Former U.S. House Speakers John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi along with Rep. Paul Ryan referred to the U.S. House of Representatives as the People’s House as they transferred leadership over to Ryan Thursday morning. With the usual tears in his eyes, John Boehner exited the podium and returned to stand amongst the house members.
Boehner’s Farewell -People’s House’
www.c-span.org/video/?c4557645/boehner-peoples-house
Pelosi as the Minority Party Leader with a gracious speech thanked Boehner for his service and welcomed Ryan to take his place as the new Speaker of The House. In her statement, she thanked Boehner for inviting the Pope to speak to Congress and how his visit has inspired a more conciliatory tone amongst members of the House. She said Democrats would work to tackle issues which both parties deem as a priority. Her tone was friendly and hopeful as she welcomed Ryan to the podium, handing him the Speaker’s gavel.
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Ryan began by saying how humbled he was by being elected and the weight of responsibility he now has as Speaker. He called upon House member to wipe the slate clean from past partisan fights as well as fights within his own Republican party. In one moment, he called for Republicans to pray for Democrats and Democrats to do the same for Republicans.
To which Rep. Pelosi is seen in the video telling fellow Democrat Steny Hoyer “I pray for them all the time, I do, I pray for them.”
This is a stark contrast to the attitude expressed during Pelosi’s and Boehner’s leadership. Both of their times as speaker were fraught with fierce fights and parliamentary tricks to push legislation through that one side or the other was vehemently against. While Ryan is trying to set a new tone of civility in the House, there has already been complaints coming from factions in both parties. This environment will put his leadership to the test to see if he can really make it a new day in the people’s house.