Leadership and the 112th Congress

One-term wonders from the class of 2010:

Lost general election: Charles Bass, R-N.H., 60 Ann Marie Buerkle, R-N.Y., 61 Francisco "Quico" Canseco, R-Texas, 63   Chip Cravaack, R-Minn., 52 Mark Critz, D-Pa., 50 Robert Dold, R-Ill., 43 Frank Guinta, R-N.H., 42 Nan Hayworth, R-N.Y., 53 Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., 54 Jeff Landry, R-La., 42 David Rivera, R-Fla., 47 Bobby Schilling, R-Ill., 48 Joe Walsh, R-Ill., 51 Allen B. West, R-Fla., 51

Lost primaries: Sandy Adams, R-Fla., 56 Hansen Clarke, D-Mich., 55 Ben Quayle, R-Ariz., 36

Barber Conable, a moderate Republican from upstate New York, retired in 1984, and wrote a column reflecting on life in the House. Instead of looking at the upstarts with horror, he instead saw something very natural:

Old as I am, I recall being a "young turk" at one point and participating noisily in a successful effort to change House rules which the then Establishment found adequate. I learned a lot about the institution from the effort, vented my frustrations, and gradually became part of the Establishment myself. Youth presses age, provides a good deal of the dynamic and the dialogue, and eventually ages. Partisans may not like the tranquility of my view of these recent histrionics, but I find reassurance in the cycle of renewal.

Boehner'sYoung Turk years

The Gang of Seven: Charles Taylor (NC, top-left), Rick Santorum (PA, top-right), John Boehner (OH, middle-left), Scott Klug (WI, middle-center), Jim Nussle (IA, middle-right), Frank Riggs (CA, bottom-left), John Doolittle (CA, bottom-right).

An experience that stayed with John Boehner:

The younger Young Turks and the Republican Study Committee

Nancy Pelosi and religion

Anthony Weiner:  House floor, humorous speech

Watch The FRONTLINE Interview: John Boehner on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.