It's Official! The Adults Are Back in Charge in U.S. House!

Welcome to the 112th Congress!

Four years of Democrat misrule came to an inglorious end this afternoon as one by one, a record number of newly elected members of the U.S. House of Representatives rose to cast their vote for Speaker of the House.

The result?

Incoming House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) holds up the speaker's gavel after he was elected Speaker on the opening day of the 112th United States Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 5, 2011.

Record Number of Democrats Desert Pelosi in Speaker's Vote!

Not surprisingly, the vote wasn't even close. The final tally was 241 to 173.

What was surprising were the number of Democrats who refused to vote for Pelosi. In the final tally, 19 either voted present (1) or for another Democrat. The biggest vote getter being Heath Shuler of North Carolina with 11. It was a record vote of discontent and a sure sign that the anger and division among Democrats so much on display in the last months of the 111th Congress has not abated.

My Favorite Photo: So Long Speaker Nancy!

In totalitarian regimes they take the former leader out and shoot them. I think the way we do it is much more civilized. But the symbolism is similar:

Capitol Hill workers remove the sign over the door to the entrance for the Speaker's office in preparation for the new sign bearing the name of John A. Boehner.

They're Heeerre! Record House Freshmen Class Take Their Seats!

November 12, 2010 photo of incoming House Freshman. 94 incoming freshmen is a number not seen in more than 60 sixty years. All but nine are Republicans. Real Clear Politics has this state by state breakdown of the new members.



House Speaker to be, John Boehner (R-OH) emerges from his modest Capitol Hill basement apartment at the beginning of his big day. Contrast that with dethroned former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's luxurious 2 story waterfront condo on the Potomac River.

House GOP Leading the Way to Fiscal Sanity

One of the first acts of the 112th Congress on Thursday will be a vote to cut by 5% the expenses of running the House of Representatives. Considering the size of the current budget deficit left behind by the 111th Congress and President Obama, the savings of approximately $35 million is largely symbolic. But if members of congress can give up 5% surely the rest of the government can do the same and more. The GOP move is just the first step of many to come. The Washington Post has this excellent rundown on the first weeks of what is expected to be an aggressive agenda to roll back the excesses of the last two years.

WHAT A HAPPY, HAPPY DAY! THE ADULTS ARE BACK IN CHARGE!