Boehner Goes From Pin Cushion To Once Again House Speaker In A Day

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- What a difference a day makes.

Just 24 hours after he was reviled by his colleagues in Congress for delaying a vote on Hurricane Sandy relief, John Boehner was re-elected Speaker of the House on Thursday.

It was a love fest that in some ways typified the dysfunction of Washington, CBS 2's Marcia Kramer reported.

Since Wednesday, Congress has been like the review of a bad movie -- they laughed, they cried, they reviled, they applauded.

Boehner went from being a jilted lover for stalling a Sandy aid vote to the guy who gets the girl, or in this case again retaining his spot as third in line to the presidency.

"We cannot believe that this cruel knife in the back was delivered to our region," Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said Wednesday.

"There was a betrayal and there was an error in judgment," added Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.).

But there was Boehner on Thursday dutifully taking his oath once again.

Granted, his re-election was not unanimous as 10 House republicans turned thumbs down on another Boehner turn with the gavel because they were unhappy he failed to hold a hard line in the "fiscal cliff" talks. But the congressman from Ohio still won another two years as top dog. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi did the honors.

"With hope for the future of our country I now present the people's gavel to the Speaker of the House, John Boehner. May God bless you," Pelosi said to applause.

Boehner, who is known to get emotional -- to cry at the drop of a hat, didn't disappoint in his speech to the new 113th Congress, which has 82 freshmen.

"If you've come here humbled by the opportunity to serve; if you've come here to be the determined voice of the people; if you've come here to carry the standard of leadership demanded not by our constitution but by the times, then you've come to the right place," he said.

Of course, this may be a case of be careful what you wish for. Boehner has to guide the House through what are expected to acrimonious negotiations on the debt ceiling, and demands to cut government spending.

Several Washington insiders told Kramer "good luck with that."

Should Boehner have retained the gavel? Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below ...