Come Next January......

While having lunch the other day with another conservative and long-time friend and work colleague, we found ourselves discussing the possibility of the Republicans retaking both the House and the Senate.

One thing was immediately obvious to both of us which, sadly, probably won't happen. We felt that neither John Boehner, currently House Minority Leader, nor Mitch McConnell, currently Senate Minority Leader, should be allowed to assume the position of leader of his chamber, should the GOP take either one back. In Boehner's case, that would mean denying him the post of Speaker of the House.

It seemed relatively simple to my friend and me. Anybody in leadership when the party lost the majority in a chamber can't be allowed to resume leadership if/when they get it back.

Only the 'inside baseball' players in the party's Congressional caucuses would miss the reason for this. That is, if someone is associated with the party's loss of a chamber, it is folly to let him or her resume leadership in what is supposed to be a new period of the party's empowerment.

Most voters are neither hard-core Democrats, nor Republicans. I believe the plurality of voters aren't even registered with either party. Thus, the face of leadership of either party in the House or Senate majority is primarily to those who aren't of the party.

That's why recycling the perennially artificially-tanned Boehner or the inept McConnell would be a big mistake. Why not announce, a priori, that they become the majority party, the Republicans will choose new leaders. They don't even have to suggest any nominees, although Eric Cantor and Tom Coburn are obvious candidates.

Call it the Moses Clause. He never crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

Congressional delegations would be wise to adopt this principle in their own affairs when power changes between the parties in the House or Senate.