In a final appeal against health care, House Minority Leader John Boehner gave a fiery speech before the vote, asking the House if the bill was written openly and with transparency—and then answering himself with, "Hell no!" The perpetually tan congressman, known for his proclivity for a stiff drink and a quick smoke, also brought a little frat house machismo to the financial reform fight this month when he told a gathering of bankers, “Don’t let those little punk staffers take advantage of you and stand up for yourselves.”
During the heated final moments of voting on health-care legislation, the congressman from Texas interrupted Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak to shout "baby killer,” because he objected to the bill’s treatment of abortion (Stupak held up voting for days to insure that federal funding would not pay for abortions). Neugebauer, whose fratty impulses belie his 60 years of age, apologized the next day, saying that his comment was directed at the bill and not Stupak himself. Stealing a trick from Rahm Emanuel—never let a crisis go to waste—Neugebauer is using the outburst as a campaign tool. On Wednesday, he released a new campaign video touting his boorish behavior as evidence of conservative bona fides.
AP Photo
School’s out! Post-health care reform passage, Republicans employed a little known Senate tactic and refused to work after 2 p.m. The GOP group ditch left confirmation hearings up in the air and military commanders, who had traveled from throughout the world to testify before Congress, hanging in the wind.
AP Photo
The economy may be hurting, but the GOP took frugality to another level with what appeared to be homemade signs (“K-I-L-L T-H-E B-I-L-L”) written with black marker on blank white paper. The congressmen stood on the balcony of the Capitol on Sunday to protest health-care reform. Rep. Geoff Davis, Republican of Kentucky, entertained the hostile crowd by waving a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag. The antics made it hard to separate the rank-and-file Republican lawmakers from the tea party protesters who raged outside on Capitol Hill.
Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Rep. Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina, is a candidate for pledge master in this year’s GOP frat house. The conservative backbencher welcomed President Barack Obama to the Capitol by screaming, “You lie!” during the president’s State of the Union address this past January. Wilson was objecting to Obama’s statement that health care legislation would not provide free care to illegal immigrants. Wilson apologized for his “spontaneous” outburst but the congressman’s past revealed a long list of similarly hotheaded behavior.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Brown was this season’s hottest recruit, the most coveted new member of the Republican frat house. Some members were attracted to his sweet ride, a GMC Canyon pickup. Others may have liked the guy for his wicked jump shot. While in college, Brown’s nickname on the basketball court was “Downtown Scotty Brown.” Of course, Brown has a pretty boy flair for fashion, which would be welcome on certain ends of frat row. (He picked up his wife on his first date in a pair of pink leather shorts.) And he’s a real frat boy, after all. Sen. Brown’s brothers in Zeta Psi have hailed him as the first of their kind to make to the Senate in 20 years.
