust we shall return”.

Ezra Klein at The Washington Post reported that “it was a very smart speech by Speaker Boehner.

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.

[...]

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.

From Guardian, Republican John Boehner replaces Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker:

The Republican John Boehner was elected the new Speaker of the House today, marking a shift to the right in Washington as he replaced the first woman in the post, the Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

The meeting of the 112th Congress, with the Republicans in control of the House and having slashed the Democratic majority in the Senate, is a long way from the heady days of 2007 when Pelosi was elected Speaker and the Democrats held both the House and the Senate.

With control of the House, the Republicans have a substantial platform from which to harry Barack Obama in the White House. The Republicans hold 242 of the 435 House seats and the Democrats 193 after the November elections, a gain of 63. There are 87 new Republicans and nine Democrats.

Boehner, in his first speech as Speaker, gave a nod towards the Tea Party movement that backed many of the new members. He promised the Republican objective would be to “give government back to the people”, ending a lot of the House conventions that he said had made for bad legislation.

Otherwise, his speech was largely free of the antagonistic, partisan politics that can be expected in the months ahead. His relatively subdued tone was in keeping with a day in which members brought in their families to join them in the chamber.

Boehner has established a reputation in recent months for being emotional, given to frequent bouts of tears, and he was moist-eyed again as he wandered among colleagues, Democrats as well as Republicans, acknowledging their greetings. He eventually pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed his nose.

CSPAN: Boehner and Pelosi Address the 112th Congress | January 5, 2011

From Huffington Post… 19 Democrats Vote Against Nancy Pelosi For Minority Leader:

Not all Democrats wanted Pelosi as minority leader — Despite broad party support for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to continue on as Speaker of the House Wednesday — a quest that she lost to John Boehner — 19 Democrats objected, casting votes for other candidates.

Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), who had earlier challenged and lost to Pelosi in a Democratic caucus vote, received 11 votes.

Shuler voted for himself, as expected.

Other Democrats received protest votes, as well, including Reps. Dennis Cardoza (Calif.), Jim Costa (Calif.), Jim Cooper (Tenn.), John Lewis (Ga.), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio)., and the newly elected Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.).

Rep. Sanford Bishop (Ga.) chose to vote “present,” while Rep. Peter DeFazio (Ore.), a noted Pelosi dissenter, missed the vote entirely.

Michelle Malkin weighs in with more updates:

If you missed C-SPAN the past half hour, you missed some high drama and comedy.

As expected, of course, GOP House Leader John Boehner is now Speaker Boehner with 241 votes.

Outgoing Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is now Weaker Pelosi, with 173 votes in her favor — and 19 notable protest votes against her by fellow Democrats.

There were so many different alternatives, the race started looking like an Alaska Senate primary.

Democrat Heath Shuler took 11 votes.

Democrat John Lewis scored 2.

Most creative smack in Pelosi’s face: Dem. Jim Costa of CA voted for Dem. Dennis Cardoza of CA and vice versa.

Most devastating: Dem. Rep. Kurt Schrader voted for Steny Hoyer, who was seated next to a stunned Pelosi as the vote was announced.

Democrat Jim Cooper earned 1 vote.

Democrat Marcy Kaptur earned 1 vote.

And one Democrat voted present.

Pelosi did her best to keep her mask from slipping, but the public rebuke — from Democrat who ranged from far Left to centrist — no doubt stings.

Pelosi to-do list today: Bounce the grandkids on the lap for the cameras.

Tomorrow: Retribution.

Some video highlights of the terrorizing reign of Queen Nancy — this first one is from CNN (yes, CNN!) criticizing Pelosi back in January 2010 on her lack of transparency on disclosing costs for a trip to Copenhagen on her private, taxpayer-funded jet.

Jack Cafferty doesn’t hold back and calls her “a horrible woman.” Way to go, Jack… you KNOW he wanted to say something far worse.

The most infamous, appalling, arrogant quote of Pelosi’s EVER on the ObamaCare bill. It will be famous even decades from now when historians need a succinct example of the power-mad tyranny of Team Obama and the Democrat party.

Pelosi: “We Have to Pass the Bill So That You Can Find Out What Is In It”

And this audacious gem on bypassing and pole-vaulting “the fence” — a metaphor for the majority of American voters who did not want government-mandated, trillion-dollar health care that was SUPPOSE to lower costs and increase quality, but will do neither. Pelosi was determined to scale “that fence,” no matter how many arms she had to twist, how many backroom dirty “sweetheart” deals and bribes she had to make with taxpayer money, how many reputations and careers she threatened to crush.

In this final video, there are some hilarious clips I somehow missed the first time around, including Pelosi idiotically jumping up and clapping several times as Obama is speaking, often in mid-sentence — check it out starting at the 1:11 mark.

Priceless. And Nancy — DLTDHYOTWO.

Nancy Pelosi’s Greatest Hits

Sign in New Hampshire from April 2010: PELOSI GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA AND FIX YOUR OWN STATE PROBLEMS! DON'T ASK NH TAXPAYERS TO DO IT!

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Tags: 112th Congress, back room deal, bribe, ceremony, Congress, conservative, Constitution, deal, Democrat, House minority leader, House of Representatives, John Boehner, minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, November election, ObamaCare, politics, Republican, Speaker of the House, statist, sweetheart deal, tea party, tea party movement, video, YouTube