It has become clear over the last year that having Speaker John Boehner as the most-senior elected Republican in the federal government is good for Ohio and good for the country. An article in the Dayton Daily News today, highlights his steady leadership during difficult times:
“After one year serving as only the third speaker from Ohio in the nation’s history, Boehner went through a lot of battles, but doesn’t appear to be battle-scarred; appears to have survived those battles, emerging with the same calm, jovial style that has characterized him since he was first elected to Congress in 1990.”
For Speaker Boehner, leadership is about getting things done, not gaining credit. And he has focused on making the institution he leads more accountable and transparent. He has pushed an aggressive set of reforms which require bills to be posted online at least three days before a vote, make it easier to cut spending, require legislation to cite its authority in the Constitution, and more.
And he has focused on the issue Americans care about most: jobs.
Under his leadership the House of Representatives set out a governing agenda, the Plan for America’s Job Creators, designed to address economic challenges, foster innovation and investment, and help job creatorswithout raising taxes on working families and small business owners. To some this may seem like common sense, but in Washington, you can’t take this focus for granted.
As part of the Plan, the House has passed nearly 30 jobs-focused bills aimed at:
- empowering small business owners
- fixing the tax code to help job creators
- increasing competitiveness for U.S. manufacturers
- encouraging entrepreneurship and growth
- maximizing domestic energy production; and
- paying down America’s unsustainable debt burden
Unfortunately, however, the vast majority of these bills are now being blocked by the Senate under the misguided leadership of Harry Reid. President Obama, and his left-hand man in the U.S. Senate, Sherrod Brown, have embraced partisan attacks rather than working with Speaker Boehner to pass legislation that would get America working again.
The January cover story of Newsmax magazine profiles John Boehner and outlines how his “lifelong walk with heartland principles has made him Obama’s most formidable foe in the battle to save the American dream.”
And that is exactly what Ohio — and the nation — needs: someone who understands how hard work and dedication lay the foundation for success; how the government must get out of the way and allow the private sector to innovate and create jobs; and how higher taxes and more regulations are strangling small businesses and hurting families.
Thankfully for Ohio, Speaker John Boehner is leading, where Barack Obama and Harry Reid have failed.
