John Boehner's latest bone-headed move

Smooth move, Sherlock. The House Republicans have a major woman problem, especially in their own caucus. And this announcement from Speaker Boehner shows that he recognizes that, but it isn't likely to help much.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) today announced the appointment of Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) as chairman of the House Administration Committee for the 113th Congress:

'From ensuring the House runs efficiently and smoothly, to making Congress more open and accessible, Candice has a big job ahead as chairman of the House Administration Committee. In her new post, Candice will provide the leadership needed to keep operating costs down, save taxpayer dollars, and help lawmakers use new technology to better engage with their constituents. And her experience as Michigan Secretary of State will be invaluable given the committee's oversight of campaign finance and election laws. [...]"

Yep, John Boehner just named a woman as housekeeper for the leadership.

This is a comically bogus move by Boehner. He puts Miller in as housekeeper, on a committee on which she's not even a member. He's elevating her over the guy who was expecting the job, Rep. Gregg Harper. It gets more interesting because Harper withdrew from his bid to become Republican conference secretary, presumably because he knew he'd get this chairmanship since the current chair, Dan Lungren, finally lost his seat to Ami Bera.

So Boehner, embarrassed by picking 19 white male committee chairs, reaches outside of the committee roster of the only committee left without a chair to tap a woman, and in doing so screws over a guy who fell on his own sword to prevent what might have been a nasty fight for the number six position in leadership. Perfect.

1:04 PM PT: Bob Johnson, FTW:

"She makes a mean cup of coffee." (3+ / 0-)
"I also bought her a French maid's outfit!"

by Bob Johnson on Fri Nov 30, 2012 at 01:52:01 PM MST