Spirit of '06?

Brendan Miniter of the WSJ thinks that (free link) the retirement of House Ways & Means Committee Chair Bill Thomas provides another opportunity to distance the party from the DeLay era and recapture the spirit of '94.

House Republicans have already elected a new majority leader--John Boehner of Ohio--this year, so it is encouraging to see that they will also have a debate over taxes, spending and entitlements as they pick a new Ways and Means chairman. Holding onto the majority in Congress will require the party to return to its limited-government principles by developing new policy ideas to tackle pressing fiscal problems. That means bold ideas for big problems, like the impending insolvency of Social Security.

Today the former majority leader and once seemingly invincible Tom DeLay faces a primary election in Texas in which he may not win a majority of the vote. If that happens he will face the embarrassment of a runoff election in April. This is a harbinger for Republicans if they do not make a sharp break from the DeLay era.

Both the leading candidates come across well in this piece.

Spirit of '94 Posted by jk at March 7, 2006 3:41 PM