Some kudos to Republicans

While I generally think of conservatives as evil, power-hungry businessmen who love to use God to convince people to take money from the poor, I did appreciate this speech from new Minority House Speaker John Boehner:

And as Mr. Boehner rose to speak and to hand the gavel over to Mrs. Pelosi, he mentioned the historic nature of her rise to the speakership:

“But today marks an occasion I think the Founding Fathers would view approvingly. My fellow Americans: whether you’re a Republican, a Democrat, or an independent, this is a cause for celebration.”

And in a rather humble tone, he said:

“There were some great achievements during the 12 years that followed, but there were also some profound disappointments. If there is one lesson that stands out from our party’s time in the majority, it is this: a congressional majority is simply a means to an end. The value of a majority lies not in the chance to wield great power, but in the chance to use limited power to do great things.

“We refer to the gavel I’m holding as the Speaker’s gavel. But like everything else in this chamber, it really belongs to the people. It’s on loan from the real owners. This is the people’s House. This is the people’s Congress. And most of the people don’t care which party controls it; what they want is a government that is limited, honest, accountable, and responsive to their needs. The moment a majority forgets this lesson, it begins writing itself a ticket to minority status.”