MIDTERMS: Oh, Mercy

Jim Young/Reuters

Proud tears from the son of a barkeep. The sentiment rings hollow, however, given the moment marks the only break in the acid flowing from the GOP since Obama’s election.

UPDATE: 11/3. 6pm PST

I actually had another thought on this listening to some analysis today.  One thing this scene revealed last night is that Boehner, as oppposed to McConnell and Cantor, for example, is a bit of a soft touch. He has worked in a bipartisan fashion in the past, does take a bottom-up approach at times, and if you remember, he did try to compromise on the Bush tax cuts a month or so back before the hardliners reeled him in.  It’s not to say Boehner isn’t going to be a mouthpiece for the angry and uncompromising far right, but the photo does offer some dissent, at least personality-wise, from who his so-called friends are.

UPDATE II, 9:55 pm PST

And yeah, the blue tie fits the theory, too.  I’m starting to watch Boehner a lot more closely now, checking for kumbaya symptoms, as well as behavioral evidence of big John simply acting as bonecrusher McConnell and Cantor’s errand boy.

(caption: House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH), who broke into tears during his speech, waves after addressing supporters at a Republican election night results watch rally in Washington, November 2, 2010.)