Predict the next Speaker of the House

[King]

Hopefully Boehner.  He isn't perfect,but if it's going to be a GOP Congress he isn't as terrible as, say, the cloud of smug that follows Eric Cantor.

[King]

How is this even a question?  If the GOP takes the House this year (which they look likely to do), then Boehner will obviously become Speaker.  I mean, how many elections in the history of the world have seen a party take over a legislative majority, only to immediately dump their leader?  Only one that comes to mind offhand is Trent Lott being ousted in 2002 after the GOP took the Senate.  So unless Boehner makes a Strom Thurmond-like gaffe, and unless the Dems actually retain the House, he will be the next Speaker.

The more interesting question is who will be the next House Minority Leader.  I'm guessing that, assuming the GOP wins, Pelosi steps down from the leadership, and Hoyer takes over.  But I don't think that's a lock.

I'd like to hope we go in a different direction on the Dem side than just bumping up Steny Hoyer.

[King]

Incidentally, if you'd asked a political junkie ten years ago "Who will be the next GOP House Speaker after Denny Hastert?", Boehner is one of the last names that would come up.  He really appeared to be done after he was ousted from the leadership in 1998.  This is a remarkable comeback.

I don't think anybody ever expected Gingrich and his wing of the party too be vindicated nor for neoconservatism to suddenly become a bad word in political circles.

That's probably the only thing I respect in regards Boehner.  He didn't follow the crowd and change his beliefs to save his job back then and it paid off.

I fully expect him to be an epic fail Speaker, though.  He still has yet to show he can rally for votes in the House one bit.