John Boehner's Tears Return to the Capitol

Former GOP speaker of the House gets misty-eyed at ceremonial unveiling of Nancy Pelosi portrait
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 16, 2022 9:35 AM CST

On Wednesday, an official portrait for outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was unveiled in the US Capitol's Statuary Hall, honoring her role as the first woman speaker. The Washington Post notes that "a generation of congressional leaders fought back tears" during the ceremony—including one of the most famous Beltway criers of all: former GOP House Speaker John Boehner, who became notorious for his teary-eyed appearances while working in DC. Boehner, who served as speaker from 2011 to 2015, noted in his Wednesday speech that he and his Democratic counterpart "have disagreed politically on many things over the years, but we were never disagreeable to each other."

He then referenced his daughters, adding as he choked up: "Madam Speaker, I have to say, my girls told me, 'Tell the speaker how much we admire her.'" Boehner called Pelosi a "tough cookie" and cited a saying popular with the younger set: "Game recognizes game." "The fact of the matter is: No other speaker of the House in a modern era, Republican or Democrat, has wielded the gavel with such authority or with such consistent results," he said. Pelosi eventually spoke herself, and she made a point to address Boehner's speech, noting that she would've been "a little disappointed if he did not get emotional."

Boehner wasn't the only misty-eyed colleague paying tribute: The Post notes that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was also a little weepy when he offered his own words on the fellow Democrat he said he would "always admire." "We cannot talk about the Affordable Care Act without mentioning Nancy Pelosi," he said. "We cannot talk about the American Rescue Plan without mentioning Nancy Pelosi. We cannot talk about ... so much more without mentioning Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi." Reaction to Boehner's tears found its way onto Twitter. "John Boehner is a class act," wrote GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

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MNSBC host Stephanie Ruhle remarked: "The only person who loves a good cry more than me ... John Boehner (& I think it's awesome)." Not everyone felt warm and fuzzy after seeing the former speaker's watery delivery, however. "Boehner can cry all he wants, but those tears should really be about what he himself helped do to Congress," writes CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer in an op-ed piece, noting that Boehner "continues to avoid taking responsibility for his own role in the radicalization of the Republican Party." (More John Boehner stories.)

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