Boehner Stoked About 2010

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)
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House Minority Leader John Boehner told reporters today his party is pumped for campaign season. As the calendar ticks down on 2009, Boehner says he likes his party’s chances at making significant gains against what he sees as a fractured Democratic majority.

“The Democrats seems to be having a field day tearing each other apart,” he said. “I think 2010 will be a stormy year.”

Boehner criticized Speaker Nancy Pelosi over her comment yesterday that House Democrats are in “campaign mode” already, saying that voters will take the comment as an abandonment of key priorities.

“Tell that to the millions of Americans without jobs,” Boehner said. Despite the decidedly campaign tone to this rhetoric, Boehner said his caucus hasn’t begun its campaigning yet.

“We’re not campaigning,” he said. Boehner claimed that House Republicans are focusing on Pelosi’s legislative agenda in mailings, press releases, speeches and press conferences in order to “put pressure on Democrats to stand up to” the “liberals” Boehner said had pushed mainstream Democrats too far to the left in the House.

Boehner said his party will highlight the House votes on cap-and-trade, health care and spending bills as evidence that the Democrats under Pelosi have “put politics ahead of the American people” since they regained the majority in 2006. He said his party will put forward their own legislative program to offer their “solutions” on the campaign trail as well.

Boehner said he looked forward to watching Pelosi try to laud the bills her caucus has passed this year.

“I hope she does a great job trying to market the garbage they passed this year,” he said, with a grin.

All in all, Boehner said, 2009 has left Republicans fired up about their chances next year.

“I’m really looking forward to a very exciting 2010,” he said.

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