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Boehner's links to lobbyists could be the chink in his political armor
John Boehner, who is set to be the new Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, is one of the most lobby-friendly politicians in Washington, located at the center of a web of corporate cash and influence.
The heavily tanned, golf-playing Republican congressman from Ohio will become one of the most powerful politicians in Washington when he replaces the defeated liberal icon, Nancy Pelosi.
The Republicans' huge victory in last week's midterm elections has effectively crowned him as the most senior Republican in office. He will spearhead the right-wing fight against Barack Obama and attempt to reverse many of the Democrats' legislative achievements of the past two years, including trying to repeal healthcare reform.
But Democrats and liberal campaigning groups are hoping that the huge network of wealth and lobbyist influence around Boehner might be the chink in his armor. They point to his long history of consorting closely with wealthy, fast-living lobbyists which they say suggests he is distinctly out of touch with an American public still suffering from the impact of the Great Recession.
"It will become a tough issue for him. If the focus of the public goes on him and all the lobbyists around him, it could get very difficult," said Professor Bruce Gronbeck, a political scientist at the University of Iowa and a specialist in the politics of scandal.