Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

David Vitter Vows to Block Potential Romney EPA Chief: Opening Salvo for Conservatives?
The Daily Caller ^ | 11/03/2012 | Matt K. Lewis

Posted on 11/04/2012 9:16:35 AM PST by nickcarraway

If Mitt Romney wins the election on Tuesday, he can expect another battle to begin almost immediately: The fight to block his moderate allies from key administration positions.

Conservatives are quietly making preparations to begin lobbying for these posts to be filled by reliable conservatives. Of course, this may also entail opposing some of Romney’s first choices — a fight whose opening salvo has already begun.

Sen. David Vitter is already sending signals he would attempt to block James Connaughton – Romney’s likely choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

(This is significant; Vitter is in line to become ranking member in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.)

According to The Hill, Vitter cited “emissions limits, potential restriction of offshore drilling and green energy funding — reflect an increasingly uniform GOP energy platform that Romney also has embraced,” as concerns about Connaughton.

Vitter also said “he could not support Connaughton’s previous backing for cap-and-trade rules for various types of emissions.”

This isn’t a case of Vitter merely having a personal vendetta. Connaughton would be bitterly opposed by movement conservatives.

As Cato’s Patrick Michaels noted, while serving as George W. Bush’s chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Connaughton “was flat-out for cap-and-trade legislation (or regulation) of carbon dioxide, advocating a ‘stringent’ target.”

I’ve previously noted that conservatives worry Romney transition chief Mike Leavitt will pack a future Romney administration with moderates and personal loyalists — and Connaughton is a prime example of the kind of appointment conservatives would attempt to derail.

Of course, blocking Romney (and Leavitt’s) more moderate picks won’t prove easy. At the upper echelons of the Republican world lies an incestuous network. Consider this: Romney consultant Ron Kaufman is married to the sister of former Bush Chief of Staff Andy Card. Card was replaced as Chief of Staff by Josh Bolton — whose sister married … James Connaughton.

Did you expect George W. Bush’s revolving door to close so soon?


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: romney; socialism; vitter
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-49 next last
To: bunnie911

And you’re a friggin moron. The last perfect man was put on a cross. Vitter does a good job for Louisiana.


21 posted on 11/04/2012 10:52:47 AM PST by nanook (Thomas Jefferson had it right.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Nifster

Romney will probably expand the EPA. Look who he’s nominating.


22 posted on 11/04/2012 11:00:40 AM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Nifster
Good enough issue an executive order, roll everything back, and then defund the sucker.

Like!


23 posted on 11/04/2012 11:03:29 AM PST by Jane Long (Soli Deo Gloria!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: nanook
Vitter does a good job for Louisiana.

Yup, he does.
A heck of a lot better than the little blond Rat we have for our other senator.
Think she's fixing to get the *Boot* next time around.

24 posted on 11/04/2012 11:03:48 AM PST by The Cajun (Sarah Palin, Mark Levin......Nuff said.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Tex-Con-Man
The structure of the EPA needs to be flipped on it's head. The current top-down gives watermelon bureaucrats waaaaaaay too much power. The states need to take complete control of the EPA and take it away from the Executive Branch. Have the state legislators nominate and vote in management of the agency. It need only concern itself with air/water quality disputes between the states.

I think you know that the EPA activists are buddy-buddy with the eco-lawyer foundations and coordinate lawsuits with them. Lawsuits where the EPA caves with a wink and a nod. I'll bet they line up favorable judges, when they are able to. The EPA is an affirmative action hiring hall. An excuse to employ the otherwise unemployable. The EPA could regulate fairly with 25% the "workers" it has. EPA "workers" are always dreaming up new absurd business-shackling regulations to justify their existence on the Federal payroll.

Matter of fact 50% of Federal workers in the DC region are unneeded. For them (mostly liberal and affirmative action hires) the Federale Gov't is a jobs program.

25 posted on 11/04/2012 11:27:50 AM PST by dennisw (Government be yo mamma - Re-elect Barack Obama)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

The real critical positions that conservatives must care about are in the next congress. It makes all the difference in the world in committee chairmen in the house and the senate are conservatives or not.

By far, the most important politician after the president is the senate majority leader. We can but hope that he is a hard nosed conservative, who will strip the Democrat senators of power like Harry Reid did the Republican senators. In past, the Republican senators have acted like abused children, trying to be ingratiating to the Democrats abusing them. This has to stop.

But the more conservatives, especially Tea Party conservatives, that become committee chairmen, the more the country has a chance to get back on track.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Senate_committees

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_United_States_House_of_Representatives_committees

The most important committees to utterly dominate are the Rules committees, that will set the rules for the senate and the house; Appropriations, which will determine what parts of the government are funded OR NOT; and Ways and Means, that sets tax policy.

But none of the other committees can be neglected.


26 posted on 11/04/2012 11:28:05 AM PST by yefragetuwrabrumuy (DIY Bumper Sticker: "THREE TIMES,/ DEMOCRATS/ REJECTED GOD")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

The House leader will just go along with Romney. Rubber stamp his tax increases.


27 posted on 11/04/2012 11:41:01 AM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Said it before and I’ll say it again - Vitter should have resigned when his whore hopping became public. Besides the scumbag cheating on his wife part, lets not forget the fact he broke the law AND put himself at risk for blackmail. The fact he’s still in office is a disgrace.


28 posted on 11/04/2012 11:42:04 AM PST by KantianBurke (Where was the Tea Party when Dubya was spending like a drunken sailor?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KantianBurke

Has any of this been proven/has he been convicted? Did you say the same things about Bush. (They said he took cocaine/forced tons of women to have abortions/went AWOL, etc.)


29 posted on 11/04/2012 11:50:43 AM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: KantianBurke

Better yet, any Senator who is against socialism and/or Obamacare should just be removed from office now?


30 posted on 11/04/2012 11:51:56 AM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/07/vitter_reemerges_and_again_ask.html

Once again, he should have resigned allowing the GOP Governor to appointment a non-scumbag to the position.


31 posted on 11/04/2012 11:56:04 AM PST by KantianBurke (Where was the Tea Party when Dubya was spending like a drunken sailor?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: unixfox
Why not just shut the son-of-a-bitch down?

A novel way to spell EPA, I like it.

32 posted on 11/04/2012 11:57:17 AM PST by depressed in 06 (6 November, 2012, the day our embarrassment is sent back to Kenya.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

I say let him put whoever he wants in charge of EPA. Just limit the agency to a $20.00 a year budget to stay within.


33 posted on 11/04/2012 11:57:50 AM PST by Colorado Doug (Now I know how the Indians felt to be sold out for a few beads and trinkets)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #34 Removed by Moderator

To: nickcarraway

Sorry to hear that Romney even intends to HAVE an EPA chief...


35 posted on 11/04/2012 12:23:38 PM PST by mo (If you understand, no explanation is needed. If you don't understand, no explanation is possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

which wasn’t even what my comment was about...A) Romney has not nominated anyone YET B) my comment was about the EPA in general...geez chill out. go back and read what I wrote and see it for what it is....a way to get rid of the EPA. Do I think it will ever happen? Not unless I am ruler of the universe for a day or two. Your sense of humor has apparently been lost at sea


36 posted on 11/04/2012 1:42:01 PM PST by Nifster
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: ping jockey

exactly.... and for those who couldn’t tell there is a certain amount of humor is my response.....if one can’t see it they need to check themselves into some serious rehab to get their funny bone back


37 posted on 11/04/2012 1:43:34 PM PST by Nifster
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

bump


38 posted on 11/04/2012 1:53:13 PM PST by Wuli
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #39 Removed by Moderator

To: Admin Moderator
thanks y'all

< blush >

40 posted on 11/04/2012 2:21:44 PM PST by tomkat ( PAlabama '12 = RR = 300 +)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-49 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson