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Boehner a personable, partisan speaker-in-waiting  

The Boehners, like many big Catholic families, were what Bob Boehner calls conservative "Kennedy Democrats," but not politically active. . . .

Critics paint it as something more unseemly, part of a broader characterization of Boehner as beholden to special interests.

The lore of Boehner's connections to the K Street lobbying scene includes late-night events that lobbyists have thrown for him at Republican conventions, his 1996 apology for passing out checks from tobacco PACs on the House floor, his "Thursday group" meetings with lobbyists on Capitol Hill and his annual "beach party" fundraiser on D.C.'s waterfront to court rich donors.

The Democratic National Committee launched BoehnerLand.com to track Boehner's many ties to lobbyists.

Boehner, for his part, says there's nothing untoward about keeping in close touch with business interests.

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I've spent my whole life chasing the American dream.
Speaker-in-waiting John Boehner, on election night.

If you're going to ask people to give you money, why not let them enjoy themselves.
Speaker-in-waiting John Boehner, to Golf Digest in 2005.