'Speaker Marsha Blackburn' Probably the Way to Go...

Reaganite Republican ^ | 13 October 2015 | Reaganite Republican

[Reaganite Republican]

With unacceptable candidates Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan now 

smushed-up in our wheelwell, America's resurgent right rolls-on, retaining effective veto power over the Republican Party's choice of new leader in the US House as we all now contemplate wiser, far more palatable candidates.

Darrell Issa always gave me high hopes with all his investigations- inquiries which never seem to result in nailing the bad guys to the wall. Isn't that a microcosm of today's weak-kneed Gee-Oh-Pee establishment? Lot of noise, but no effective challenge whatsoever?

Alas, we need a dragon-slayer in the Speaker's seat, and Rep. Issa seems to lack the charisma and ability to punch-it-into-the-enzone required at this point in history.

Troy Gowdy is probably the first one that came to mind for most of us, 
but it's he's made it pretty clear he doesn't want the job. 
Drafting him would be ill-advised providing he doesn't want to be there, and Rep. Gowdy would know better than us anyway, so best leave him be.

Jason Chaffetz is a real conservative, boasting a 82% Freedom Score. His primary point in a recent interview re. why he ought to be Speaker had him saying he would look best on TV. I reckon his mom and his wife told him he's cute, but to me his elfin appearance seems cartoon-like and boyish
(if he's planning to just get-by on his looks). 

So that's not a positive, and if something this shallow is all he's got to say about what he's do if handed the gavel... I dunno about this one. I saw him on Fox and left with no substantial positive impression- and Chaffetz was ready to back Paul Ryan up until about three days ago.

Daniel Webster (FL) told a recent gathering of conservative groups he favors implementation of a new 'principled-based, not power-based system'. Sounds good to me, and as former leader of the Florida state House, he's got a decent resume, to be sure. 

Unfortunately, Rep. Webster's CR Freedom Score doesn't quite match the rhetoric we're hearing from him lately, it's at a mediocre 64%. And he's not exactly an entertaining speaker- from what little I've heard, he seems dull, droning, and monotone. Webster could be a 2nd or 3rd choice for me, if need be- but haven't noticed any groundswell of support out there yet.

Jim Jordan and Justin Amash don't seem to be gathering any real steam, and a few other names have been tossed around.

Some people have been talking about drafting Newt Gingrich, who's record as Speaker in the 90s commands respect. I backed Newt vs Romney early in the 2012 GOP primary season, like him and think he's brilliant, and always enjoy listening to his spiel on TV interviews.

But many of Newt's old alliances are gone and he's probably a bit rusty. He also says weird things often enough to be unsettling -plays outside critic while still flirting with the GOPe- and supported McCarthy for Speaker just two weeks ago... I thought McCarthy was a joke the minute he opened his dopey trap, so I dunno if Gingrich is going to go-over with the right like he did in 2012... and he's never going to outlive that pic of him and Pelosi.

Which leaves us with Tennessee's Rep. Marsha Blackburn -with a rating of 72% at CR- perhaps barely acceptable there, but she's indeed a conservative who importantly comes across as professional and knows how to talk- a likable sort, one everybody seems to think can get the votes.

On the most vital issues of the day, Blackburn usually gets it right: she lead the fight against Obama's illegal Executive Amnesty on the House floor last year -mirroring Ted Cruz's efforts in the Senate- and the American Conservative Union has all but endorsed her based on their rating model. She pulls a 92 out of a possible 100 from them in principled, consistent conservatism on House votes of 'the Boehner era'- not too shabby
(her first 7 years in Congress she scored a perfect '100' from them).

Rep Blackburn currently sits as vice chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee and boasts both a corporate business and entrepreneurial background. She led the fight against institution of a state income tax in the Tennessee state senate in 2002 and moved on to Capitol Hill by running on that victory... proto-TEA Party, if you will. 

And although I usually abhor race or sex based calculations, I do like the idea of trying a woman Speaker, at least  for the time being: not only a fresh face, Blackburn might work out great, and in the meantime the left will surely find it more cumbersome to attack a female in such a position- they can't just give her the full Palin treatment, which I don't think would even work anymore: people are far more skeptical of the MSM's PC-for-thee-but-not-for-me these days. Any subsequent 'war-on-woman' would expose the press as the sinister hacks they truly are... and just in time for the election.

If she could stand-up to the lawless Obama regime for the next 15 months, Blackburn could come to be a hero to conservatives while destroying the left's 'group victimhood' feminist model at the same time: here's a woman who earned what she's got, out to show all you self-pitying welfare queens how it's done... what, you gonna call her a Nazi now?

[Reaganite Republican]

***PING***

[OwenKellogg]

Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!

[Reaganite Republican]

Note- I DO know his name is ‘Trey’, but my spellcheck doesn’t

[Reaganite Republican]

She looks good for 63, I think

[Artemis Webb]

"She looks good for 63, I think"

Ditto that. These sexist old eyes don't lie.

[NTHockey]

If the Conservatives want to draft someone, why not Sarah Palin. Can you imagine how Liberal heads exploding on a daily basis?

[InterceptPoint]

Here is a picture and my Heritage Scorecard to show how she stands up against the good and bad candidates. Scoring-wise she does pretty good with a Heritage 83% score.

[Reaganite Republican]

Superb~ thank you!

[Reaganite Republican]

Mine neither!

[Crazieman]

She’s 63?!

[Reaganite Republican]

I was surprised too, I would have guessed 49 or so

Born Marsha Wedgeworth
June 6, 1952 (age 63)
Laurel, Mississippi, U.S.

[InterceptPoint]

She’s 63?!

Can't verify that but probably not in this photo. Plus there is likely to be a little Photoshop at work as well.

[OwenKellogg]

Photo taken in 2010. She was about 58.

[Reaganite Republican]

She looks great, classy lady

[DoodleDawg]

If she could stand-up to the lawless Obama regime for the next 15 months...

If she can stand up to the GOP establishment is the more important question.

[Ann Archy]

MARSHA BLACKBURN for SPEAKER!!!!

I was the first one to say it, and I’ll be the last one to say it!

[jocon307]

Well I don’t know much about her, but it would help with that whole “war on women” nonsense.

I like her name too, it’s a nice, business-like name.

[Reaganite Republican]

I’m pretty much convinced- guess you were right!

[ken5050]

I personally think that Gowdy would love the job, but to take it he would have to give up the chair of the Special Committee..and he won’t do that. The investigation is going to run well into next summer....due mainly to the obstruction by State in releasing documents. He probably has a pretty good idea when the investigation is going..he plays his cards close to the vest, and he won’t risk the committee NOT finishing the job.