[RummyChick]

I am suspicious. Since when (lately) would the Elite put a strong conservative Republican in such a position?

[stevie_d_64]

With a man who is a Southerner and a conservative as part of the leadership, “we’re in afterglow,” says Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, a member of the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of 176 conservative Republicans. Scalise chairs the committee, which includes tea party flag bearers.

#########

Call me a poor example of an grammar “English” expert...

But the quotation is amazingly surgical in this particular snippet of the article...Barton only said “we’re in afterglow” (whatever the heck that means...Not what it appears the author is trying to imply with their version of “context” before Barton’s quote”...

This was just one of the small things which say a lot in this article...

I still feel a sense of sour grapes among the GOPe leadership for losing one of their guys...Especially to one of those damn Tea Party activists...

HOW DARE THEY QUESTION OUR AUTHORITY!!!

/sarc and scorn to the GOPe’s

[Jack Hydrazine]

From other threads about Scalise he isn’t a conservative.

[stevie_d_64]

“The whip is somebody who has to get to know everybody, and work with everybody,” says Ray Smock, a former House historian who now directs the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies at Shepherd University in West Virginia. “Given the style of the tea party, to be independent and buck authority and buck the establishment, it makes me wonder how effective any tea party candidate would be in that position.”

############

“...the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies...”

[/rolls eyes back into normal position]

“I would like to talk to you all about my dog...” (Senator Byrd, senate filibuster a while back)

[The Cajun]

I view Scalise as a solid conservative, hope he doesn't get *Boehnerized* with Potomac fever.

Could be he was just a crumb tossed to tea party conservatives, while Boehner, McCarthy and Rinos will work to minimize his influence, time will tell.

[Joe Boucher]

color me SKEPTICAL of anything any congress critter does at this point.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

Although Scalise might be a Tea Party guy, bet here is that he’s been turned to the dark side. 3 to 1 he’s turned.

[SharpRightTurn]

Scalise is a tea partier? Who knew? I thought he did Boehner’s bidding as chair of the RSC.

[skinkinthegrass]

Yeah, It was a "bone toss"..nothing more.

[DestroyLiberalism]

For what it's worth, here is the Heritage Action for America's current conservative scorecard rating for the new GOP Majority Whip Steve Scalise:

2014: 81% (House GOP average: 62%)
Lifetime rating: 81%

By comparison, here is Rep. Raul Labrador's Heritage Action scorecard rating (he of course ran for the House Majority Leadership position vacated by Eric Cantor):

2014: 77% (House GOP average: 62%)
Lifetime: 82%

By contrast, here is the new House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's Heritage Action scorecard rating:

2014: 42% (House GOP average: 62%)
Lifetime: 50%

[Sola Veritas]

I wonder if Tea Party and other truly conservative GOP House Members could break ranks from the “establishment” and form their own sub-caucus?