John Boehner, January 20, 2006

Recently, I participated in a conference call with a group of opinion-makers interested in my bid to become U.S. House Majority Leader. I discussed with them my plan for reforming the way Congress does business, my record of protecting the taxpayer dollar by not asking for a dime of unauthorized "pork" to be slipped into a federal spending bill, and my plan for creating a bolder, more effective House majority -- and, in turn, a more responsive federal government -- that returns more power to states, local communities, and individuals.

Were these opinion leaders TV talking heads? Radio talk show hosts? National newspaper editorial writers? No. Though I’ve been talking to plenty of them lately, they weren’t on this particular call. This call was exclusively for "bloggers." These men and women run popular Internet weblogs -- or "blogs" -- on which they post their opinions, provide links to important news items, and encourage the website’s visitors to contribute to the discussion and debate. And believe me, the questions they asked me were just as tough -- if not tougher -- than the questions I might get on a Sunday morning television talk show, or even from a colleague during debate on the House floor. I was impressed.

Blogs gained popularity after September 11th and steadily increased in prominence for the next few years. During the 2004 presidential campaign, they were a full-fledged force in the political arena. They also act as an important check to the mainstream media we rely on for our news. For example, members of the blogging community discovered and relentlessly publicized phony National Guard documents on which CBS newsman Dan Rather based a would-be negative story about President Bush in the weeks before the 2004 election.

Now, bloggers are breaking new ground again. They’re engaged in a congressional leadership race for the first time, and they couldn’t have picked a better one on which to focus. That’s because this race to determine the future course of our congressional majority doesn’t just impact what happens inside the Capitol or even inside the Washington beltway (the huge majority of blogs aren’t based in Washington; in fact, we have countless blogs based right here in Ohio). No, this race impacts all of us. The vision of our congressional majority and the legislation we will craft to implement that vision will play a role in determining our economic, national security, health care, education, agriculture, retirement security, and government reform policy for years to come. The level of engagement of the "citizen pundits" who run blogs reflects a real understanding of that fact, and I was grateful to have the opportunity to spend some time with them.

As the days pass during this Majority Leader campaign, I can’t help but think back to my very first race to represent you in Congress. I walked door-to-door, handed out campaign literature, wrote an occasional column in local newspapers, and used other traditional ways to deliver my message to the voters. And it strikes me that one fundamental reality has not changed between my first campaign and the one I am currently waging for Majority Leader: my reasons for running. The federal government is too large, has too much power, and spends too much of our money. Reform and renewal are needed.

From uncovering the House Bank and House Post Office scandals in the early 1990s to reforming welfare in the mid-1990s to cutting taxes, strengthening our Armed Forces for the new challenges of the 21st Century, and committing to the No Child Left Behind Act’s accountability-based education strategy in the past several years, we’ve made significant progress. And though we are unquestionably headed in the right direction, our vision is far from fulfilled. I hope to bring that vision -- a vision I first shared with you some 16 years ago, right here in the Eighth District -- to our congressional majority. Whether it is in a conversation with bloggers or in the regular columns I write in this paper, that vision is one I will never abandon.

Congressman John Boehner, a Republican, represents Ohio's Eighth Congressional District, which includes Miami, Butler, Preble, Darke, and Mercer Counties.