Boehner gets his way on ethics reform

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http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/elizabeth_auster/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1158414718136710.xml&coll=2

Elizabeth Auster
Plain Dealer Columnist

...But shortly after Hastert's promise to press for major reforms, something interesting happened. DeLay's decision to step down as majority leader led to an election to pick his replacement. And Boehner, as part of his hard-fought campaign for the job, distributed to his GOP colleagues a platform that took a notably different tack than Hastert's on the question of how to cope with the corruption fallout.

Boehner, who has long enjoyed close ties to lobbyists, proposed a much more modest response. He suggested two areas for congressional improvement and, in each case, proposed increasing disclosure rather than banning activities...

It's still remotely possible that congressional leaders, chastened by Ohio Rep. Bob Ney's agreement Friday to plead guilty to corruption charges and Democratic complaints of a "do-nothing" Congress, will change their minds and push broader legislation. But if the current situation holds, mark it as a victory for Boehner's approach over Hastert's.

Boehner, whose seat is safe, is taking a risk on this one: that the public won't care as much about ethics reforms as Hastert feared. The results of that gamble won't be known until Nov. 8. But since he clearly wants to keep the job of majority leader, Boehner has plenty riding on it - no matter how safe his seat is.