Conservative Lawmakers Plan To Vote Against Boehner For Speaker
9:57 PM 12/29/2014
Alex Pappas
Some disaffected conservative House Republicans are planning to rebel and vote against John Boehner for speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes next week.
The official speaker’s election is set for Jan. 6., when the House will convene for a public floor vote to open the new Congress.
While the vote is usually just a formality, these conservative lawmakers are planning to vote for someone other than the Ohio Republican who has been speaker since 2011.
“Right now, I’ve been meeting with a small group, and we — about 16, 18 — and we’re hoping to have a name of a sitting member of Congress that we can call out their name,” North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones said in a local radio interview before Christmas, which was first reported by BuzzFeed.
Though ousting Boehner is seen as a long shot endeavor, the hope of the anti-Boehner bloc is for enough Republicans to deny Boehner a majority of the vote, which would cause him to drop out of the race.
These potential defectors are mostly keeping quiet about it in public, but in a posting on Twitter over the weekend, Kentucky Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky hinted he would oppose Boehner. He posted a photo of a sign that reads: “Next Speaker Please.”
Such an attempt was tried two years ago, but ultimately failed: a group of conservatives tried to overthrow Boehner during the public vote, but only nine conservatives, frustrated with Boehner’s leadership, ended up voting against him. Organizers of that effort said more people had committed to vote against Boehner beforehand, but backed out before the vote.
And that’s part of the problem with the plan—each House member stands up and calls out the name of the person they are supporting. Members that might be inclined to vote against Boehner are afraid to do so out of fear that others will not follow through with their intentions, leaving them hanging and looking like a fool.
A conservative House aide described the current thinking among those voting against Boehner, similar to the one employed two years ago: To win the speaker’s race, Boehner needs the support of a majority of people present. If everyone in the House votes, that would be 218. The new Republican majority in the House will be 247.
If 20 Republicans vote for someone other than Boehner, under that scenario, the Ohio Republican will not have a majority and the body will have to vote again until someone reaches that threshold.
If this would happen, these conservatives hope Boehner would drop out of the speaker’s race and another Republican candidate would run for speaker.
Some conservatives are upset with Boehner over the recent budget deal, though the conservative wing of the House has long clashed with Boehner over the last few years over a variety of political issues.
During the 2013 vote, Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp voted for Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, Michigan Rep. Justin Amash voted for Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador and Kentucky Rep. Tom Massie voted for Amash.
New Mexico Rep. Steve Pearce, Oklahoma Rep. Jim Bridenstine and Florida Rep. Ted Yoho all voted for then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert and Georgia Rep. Paul Broun voted for outgoing Rep. Allen West instead of Boehner. (The Constitution doesn’t require that the speaker of the House actually be in Congress.)
Jones, a North Carolina Republican, voted for former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker. His vote caught everyone in the House chamber by such surprise that he was asked to repeat Walker’s name during the roll call.
Some of these conservative lawmakers who voted against Boehner in 2013 are believed to be possible “no votes” again against him next week. But some, like Broun, aren’t in Congress anymore, and others, like Bridenstine, have said publicly they will support Boehner this time.
Some newly-elected Republican House members, like Alabama Rep. Gary Palmer, pledged during their campaigns not to vote for Boehner and have said they will follow through with their promise.
After the elections this November, Republicans gathered behind closed doors to select Boehner as their nominee for speaker. No one else was nominated to run against Boehner during that session.
“Rep. Boehner was selected as the House Republican Conference’s choice for Speaker last month,” Boehner aide Michael Steel said in an email, “and he expects to be elected by the whole House next week.”
Asked on Monday about possible repercussions for members who vote against Boehner, Steel referenced how the speaker has said publicly that there will be no punishment for those who do not support him in the public vote.
http://dailycaller.com/2014/12/29/co...r-for-speaker/
The tea party’s New Year’s resolution? Fire John Boehner
By Judson Phillips - - Sunday, December 28, 2014
2014 turned out to be the year the Republican Party had long waited for. Finally, the GOP took control of the Senate and set a record for the number of seats it controlled in the House of Representatives.
As we all know, it did not take the Republicans long to blow it.
A month after its incredible victory, the GOP squandered its mandate, surrendering to the Democrats. The GOP led House of Representatives did not proclaim its mandate and hold off on major decisions until the Republican majority in the Senate was sworn in. No, they went to the GOP position of preemptive surrender and gave President Obama and the Democrats almost everything they wanted.
Despite the pleas and demands from the base, the GOP did nothing to stop Mr. Obama's executive amnesty. They even rewarded left wing billionaires who had spent millions to keep the Democrats in power by extending so-called "Green Energy" subsidies.
The architect of the Republican surrender was House Speaker John Boehner.
Mr. Boehner has no love for the tea party. The feeling is mutual.
In 2010, Mr. Boehner loved the tea party. Why not? The previous two elections had looked like Custer's last stand for the GOP, except that Custer fared better than the Republican Party had.
The Republicans were on the political endangered species list and Mr. Boehner embraced the tea party as his only hope. As soon as he was in office, the tea party was simply a part of the Republican Party to be ignored.
Mr. Boehner made the obligatory statements about cutting spending and reducing Obamacare. Yet time after time, when the occasion called for him to stand and fight, he chose surrender.
2014 is almost over and 2015 is almost here. The first order of business for the House of Representatives in 2015 is to elect a new Speaker of the House.
It cannot be John Boehner.
Mr. Boehner is already lining up the agenda for 2015. It includes amnesty. It includes meaningless votes to block Mr. Obama's executive amnesty but as with all of those Obamacare repeal votes, nothing will happen. Mr. Boehner's agenda includes more crony spending for the chamber of commerce and perhaps the biggest special interest giveaway of all, trying to ram the Trans Pacific Partnership treaty through, via "Fast Track" legislation.
Here is one simple message for the Republicans. The people who put you in office are not the chamber of commerce lobbyists. They are not the special interest cronyist groups that show up, pump your hand and write you a campaign check.
The people who put you in office are the rank and file conservative voter. Many of these people support the tea Pparty movement.
And the people are tired of the Republican games in Washington.
For years, conservatives have talked about taking over the Republican Party. The Republicans give lip service to conservatives then go back to their big spending ways. In fact, it is hard to see much difference between the two parties.
If the Republicans re-elect John Boehner as speaker, it sends a message to the conservative base. It tells members of the tea party that the GOP thinks they should be neither seen nor heard. The GOP thinks they should only show up every two years to help Republican candidates and then let the party bosses decide what is best after that.
No more.
If the GOP re-elects Mr. Boehner, then it is time for a new conservative political party.
Mr. Boehner is the poster child for a Republican Party that believes in government of the special interest, by the special interest and for the special interest. Mr. Boehner is not interested in what is best for real Americans, only what is best for the lobbyists who come through his door and their clients.
Enough is enough.
This is a line in the sand.
If the Republicans prove once again it will be business as usual, then it is time for conservatives to find a new political home.
Let's see how well the Republican Party fares without the base that Mr. Boehner and his friends so despise.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...ea-partys-new/
Rep. Ted Yoho Joins Movement Against Boehner, Offers Himself As Potential Alternative
by Matthew Boyle
3 Jan 2015
Washington, DC
Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) says he will vote against House Speaker John Boehner’s re-election. Further, Yoho is the first GOP member of the House of Representatives to announce he is willing to stand up as an alternative candidate to Boehner if no other alternatives emerge. Yoho joins Reps. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) in announcing he will not be voting for Boehner on Tuesday.
“I ran for Congress in 2012 because I had had enough,” Yoho said in announcing his public opposition to Boehner. “Enough of career politicians, enough of political gamesmanship, and enough of the lack of leadership in Washington. As we enter 2015, we are faced with overwhelming challenges. However, the dawn of 2015 also promises unlimited potential and the opportunity to begin rebuilding America.”
Yoho also said in his statement that he would be willing to stand up as a potential alternative candidate to Boehner, if members feel they need to vote for someone other than Boehner even though the Congressional Research Service report detailing speakership elections says there is no need for an alternative. Technically, Republicans need just 29 GOP votes for someone other than Boehner as Speaker on the first ballot—at which point the vote would be kicked off to a second or third or fourth ballot. If Boehner is not re-elected swiftly on the first ballot, it is likely that shortly thereafter an alternative would emerge.
In a news release, Rep. Bridenstine applauded Yoho’s actions. “Congressman Ted Yoho is a courageous leader. I applaud and respect him for standing up to offer an alternative to the status quo,” the Oklahoma Republican announced. “I could certainly vote for Ted Yoho as Speaker of the House. The idea that John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi are the only two alternatives is incorrect. Now we have a real choice. Members must decide if they are for the status quo or for a change in direction.”
Yoho continued:
"In order to do this, strong leadership is required. The American people have spoken loud and clear by their choice to elect conservative Representatives to serve them in Washington. It’s our turn now, as Members of the People’s House, to echo their demands by electing a new Speaker. The American people have allowed us to choose who is best suited to lead the House by electing a deep bench of diverse and qualified members. Our Republic is built on choice, and if needed, I would stand up to give our members that option."
Yoho also encouraged members considering voting against Boehner, who may like the current speaker as a person, to not look at it as a vote against Boehner’s personality, but a vote against Washington’s unpopularity with the American people.
“Our vote for a new Speaker is not a personal vote against Representative Boehner – it is a vote against the status quo,” Yoho said. “Our vote is a signal to the American people that we too, have had enough of Washington politics, and that we will stand with the American people. This is a renewed commitment of our Oath of Office, the people we represent, and the Constitution. In 2015, we will take America back, we will restore opportunity for every American, and we will rebuild America.”
Yoho, a conservative from north central Florida, who was elected for his first term last Congress after defeating longtime incumbent now former Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), voted against Boehner last time. But his forthcoming vote, and potential candidacy for Speaker, against Boehner is significant in that—as Breitbart News detailed before—Boehner used his bill attacking Obama’s executive amnesty as a tool to eventually pass the 1,774-page $1.1 trillion so-called “CRomnibus” spending bill by allowing conservatives to vent about Obama’s action using that bill. A whopping 216 House Republicans voted for Yoho’s bill aimed at Obama’s amnesty, meaning that Yoho can get support from other Republicans party-wide for his initiatives.
Again, however, with just three members coming out publicly against Boehner’s re-election, it’s still not enough momentum to knock Boehner out. They will need at least 29, probably more, to ensure it happens—and in matters like this, the establishment in Washington usually wins, though anything is possible.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...l-alternative/
Rep. Thomas Massie: Not Voting For Boehner On Tuesday
by Matthew Boyle
3 Jan 2015
Washington, DC9
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) issued a statement on Saturday detailing why he’s going to vote against House Speaker John Boehner’s re-election on Tuesday.
Massie, who’s entering his second term as a member from Kentucky, now becomes the second Republican House member announcing the coming rebellion against Boehner.
Massie joins Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) in the fight for fresh leadership, and in his statement he detailed how Boehner and his leadership actually have misled members of the House GOP conference.
“For years I watched Washington from afar and suspected that something was broken. Why is it that so many people approve of their congressman, yet they consistently disapprove of Congress? During my first two years as a congressman I discovered a significant source of the dysfunction,” Massie said, before detailing several bad things that he “watched the House Leadership” do.
The list Massie reported focused mostly on Boehner’s work on the so-called “CRomnibus” $1.1 trillion spending bill.
Massie said that Boehner “schedule[d] a fiscal crisis in a lame duck session on the last legislative day before Christmas to get maximum leverage over rank and file members” and then worked to “mislead members into thinking that a vote on an unpopular bill was postponed, only to then conduct a rushed voice vote on the $10 billion unfunded spending measure with fewer than a dozen members present.”
Boehner also made sure to “give members less than 72 hours to read bills over 1,000 pages long, and,” Massie said, has proven he will “remove members from committees simply because they voted for the principles upon which they campaigned.”
“With a process this broken, is it any wonder that Washington no longer works for the people?” Massie said. “My constituents expect better, and America deserves better. On January 6th, 2015, I will vote for a new Speaker who will consistently articulate a constitutional vision for America and facilitate an inclusive and orderly legislative process that allows Congress to truly reflect the will of the people.”
Polling data emerged on Friday morning showing that 60 percent of Republican voters nationwide want someone other than Boehner as Speaker, and that 64 percent of those Republican voters believe Boehner has been “ineffective” in stopping President Obama’s liberal agenda.
There definitely is a rebellion brewing against Boehner at this time, but the question is whether it will be successful. Obviously, Massie’s statement joining Bridenstine helps further their cause, and others are expected to join soon. The question is whether they get to the 29 members needed to take Boehner down on the first ballot.
Dave Weigel at Bloomberg argues that conservatives will fall about five votes short in their effort to unseat Boehner, reaching that conclusion by adding all the members who voted against Boehner last time to the incoming members of Congress who campaigned on voting against Boehner. But there’s one critical thing Weigel left out of his analysis: returning members who have since been turned off by leadership or feel increasingly frustrated by Boehner’s style.
But, again, in Washington, the establishment usually wins in matters like this. If members roll the dice, however, they may just force a change—whether it be a concession from leadership or a new Speaker.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...er-on-tuesday/
