Stephanopoulos Discusses Possibility of House Speaker Boehner

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele accidentally referred to House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) as "Speaker Boehner" during Sunday's "This Week," and host George Stephanopoulos surprisingly didn't disagree.

Quite the contrary, he found this so compelling he gave great attention to it at ABC News's website:

Republican Chairman Michael Steele had a Freudian slip this morning on 'This Week' when he referred to Minority Leader John Boehner as "Speaker Boehner."...And Steele stuck by his slip: predicting a Speaker Boehner if Dems continue to push health care.

During the broadcast, Stephanopoulos not only didn't disagree with Steele, but instead used exit poll numbers from Tuesday's elections to show just how much trouble Democrats might be in 2010 (videos embedded below the fold with partial transcript, file photo):  

Moments later, Stephanopoulos again referenced what Steele had said suggesting the RNC Chairman might be right:

I do want to move on to the elections, because Michael Steele had a bit of a Freudian slip there, he called, he said, "Speaker Boehner." Maybe he was looking at the returns Tuesday, forecasting into next year...Let me look, dig into the numbers a little bit more from Tuesday night. One of the things that you saw in both Virginia and New Jersey is those new voters that President Obama brought to the polls last year in Virginia and Jersey under 30s, way down. Half the share of the electorate that they were in 2008. And then on independents, look at these numbers, first of all in Virginia. President Obama, last year, Democrats won 49-48. This year, Republicans two to one. 66-33 among independent voters in Virginia. New Jersey much the same story. 51-47 last year under President Obama. This year Republican Chris Christie gets 60 percent of the independent vote, Democrats get only 30 percent of the independent vote. That is a HUGE flashing light for next year, isn't it?

Is it because he's really concerned that Steele might be right, especially given Stephanopoulos's experience as a Clinton White House adviser who watched the Republicans take over Congress in 1994 somewhat as a result of the unsuccessful push for HillaryCare?

Hmmm.