Who is the Real John Boehner?

Who is the Real John Boehner?

Katrina vanden Heuvel reminds us that John Boehner is more than a harmless tan and some tears.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Yesterday marked the beginning of the 112th Congress and the beginning of John Boehner’s (R-OH) reign as Speaker of the House. What can we expect from "the man behind the tan?" Nation Editor and Publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel joined Ed Schultz on The Ed Show last night to talk about Boehner’s corporate and banking ties and what that will mean as he takes control of the House gavel.

"Boehner is very much in the Tom DeLay mold," she explained. "John Boehner is notorious for having a very close circle of corporate titans. He’s flown on their corporate jets, he goes golfing with them." Vanden Heuvel also emphasized the role the media is designated to play in getting to the nitty-gritty of his political modus operandi and "beyond his tan, beyond those tears and looks at the policies which are going to make millions of Americans cry." Sense of humor in hand, she reminded viewers that Boehner had voted against a food safety bill in the recent lame-duck session. "What is he, for salmonella vs. the people?"

—Carrie Battan

Support The Nation’s June Fundraising Campaign

With the midterm elections now firmly upon us, the question is whether Democratic candidates will do more than merely occupy ballot lines as mild alternatives to the red-hot crisis that is Donald Trump.

As Trump spends over $1 billion a day on a globally destabilizing war on Iran and admits that he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation,” millions across the country are struggling with the surging costs of essentials. Democrats must seize this moment and advance bold, small-“d” populist ideas—not settle for cynical caution that once again snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Nation elevates progressive ideas, movements, and elected officials achieving real change across the country into the national conversation. At the same time, our journalists are exposing how crypto and AI-funded super PACs are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to knock out candidates they oppose, reporting on the devastating impact of the Supreme Court’s evisceration of the Voting Rights Act, and sounding the alarm on attempts by red states to quickly redraw electoral maps, disenfranchising Southern Black voters.

We can play this critical role because of support from readers like you. This June, we’re raising $20,000 to power The Nation’s independent journalism in the run-up to November’s immensely consequential elections.

It’s in our power to build a more just society, and your support at this critical moment brings us closer to that bold vision. I hope you’ll donate today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x