Posted on 01/03/2013 1:36:50 PM PST by Timber Rattler
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) was reelected on a 220 to 192 vote by his colleagues Thursday despite last minute grumblings that opposition from within his own party would derail the embattled politician as retribution for his leadership on controversial issues including the recent fiscal cliff deal.
(snip)
Boehner ran unopposed within his own party, contrary to speculation that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) might challenge him for the position. Just prior to the vote, Cantor told CNN that Boehner would “absolutely” be reelected. Cantor voted against the fiscal cliff deal, which raised taxes on a majority of Americans, but he voted for Boehner for speaker.
However, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) told Human Events after the vote that “arm twisting” on Boehner’s behalf was “very intense” with threats that Republicans would lose plum committee assignments or campaign donations from the National Republican Congressional Committee if they opposed the speaker’s reelection.
Huelskamp is one of four Republican lawmakers who lost key committee assignments recently for reportedly voting against issues that were important to Boehner.
“The intimidation and pressure was intense, there are a lot of people that wanted to vote no and today, the last call, the last twisting of arms, convinced them not to do that,” Huelskamp said.
“And certainly my vote was one of no confidence. I want conservative leadership, and that has not been provided by the speaker,” Huelskamp said.
Asked specifically who was intimidated to cast their votes for Boehner, Huelskamp declined to name names.
Huelskamp did add that one freshman lawmaker was called prior to the vote and told their committee seat was “probably gone if you vote your conscience.”
(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...
...and they fell for it. From Boehner. No wonder Obama goes unchecked. These cowards wilt in front of Caspar Milquetoast.
There must be more to the allure of the committee chairmanships than a silly gavel to tap. It must have to do with campaign donations. I’m afraid we will never fix the problem considering the lack of information of Republican primary voters and their miserable nominees.
They learn well from the chicago way.
Gone Galt here. Call me when someone gives a damn.
Eric Cantor must have had the boot shoved up his behind. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s knocked down a peg or two.
What we need is enough Americans who will stop giving to the RNC and start giving to conservative super-PACs. Then a threat to remove RNC funding wouldn’t have any impact.
I can’t imagine many conservatives being happy with this vote. I also can’t imagine conservatives contributing to the GOP when they have been stabbed in the back so. I know I won’t.
I'd love to know. These people would be in line for whatever help I could provide after paying my Boehner-McConnell-Zero tax increases.
They don’t have to worry about any campaign donations from me anymore. The “Republican” Party no longer exists. It is now the “Mafia” Party.
They sure took lessons from the Chicago Community Organizer didn’t they.
If they were only half as brave as they are against conservatives we would be in a better place.
I for one will never support idiots like King in NY. The guy is a waste of space. All he does is say stupid things in front of the camera, as far as I can tell. Just like Schumer. Must be a NY thing.
Anyone really surprised!
Sure he voted against it after he was assured it would pass despite his no vote. Fning weasel
“They don’t call it the Stupid Party for nothing.”
Chances that Boehner will be crying at his swearing in ceremony? 95 percent yes he will.
This proves the definition of insanity and stupidity.
Wow - If they would just deal with the democrats they way they deal with their own caucas, we would not be in as much trouble.
ball-less wonders.
Yet before this thread ends, many ‘conservatives’ will tell us why this is good and why Bhoner/GOP style governance it the only choice.
I am more embarrassed by the moment. Until these people are ourged from the movement, we will never purge their gods from DC.
Simple math.
Over 90 percent of the Republicans we elect have no principles.
That is the bottom line that came out here.
Speakers have power to twist arms in every legislature.
Leaders control their individual party members who are free only to make noises with passionate speeches, not act on principle.
Bonehead will lead the GOP to the minority in 2014.
He was a weak leader to star with, he is much weaker now.
He has divided the GOP, not united it.
I give up hope - how the hel do we elect the most spineless man we can find to do the heaviest lifting in the people’s house?
Not me!
I changed my party affiliation this afternoon upon learning that the stupid party re-elected that lush. We have 2 years to get the Tea Party instituted as a national platform..... let’s get it done!
Funny how Republicans only get a spine when it comes to dealing with fellow Republicans.
GOOD!
And don’t let the GOP Fanboys give you crap on these threads for doing it. I hope MANY share your conviction.
What a bunch of Spinless Liberals
If you are still voting Republican after this spectacle....YOU ARE A LIBERAL
It’s time to march on the RNC. We can’t take back the country without taking back the party first.
Not one thin dime will go to a GOP 'committee' at any level .. time/money contributions to individual candidates ONLY.
The spineless pukes want to ignore us ? Both sides can play that game !
If a FEW,000,000 of us did the same, there's just a chance - albeit a slim one - that it might make a last gasp difference.
No, it’s time to see reality. And that reality is that it is idiotic to retake a party so thoroughly discredited in the eyes of America and loaded Top to janitor with Moderates and outright liberals.
Let the GOP keep all the crap they allowed the Dems to attach to it like accusations of racism and granny over the cliff.
Start over without the anchor of that ‘legacy.’ And the anchors of it’s OWN doing.
Hey Boehner, GFY.
Superpacs should be authentically tied to conservatives, not tied to the business interests that support bailouts and ‘imperfect deals’ like the one just agreed to to band aid the economy and make it look better than it really is.
We need a total downsizing of government and low taxation to make it out of this mess. Otherwise we slowly sink into the abyss.
The supposed pro-business folks like Pat Toomey have proposed a balanced budget ten years down the road.
That’s smoke and mirrors austerity like we get in Europe with band aids that keep Greece, Spain, Italy etc. etc. deep in the hole.
Like most sociopaths, Boehner is only willing to fight when his own ego is at stake.
King in a RINO mouthpiece who populates the Fox News universe that plays with our emotions to keep us herded onto the Republican Plantation.
Ah, well. We really didn’t want to win mid term in 2014, did we?
I got a GOP fundraising call about 20 minutes ago, asking me to contribute to the RNC. I told the guy to perform an unnatural act on himself and to take my name off his list.
My Rep. (Amash) voted for himself! Ha, well done!
He should after that d*ck screwed him over.
That's a flat out lie. The taxes had already gone up. The deal eliminated tax hikes on everyone making less than $400,000 a year, and made the Bush tax rates on them permanent. Whatever it's other faults the deal resulted in lower taxes for most Americans.
They gave in on “taxing the rich” which was wrong and they gave in by taking away the 2 percent giveback.
People like me who are conservative and work two jobs just lost money to Washington.
I can get over that personally but the grassroots out there who work and support the GOP will be the bite of higher taxes, too.
This a European style bailout, not conservative legislation.
Moodys wants more austerity type measures or the credit rating of the US gets lowered.
This is the first of many “imperfect deals” to come.....
So there was arm-twisting and threats? So what? Why should that have stopped anyone from trying to save this country? That doesn’t suprise me or even upset me
What ticks me off is that cowardly house representatives did not have the balls to even try and run against boehner. He was unopposed.
I don’t blame boner. I blame house conservatives. We don’t deserve to lead the house of representatives if only nine voted against the RINO. Cowards. All of them except nine.
I’m not surprised. We tried working within the GOP for the last couple of years and found that same ole boy RINO network at the local levels. This last crap maneuver should have driven the last stake into any real conservative still calling themselves a Republican. We need another party NOW, before the 2014 elections.
The RNC just called asking for money. I laughed, “you got to be kidding!”
What a putz!
He and Harry Reid are gangsters ... and both houses caved to them, or will.
Unbelievable, this is a man who will do anything to secure his position. And we’re stuck with him till mid-terms 2014.
Kiss our collective a**es goodbye. He just went to aid the President in his agenda.
If you make more than 400k a year, hats off to you. But your taxes had already gone up before the deal was done. No deal and your taxes would still be higher, along with everyone elses. And there would be no way the Pubs could ever sell themselves as the party of lower taxes after that. It would confirm in the minds of the public the Dem meme that "Republicans only care about the rich".
The GOP-e is happy with the status quo ante, while we aren’t.
Feck `em.
The risk with a Conservative super pac is somebody like Rove will end up running it and he’ll get hooked on a RINO and it’s Romney time again.
Op, op, op, op
Oppa Gangnam Style
Eh, sexy lady
Op, op, op, op
Eh-eh-eh, eh-eh-eh
This is the main problem with our government. Congress is supposed to be representative of the people, but Chairmanship and Committee seat are set up to be little dictatorships. My Oregon senator ends up representing Harry Reid’s state rather than Oregon. There must be a better way to set up committees.
Good luck with that. You lost me, and I'm not coming back.
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